March 25, 2026 • 30 mins
This week on Insight, we spotlight community, creativity, and opportunity across our region. First, we highlight the Annual Black and Minority Business Expo, a powerful celebration of entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. Hosted by the South Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the Expo takes place Saturday, April 4th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cherry Hill West High School, featuring more than 50 local vendors and partnerships with student leaders from Cherry Hill East and West. Learn more at sjacdst.org/events.
Then, in honor of Women’s History Month, we speak with Nicole Moy of The Bridge Studio about “The Power of Her Presence,” an immersive evening of art, mindfulness, and cultural dialogue uplifting women’s voices. The event takes place March 31st in Philadelphia. Follow The Bridge Studio on Instagram for updates and event details.
Finally, we’re joined by Sheila Sarem, Founder and CEO of Basta, a tech nonprofit expanding into Philadelphia with support from GreenLight Fund. Basta is working to close the college-to-career gap for first-generation students through innovative, human-centered, AI-powered job matching. Learn more at projectbasta.com and follow Basta on Instagram (@project_basta), Facebook (Project Basta), and LinkedIn.
Tune in for conversations that connect community, creativity, and career pathways—right here on Insight.
Then, in honor of Women’s History Month, we speak with Nicole Moy of The Bridge Studio about “The Power of Her Presence,” an immersive evening of art, mindfulness, and cultural dialogue uplifting women’s voices. The event takes place March 31st in Philadelphia. Follow The Bridge Studio on Instagram for updates and event details.
Finally, we’re joined by Sheila Sarem, Founder and CEO of Basta, a tech nonprofit expanding into Philadelphia with support from GreenLight Fund. Basta is working to close the college-to-career gap for first-generation students through innovative, human-centered, AI-powered job matching. Learn more at projectbasta.com and follow Basta on Instagram (@project_basta), Facebook (Project Basta), and LinkedIn.
Tune in for conversations that connect community, creativity, and career pathways—right here on Insight.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow. Young college graduates, especially first
generation students, are facing real challenges breaking into today's job market.
We'll talk with BASTA, an organization supported by the green
Light Fund that's helping close the college to career gap
through innovative, human centered AI powered job matching. Will also
(00:23):
highlight a unique evening of art and mindfulness created by
Nicole moy of The Bridge in Kensington, designed to uplift
and empower women and the men who support us, but first,
supporting local businesses is one of the most powerful ways
to build stronger, more equitable communities. The annual Black and
Minority Business Expo is bringing that vision to life, connecting
(00:45):
residents with entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders who are shaping the
future of our region. Hosted by the South Jersey Alumni
chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority incorporated in collaboration with
Cherry Hill West and East High School's African American Culture Club,
this event promises a day of economic empowerment, community pride,
and opportunity. It all takes place on Saturday, April fourth,
(01:08):
joining us right now is Laurie Noel, Committee Chair of
the Economic Development Committee of the South Jersey Alumni Chapter
of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. So, first of all,
thank you so much for joining us here today and
tell us LERI about the mission behind the annual Black
and Minority Business Expo and why this event is so important.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Right now, first of all, Loraene, thank you so much
for giving us the opportunity to come and spread the
word about such an amazing event for folks that may
not know. Delta Sigma Data Sorority is founded on one
of the five point programmatic thrusts, and economic development is that.
And we love the opportunity to get out and service
(01:51):
our communities to which our chapter services Camben, Gloucester, Salem,
and Gloucester in South Jersey, and we just wanted to
make sure that we get out there and just empower
our minority and black owned businesses. As you know, we
just want to be able to give them that opportunity
(02:13):
of empowerment and showcase how creative and amazing these folks
can be.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So paint a picture for us what can attendees expect
when they walk into the expo on APU fourth. What
kind of businesses and experiences will they be featured?
Speaker 2 (02:29):
As you walk into the Cherry Hill West High School,
you're going to walk in through our floyer and be
welcomed by some of our members of our community. They're
going to guide you through the hallways so you can
have an intimate relationship with all of those vendors that
will be featured there, whether it's wellness to your candles,
(02:50):
to some of our individuals who are doing community services
for people in our community, whether it is our lawyer,
some of our doctors. We have dentists there as well.
We have people that are also featuring some of their
food from their restaurants or some of their pop up shops.
(03:10):
And I'd like to say in regards to what we're
talking about food, is that we are still looking for
some amazing food vendors and I will give them that
information on how they can reach out to us too,
because we still have spots for them. You name it,
we have it at our expo.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
The event is a collaboration with high school African American
culture clubs. How does involving young people enhance the impact
of the expo? Why do you want to get the
young people involved.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
It takes a village just getting back to ensuring that
not only as our sorority, but we make sure that
we have those relationships with not only within our family,
within our community, but our kids as well, and we
want them to see what we're doing and to be
out there supporting our community as well. We have some
(04:00):
young folks that have their own businesses that you'll see
featured there too as well.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
This is a very challenging time for so many folks,
and I wonder if you can talk more about why
it should be our intention to support black and minority
owned businesses at this time.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Well that's going to be a long conversation, right learn,
but I break it down, you know, break it down, Well,
supporting any small business is important. We want to ensure
that more so that our black and minority businesses get
that shine. People are trying to erase our history right now.
(04:39):
We need to ensure that we stay in front of
that and continue to uplift everyone and anyone that has
a small business and to spend your dollars there in
our own community. So we always are looking to find
any way that we can promote that, and we hope
that people that are listening right now can come out
(05:02):
and support us. Coming up Saturday on April fourth from
eleven to four, so we look forward to some heavy
foot traffic for people to come and not only buy
from our vendors, but common fellowship and share great ideas
and make those connections. Networking is so much fun in
(05:24):
that environment.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
I'd like to give a shout out to the Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority because you have baked into your mission
a real sense of service to the community, and I
wonder if you can briefly touch on the heart of
the deltas.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
A big heart Since June thirteenth, nineteen thirteen by twenty
two Amazing Women where a nonprofit organization and our purpose
is to provide assistance and support some of those established
programs our local communities such as some of these that
we're doing now. What can I say? It's an organization
(06:05):
of sisterhood and it's a predominantly black educated women that
have come together. There are over three hundred thousand women
now from the United States to Korea, to the Arabian
Coast over to South Africa that are part of this
mission that we are all a part of.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, if people would like to either be a vendor
or would like to participate, They'd like to come on down.
How can they find out more? How can they sign
up to be a vendor, and how can they find
out more about the event itself?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Love it love it Right now we are showcasing on
the upwards of fifty plus vendors and they can find
out about our event at sjac dst dot org slash events.
You will see our flyer there for this upcoming week.
(07:00):
We would love to have you out there participating and
just being amongst family in the village.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Sounds like a wonderful event. You want to check it out.
The annual Black and Minority Business Expo hosted by the
South Jersey Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated
in America's in collaboration with Cherry Hill West and the
East High schools African American Culture Club. This is going
to be a day of community, pride, empowerment and economic empowerment.
(07:30):
Takes place on Saturday, April fourth, from eleven am to
four pm at Cherry Hill West High School featuring more
than fifty vendors. Laurie Noel Committee, Chair of the Economic
Development Committee of South Jersey Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Thank you so much for joining us
and sharing with us this information.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Ray, Thank you and to your listeners, we really appreciate
everything that you do for us.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Wonderful. This Women's History Month, we're celebrating creativity, healing, and
the power of connection through art. Joining us is Nicole moy,
founder of the Bridge Studio in Philadelphia, who is presenting
the power of her presence, a curated evening of art, mindfulness,
(08:16):
and cultural dialogue that uplifts and honors the voices and
experiences of women. So Nicole, thank you so much for
joining us and for the listeners who may not be familiar.
Tell us first of all about the Bridge Studio and
your vision for creating this kind of cultural and artistic
space in Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
First, thank you Loraine for having me. The Bridge Studio
was an answer for my own personal neglect as being
a creative and working in corporate America, but also seeing
how it could uplift and help change the narrative in
the Kiss and In area. So it's just exactly what
it found. The Bridge Studio is exactly about bridging people
(08:53):
ideas and experiences together. We believe in attention. We believe
that there's gaps that need to be a US, and
through this space, we want to use that to address
those gaps. So that looks like creativity, connection, expression, which
are often things that are missed in the spaces. So
my idea was to try to bring that into light
and share that with the community and people who not
(09:15):
necessarily need it, but want to have more of it.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
I love that. Well, this event on the thirty first,
the power of her presence sounds like much more than
just an event, It's an experience. So what inspired you
to create this evening centered on art, healing and empowerment.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Yes, yes, it was actually inspired by Women's History Month
and having delightful conversations with Gil. Shout out to Gil.
I wanted to do something before the month was over.
And the reason why I wanted to push for it
is because we need spaces where we can go after
work and be able to be heard, to be felt,
(09:52):
to be noticed, and I wanted to bring that event
into light so that that could be done. Women and
people in general should be celebrated all year around. We're
not held to a calendar year, but it is important
to have safe spaces that allow us to be ourselves
and to be with like minded people, to empower, to celebrate,
to support, to have community. So this is more than
(10:14):
just an event. This is an experience because of what
I want people to do is fill and I want
them to be themselves and I want them to leave
with the best version of themselves and keeping in mind
that we are human at the end of the day,
and we just need to be able to give ourselves grace,
the love that we need to continue to pour in ourselves.
And separately from that, I don't do anything that I
(10:35):
don't believe in. If I can't do with intention or
love or care, I won't do it. And because this
event allows me to do that's exactly why I'm doing it.
And it's also a part of filling my own journey
with the loss of my mother last June. It's a
little bit more than just you know, saying, oh, I'm
just going to do it just because it's because it's needed,
not just for myself, but I know that there's other
(10:56):
people that need to have things that uplift, that support
and give them community.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Nicole. So often events either do the mindfulness part, or
they do the art part. So your event is blending
creative expression with mindfulness and conversation. Tell us how that
works and why it was important to combine all of
those things together.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I think it works because it allows us to get
a taste of a little bit of everything in one space.
I wanted my event to be more specialized. I wanted
it to have a little bit of everything so that
we can find ways to either ground, which I think
is very important prior to kicking off event, to have positive,
(11:40):
uplifting conversation because we don't always have safe spaces that
have those conversations, or we don't have the time because
we live such a routine way of living, work, taking
care of our families, ourselves, sleep, eat, and all over again.
So it was important for me to have a blend
of art conversation in community, and I think this event
is going to be just that. And the way that
(12:01):
it could be done is that realizing there's small needs
and how can we address those needs or gaps and
what level of it can we address it? Because I
know that this can eventually lead to more focused events
if women or people or our community feel that we
need it. I wanted to uplift. Maybe there might be
a moment when someone's shed a tear, but then maybe
(12:21):
we might have a moment where we feel empowered. So
I thought it was best to mix a little bit
of everything into one so that we can fully be
able to express ourselves.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
So the event highlights seems like identity, self reflection, and sisterhood.
And I wonder if you can sort of set the
stage for us, So when someone walks into the bridge
in Kensington, what are they going to be experiencing. What
are some of the things that you're planning for this
event that people can know about in advance.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
This is an event where you're not just listening. You
are expected to engage, to participate. We are expected to
build communities. I'm going to encourage communities, going to encourage networking.
I'm going to encourage women and business. There's a little
bit of everything that the event is going to touch on.
So it's not just the event where it's a workshot
where you're taking notes or you're listening. This is actually
(13:11):
an opportunity for you to network, for us to build
community and sisterhood, and for us to be able to
go to the vendor and say hi, my name is
such and such. I would like to learn more about
you or know X the panel or the collaborators themselves.
You might have a question that you know, how do
you get through your day to day? And I think
this event is going to allow for all of that
to take place. So the expectation is you're not just
(13:33):
coming to listen. You're expected to engage, to be encouraged,
to be yourself and whatever that looks like, we're welcoming
in that. So the biggest expectation, if I had to
say it, is to know that you're coming into a
space that's not only safe and feels great that with
positive energy, but you can also contribute to the event.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yourself positive energy. We need so much more of that
right now.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Now.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
I'd like to talk a little bit about your background,
because you have a very interesting background in corporate leadership
and you're also a self taught artist. So how is
your personal journey influencing the way that you curate experiences
at the Bridge Studio.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
So I think that my influence has a lot to
do with it, because I am showing that I am
no longer willing to ignore the things that make me.
I'm no longer I'm willing to put that to the side.
So what I'm showing is that, yes, I do know
I work a nine to five in corporate America, which
I've been a corporate really for over ten years, working
(14:33):
for big companies like GP Morgan and State Street. But
then there was something that I had a epiphany. One day,
I drove the work and I stay listening to either
like classical music or something uplifting or encouraging and motivating,
and I was listening to Rich Dad, Poor Dad by
Robert Karasaki, and he pretty much was saying things like,
you know how work dictates everything of your life. And
(14:55):
I was like, that is so true down to your home,
what you do, like it's so time consumer. And I
think that from that moment, as I dive deeper into
that podcast, I or told myself I didn't want to
be that person. So I said, what can I do
to give myself a chance. Because I'm not saying that
I'm walking away from my nine to five, but what
I am saying is that this stops today. So I
(15:17):
decided to actually look into a space that is all
of me, Like I built this space from the ground up.
It's my art within this self like. Not only do
I pain on this I do a lot of self
talk like abstract work, but everything about this space I
put it together. So everything I do has some type
of intentional art behind it, and this space allowed me
(15:37):
to do that. So when I come from work and
I need a reset, I can use the space to
create as I see fit. It is my answer to
being able to express myself but also give myself a
chance as far as being a creative entrepreneur. And we
don't have a lot of time and we do at
the same time. So I think people need to realize,
(16:00):
and it doesn't matter what race or sex you are,
is that it's about balance. At the end of the day.
Just because you're certain age doesn't mean that you can
give up all your dreams or your passions or you
just have to stick to nine to five. You have
time and space to do whatever it is that you want.
You just need to take that first step. I know
that fear and failure, a lot of space and a
lot of people's thoughts and views, but those are just
(16:22):
stepping stones that gets you to where you need to be.
And this space is that for me, and I'm able
to share this space with other people with the hopes
of like, not only I did it, you can do
it too if you want it to. Also, if you
need a space to express yourself, this is exactly what
that is.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
And I can share this with you wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Well.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
For those who are interested in attending, give us all
the details, the date, the time, the location, and the
website or the ways that they can register.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Yeah, so I do have a POSH link. So it's
called the Power of Her Presence and it is on
March thirty first at six thirty to nine thirty. I
strongly encourage RSVPs because we're getting a good amount of
ursvps that we might have to just cut it out
and put a sold out event. But it is the
event that all are welcome, even guys. I know this
(17:09):
is a women's center event, but if you'll like to
come and support, you're more than welcome. But again this
is for the ladies. And again it is March thirty
first at six thirty to nine thirty with a few
fenders in mine, our collaborators and just a house of
females that are probably like minded in different areas, and
(17:30):
we're going to have amazing time. So again, all are welcome,
and this is not the end of this event. This
is actually one of Starro events, so of course look
out for us. We're also on Instagram. It's called the
Bridge Studio Philly. I do have a website. It's currently
being revamped at the moment, should be up any moment now,
but it is going to be www dot Bridge studiophl
(17:52):
dot com. And then I can personally be reached and
I can give that contact too if you need it,
which is like my email and phone number. Sure, my
email is the Bridge Studio at Bridge studiophl dot com
and my phone number is six oh nine, three, three, seven, two, eight,
four or five.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
I want to thank you so much Nicole moy, founder
of the Bridge Studio in Philadelphia, who is presenting the
power of her presence, a curated evening of art, mindfulness,
and cultural dialogue that uplifts and honors the voices and
experiences of women. That is happening on March thirty first.
It sounds like a wonderful event. Thank you Nicole for
joining us today.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Thank you Lorrain, and I just wanted to give you
a shout out because I really do appreciate you giving
events and businesses and people like myself the opportunity to
share what we do. It's very much needed. I know
these events is needed, but people like you are also needed.
And of course your beautiful husband guilt. It wasn't for
you too. No one would bought this event at the
(18:51):
level that they do. So again, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Ah my pleasure. Today we're talking about creating real pathways
from college to career, especially for first generation students who
face systemic barriers related to professional networks and opportunities. Joining
us is Sheila Saram, founder and CEO of BASTA, a
(19:16):
tech nonprofit working to close the employment gap by connecting
talented students with strong first jobs through accommodation of AI
powered matching and human centered support. Now, as BASTA expands
its work into Philadelphia with support from the green Light Fund,
we'll explore how this innovative model is helping unlock opportunity
(19:36):
for both students and employers. So, Sheila, thank you so
much for joining us here today, and for those hearing
about BOSTA for the first time, what is your mission
and what inspired you to start this work right now?
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I launched Boston
in twenty sixteen, I am the founder. For the past decade,
we have been singularly obsessed with one question, and that is,
if we believe that for generation college students are not
only equipped, but uniquely equipped for the world of work
because of their lived experience, then how might we connect
(20:10):
that connective tissue between these really talented young people and
the employers that I believe really do want to hire
across lines of difference. So that's our mission. How do
we really close the employment gap by equipping young people
with the knowledge and networks they need and then activating
those employers that really do want to hire across lines
of difference. That's our mission. We started in New York
(20:31):
and we're super excited about expanding.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Well, this is such an important project as just reading
the New York Times that the employment rate for first
time graduates of college is not good, and it's much
higher than the national average, and we find that many
of these newly minted graduates are having difficulties getting into
the workplace and getting even that entry level job in
(20:55):
the field that they prefer.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
I think every day I open the payer app on
my phone and there's you know, a different theory about
which jobs will disappear first. I think we are all
going to learn together over the next several years how
the job market is going to change and shift. However,
what is definitively true is AI has made it so
(21:19):
easy for all job seekers to apply to exponentially more jobs,
and so that leaves our employers a little overwhelmed in
terms of who to look at and how to process
all that volume. I do think right now, for early
career job seekers, making sure they are finding ways to
stand out is absolutely critical. And on the other side,
(21:43):
organizations like BOSTA, we can work with our employer partners
to make sure they're prioritizing our candidates. When you're dealing
with thousands of applications, even if you're really well intentioned,
you may not get to screen every single one. So
when you're working with partners like us, we get an
opportunity to make sure that resumes rise to the top
of the stack. And that's never been more important than
(22:06):
right now, when AI has just created an application explosion.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yeah, let's talk about how BASTA uses AI in a
unique way. How does your technology differ from traditional job
matching platforms, and how do you keep it human centered?
Speaker 4 (22:22):
I love that, Yeah, so I think we you know,
I think this technology leap we're in the only way
that we're going to make sure that it's an equitable
leap that young people like the ones that Boston gets
to work with are sort of included. Is the human
connection piece. What we're never going to sort of dismantle
is that humans trust humans, and so if I refer
someone to a job, they're just very likely to get
(22:44):
a better look or a closer look than sort of
a cold applicant. So that's the kind of the piece
of human connection piece that I think Bosta is really
invested in maintaining in this next era of hiring we
find ourselves in. So Bosta sort of acknowledges one really
important truth, which is two students can look the exact
same on paper. They can have the same GPA, they
can have the same major, They can actually be demographically
(23:04):
really similar, and they may have vastly different understanding of
themselves and the world of work and those two things.
How well you understand yourself and how well you understand
the job market is absolutely paramount to picking the right opportunities.
So Boston has developed a tool called seekert. It's our
platform and secret in under sort of fifteen minutes can
(23:25):
help a young person understand where they are on that
journey of self discovery and job matching by bringing in
a ton of different variables. By collecting this really robust
data set on a young person, we can connect them
with the right career prep workshops, We can push them
to the right opportunities on platforms. So I think what
we do different is we acknowledge that a job search
(23:48):
is way bigger than your GPA, your major, and a
resume and some networking. There's all these other invisible variables
that Boston makes visible to young people and then make
sure they're getting during their job search process. Over five
million data points we've collected. Through secrets of every data
point we collect, we can get even smarter about what
our population needs in order to connect them with those
(24:08):
great jobs.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
You focus on first generation college students. What are some
of the biggest barriers that they face and landing the
strong first job, and how does best to help bridge
that gap?
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Exposure and what we call social capital, but I'll sort
of define it as networking in this conversation. What we've
discovered over the last decade is that going to college
and doing everything right doesn't necessarily expose you to all
the great industries that are out there. And so you
could start college just knowing about law and teaching, and
you could end college just knowing about law and teaching.
(24:40):
And so we need to be doing more to expose
young people during their college experience to all of the
great jobs and industries that are out there. And so
that is a big, big part of the role we
play and why it's so important that we have employers
at the table working alongside of us to present young
people with these very real opportunities. So that's the exposure part.
Every bit of data we've collected over the last ten
(25:03):
years on high performing students and students who may even
be struggling more academically doesn't really matter. We find they
all have sort of minimal exposure during the college experience. Now,
if you grew up in a middle income household where
maybe your dad was a consultant and your mom was
in finance, you're just getting that kind of knowledge at
the dinner table. And so how do we mimic that
(25:23):
for students that maybe aren't sort of coming into contact
with these roles more organically. Exposure, exposure, and then The
second piece is around social capital. So again, so much
of the job market is someone once told me it's
the trust market, and we are really relying on people
we know to validate or verify the proxies of success.
You know, is this person going to do well if
I hire them or if I recommend them to be hired.
(25:45):
And so Boston, we're really working to sort of build
that social capital network for the young people that trust
us to provide them support.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
All right, so someone is out there listening, whether they're
a current college student or if they've just graduated, walk
us through what they need to do in order to
connect with FASTA.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
Yeah, So we partner directly with higher ed institutions as
well as nonprofits and organizations that serve college age youth.
So we partner with those institutions, and once those institutions
are on the platform, their students receive unlimited support from BOSTA.
So they hop on our platform, they take secret they
(26:20):
can come to our workshops across the entire year. We
host workshops multiple times a week, multiple times a month.
We host events with employers, so they're getting to know
different employers. And we have a job board, a vetted
job board where where we're connecting them with jobs that
we know pay great salary or internships that are definitively paid.
So we really try to be there for the entire
life cycle, from figuring out where you are to what
(26:42):
kind of supports you need, to connecting you with jobs
and resources.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you hope to
see here in Philadelphia coming in here for the first time,
What is the impact you're looking for students, for employers,
and for the broader economy.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
When we launched Boston and New York, we realize it
is so important to understand a local ecosystem when you
run an organization like ours. We're interfacing with higher education,
with employers, with community of philanthropic funders, sometimes with the
K twelve education system, and so a deep knowledge and
(27:18):
understanding of the local context matters immensely. I don't use
this word lightly. We were so honored to be invited
into Philadelphia through green Light and the green Light process.
We know that green Light really engages thoughtfully the community
to better understand what are the priorities of the community
and then looks for organizations to potentially invite into Philly.
(27:41):
So we were just really excited that we have that
invitation and that we were entering Philadelphia with the full
support of such a broad contingent of folks who are
involved in the green Light Philadelphia process. So that is
just in and of itself, incredibly exciting. And then for us,
it's always about job and internship outcomes. So we want
(28:02):
to work with all the colleges and universities and CBOs
on the ground who are looking to link arms with
an organization like ours to improve outcomes for students. And
then we want to work with employers who are looking
at the talent pipelines that we get to work with
as competitive talent may not be accessing otherwise. So in
this next year, we're aiming to work with about one
thousand students across Philadelphia and building about five partnerships with
(28:25):
different CBOs and higher ed institutions, also building similar partnerships
with employers.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Naming an organization is always very critical. It's the word
that you choose really creates an image. And I wonder
if you can explain to us where Bosta comes from.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Well, Boston means enough, and it's up for interpretation. You
may decide that we are saying enough the way we've
been doing things until now is enough or you may
decide to interpret it as I am enough. We leave
that to you to decide.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Bosta. If people want to find out more, how do
they find out more?
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Yep, they can just go to our website which is
Projectbosta dot com and there is information there for students,
for higher ed partners, for employers, and we are very
quick to respond. So we are very excited to work
among the Philadelphia community.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
We're excited to have you here in Philadelphia. Sila Saram,
who is founder and CEO of BASTA, a tech nonprofit
working to close the employment gap by connecting talented students
with strong first jobs through a combination of AI powered
matching and human centered support, especially for those first time,
first generation students who face systemic barriers related to professional
(29:42):
networking and opportunities. Sheila, thank you so much for joining
us today.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I'm at
Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballard. Morel and I stand for
service to our community and media that empowers. What will
you stand for? You've been listening to insight and thank
(30:10):
you
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Balladmorrow. Young college graduates, especially first
generation students, are facing real challenges breaking into today's job market.
We'll talk with BASTA, an organization supported by the green
Light Fund that's helping close the college to career gap
through innovative, human centered AI powered job matching. Will also
(00:23):
highlight a unique evening of art and mindfulness created by
Nicole moy of The Bridge in Kensington, designed to uplift
and empower women and the men who support us, but first,
supporting local businesses is one of the most powerful ways
to build stronger, more equitable communities. The annual Black and
Minority Business Expo is bringing that vision to life, connecting
(00:45):
residents with entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders who are shaping the
future of our region. Hosted by the South Jersey Alumni
chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority incorporated in collaboration with
Cherry Hill West and East High School's African American Culture Club,
this event promises a day of economic empowerment, community pride,
and opportunity. It all takes place on Saturday, April fourth,
(01:08):
joining us right now is Laurie Noel, Committee Chair of
the Economic Development Committee of the South Jersey Alumni Chapter
of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. So, first of all,
thank you so much for joining us here today and
tell us LERI about the mission behind the annual Black
and Minority Business Expo and why this event is so important.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Right now, first of all, Loraene, thank you so much
for giving us the opportunity to come and spread the
word about such an amazing event for folks that may
not know. Delta Sigma Data Sorority is founded on one
of the five point programmatic thrusts, and economic development is that.
And we love the opportunity to get out and service
(01:51):
our communities to which our chapter services Camben, Gloucester, Salem,
and Gloucester in South Jersey, and we just wanted to
make sure that we get out there and just empower
our minority and black owned businesses. As you know, we
just want to be able to give them that opportunity
(02:13):
of empowerment and showcase how creative and amazing these folks
can be.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So paint a picture for us what can attendees expect
when they walk into the expo on APU fourth. What
kind of businesses and experiences will they be featured?
Speaker 2 (02:29):
As you walk into the Cherry Hill West High School,
you're going to walk in through our floyer and be
welcomed by some of our members of our community. They're
going to guide you through the hallways so you can
have an intimate relationship with all of those vendors that
will be featured there, whether it's wellness to your candles,
(02:50):
to some of our individuals who are doing community services
for people in our community, whether it is our lawyer,
some of our doctors. We have dentists there as well.
We have people that are also featuring some of their
food from their restaurants or some of their pop up shops.
(03:10):
And I'd like to say in regards to what we're
talking about food, is that we are still looking for
some amazing food vendors and I will give them that
information on how they can reach out to us too,
because we still have spots for them. You name it,
we have it at our expo.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
The event is a collaboration with high school African American
culture clubs. How does involving young people enhance the impact
of the expo? Why do you want to get the
young people involved.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
It takes a village just getting back to ensuring that
not only as our sorority, but we make sure that
we have those relationships with not only within our family,
within our community, but our kids as well, and we
want them to see what we're doing and to be
out there supporting our community as well. We have some
(04:00):
young folks that have their own businesses that you'll see
featured there too as well.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
This is a very challenging time for so many folks,
and I wonder if you can talk more about why
it should be our intention to support black and minority
owned businesses at this time.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Well that's going to be a long conversation, right learn,
but I break it down, you know, break it down, Well,
supporting any small business is important. We want to ensure
that more so that our black and minority businesses get
that shine. People are trying to erase our history right now.
(04:39):
We need to ensure that we stay in front of
that and continue to uplift everyone and anyone that has
a small business and to spend your dollars there in
our own community. So we always are looking to find
any way that we can promote that, and we hope
that people that are listening right now can come out
(05:02):
and support us. Coming up Saturday on April fourth from
eleven to four, so we look forward to some heavy
foot traffic for people to come and not only buy
from our vendors, but common fellowship and share great ideas
and make those connections. Networking is so much fun in
(05:24):
that environment.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
I'd like to give a shout out to the Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority because you have baked into your mission
a real sense of service to the community, and I
wonder if you can briefly touch on the heart of
the deltas.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
A big heart Since June thirteenth, nineteen thirteen by twenty
two Amazing Women where a nonprofit organization and our purpose
is to provide assistance and support some of those established
programs our local communities such as some of these that
we're doing now. What can I say? It's an organization
(06:05):
of sisterhood and it's a predominantly black educated women that
have come together. There are over three hundred thousand women
now from the United States to Korea, to the Arabian
Coast over to South Africa that are part of this
mission that we are all a part of.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, if people would like to either be a vendor
or would like to participate, They'd like to come on down.
How can they find out more? How can they sign
up to be a vendor, and how can they find
out more about the event itself?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Love it love it Right now we are showcasing on
the upwards of fifty plus vendors and they can find
out about our event at sjac dst dot org slash events.
You will see our flyer there for this upcoming week.
(07:00):
We would love to have you out there participating and
just being amongst family in the village.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Sounds like a wonderful event. You want to check it out.
The annual Black and Minority Business Expo hosted by the
South Jersey Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated
in America's in collaboration with Cherry Hill West and the
East High schools African American Culture Club. This is going
to be a day of community, pride, empowerment and economic empowerment.
(07:30):
Takes place on Saturday, April fourth, from eleven am to
four pm at Cherry Hill West High School featuring more
than fifty vendors. Laurie Noel Committee, Chair of the Economic
Development Committee of South Jersey Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Thank you so much for joining us
and sharing with us this information.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Ray, Thank you and to your listeners, we really appreciate
everything that you do for us.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Wonderful. This Women's History Month, we're celebrating creativity, healing, and
the power of connection through art. Joining us is Nicole moy,
founder of the Bridge Studio in Philadelphia, who is presenting
the power of her presence, a curated evening of art, mindfulness,
(08:16):
and cultural dialogue that uplifts and honors the voices and
experiences of women. So Nicole, thank you so much for
joining us and for the listeners who may not be familiar.
Tell us first of all about the Bridge Studio and
your vision for creating this kind of cultural and artistic
space in Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
First, thank you Loraine for having me. The Bridge Studio
was an answer for my own personal neglect as being
a creative and working in corporate America, but also seeing
how it could uplift and help change the narrative in
the Kiss and In area. So it's just exactly what
it found. The Bridge Studio is exactly about bridging people
(08:53):
ideas and experiences together. We believe in attention. We believe
that there's gaps that need to be a US, and
through this space, we want to use that to address
those gaps. So that looks like creativity, connection, expression, which
are often things that are missed in the spaces. So
my idea was to try to bring that into light
and share that with the community and people who not
(09:15):
necessarily need it, but want to have more of it.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
I love that. Well, this event on the thirty first,
the power of her presence sounds like much more than
just an event, It's an experience. So what inspired you
to create this evening centered on art, healing and empowerment.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Yes, yes, it was actually inspired by Women's History Month
and having delightful conversations with Gil. Shout out to Gil.
I wanted to do something before the month was over.
And the reason why I wanted to push for it
is because we need spaces where we can go after
work and be able to be heard, to be felt,
(09:52):
to be noticed, and I wanted to bring that event
into light so that that could be done. Women and
people in general should be celebrated all year around. We're
not held to a calendar year, but it is important
to have safe spaces that allow us to be ourselves
and to be with like minded people, to empower, to celebrate,
to support, to have community. So this is more than
(10:14):
just an event. This is an experience because of what
I want people to do is fill and I want
them to be themselves and I want them to leave
with the best version of themselves and keeping in mind
that we are human at the end of the day,
and we just need to be able to give ourselves grace,
the love that we need to continue to pour in ourselves.
And separately from that, I don't do anything that I
(10:35):
don't believe in. If I can't do with intention or
love or care, I won't do it. And because this
event allows me to do that's exactly why I'm doing it.
And it's also a part of filling my own journey
with the loss of my mother last June. It's a
little bit more than just you know, saying, oh, I'm
just going to do it just because it's because it's needed,
not just for myself, but I know that there's other
(10:56):
people that need to have things that uplift, that support
and give them community.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Nicole. So often events either do the mindfulness part, or
they do the art part. So your event is blending
creative expression with mindfulness and conversation. Tell us how that
works and why it was important to combine all of
those things together.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I think it works because it allows us to get
a taste of a little bit of everything in one space.
I wanted my event to be more specialized. I wanted
it to have a little bit of everything so that
we can find ways to either ground, which I think
is very important prior to kicking off event, to have positive,
(11:40):
uplifting conversation because we don't always have safe spaces that
have those conversations, or we don't have the time because
we live such a routine way of living, work, taking
care of our families, ourselves, sleep, eat, and all over again.
So it was important for me to have a blend
of art conversation in community, and I think this event
is going to be just that. And the way that
(12:01):
it could be done is that realizing there's small needs
and how can we address those needs or gaps and
what level of it can we address it? Because I
know that this can eventually lead to more focused events
if women or people or our community feel that we
need it. I wanted to uplift. Maybe there might be
a moment when someone's shed a tear, but then maybe
(12:21):
we might have a moment where we feel empowered. So
I thought it was best to mix a little bit
of everything into one so that we can fully be
able to express ourselves.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
So the event highlights seems like identity, self reflection, and sisterhood.
And I wonder if you can sort of set the
stage for us, So when someone walks into the bridge
in Kensington, what are they going to be experiencing. What
are some of the things that you're planning for this
event that people can know about in advance.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
This is an event where you're not just listening. You
are expected to engage, to participate. We are expected to
build communities. I'm going to encourage communities, going to encourage networking.
I'm going to encourage women and business. There's a little
bit of everything that the event is going to touch on.
So it's not just the event where it's a workshot
where you're taking notes or you're listening. This is actually
(13:11):
an opportunity for you to network, for us to build
community and sisterhood, and for us to be able to
go to the vendor and say hi, my name is
such and such. I would like to learn more about
you or know X the panel or the collaborators themselves.
You might have a question that you know, how do
you get through your day to day? And I think
this event is going to allow for all of that
to take place. So the expectation is you're not just
(13:33):
coming to listen. You're expected to engage, to be encouraged,
to be yourself and whatever that looks like, we're welcoming
in that. So the biggest expectation, if I had to
say it, is to know that you're coming into a
space that's not only safe and feels great that with
positive energy, but you can also contribute to the event.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yourself positive energy. We need so much more of that
right now.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Now.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
I'd like to talk a little bit about your background,
because you have a very interesting background in corporate leadership
and you're also a self taught artist. So how is
your personal journey influencing the way that you curate experiences
at the Bridge Studio.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
So I think that my influence has a lot to
do with it, because I am showing that I am
no longer willing to ignore the things that make me.
I'm no longer I'm willing to put that to the side.
So what I'm showing is that, yes, I do know
I work a nine to five in corporate America, which
I've been a corporate really for over ten years, working
(14:33):
for big companies like GP Morgan and State Street. But
then there was something that I had a epiphany. One day,
I drove the work and I stay listening to either
like classical music or something uplifting or encouraging and motivating,
and I was listening to Rich Dad, Poor Dad by
Robert Karasaki, and he pretty much was saying things like,
you know how work dictates everything of your life. And
(14:55):
I was like, that is so true down to your home,
what you do, like it's so time consumer. And I
think that from that moment, as I dive deeper into
that podcast, I or told myself I didn't want to
be that person. So I said, what can I do
to give myself a chance. Because I'm not saying that
I'm walking away from my nine to five, but what
I am saying is that this stops today. So I
(15:17):
decided to actually look into a space that is all
of me, Like I built this space from the ground up.
It's my art within this self like. Not only do
I pain on this I do a lot of self
talk like abstract work, but everything about this space I
put it together. So everything I do has some type
of intentional art behind it, and this space allowed me
(15:37):
to do that. So when I come from work and
I need a reset, I can use the space to
create as I see fit. It is my answer to
being able to express myself but also give myself a
chance as far as being a creative entrepreneur. And we
don't have a lot of time and we do at
the same time. So I think people need to realize,
(16:00):
and it doesn't matter what race or sex you are,
is that it's about balance. At the end of the day.
Just because you're certain age doesn't mean that you can
give up all your dreams or your passions or you
just have to stick to nine to five. You have
time and space to do whatever it is that you want.
You just need to take that first step. I know
that fear and failure, a lot of space and a
lot of people's thoughts and views, but those are just
(16:22):
stepping stones that gets you to where you need to be.
And this space is that for me, and I'm able
to share this space with other people with the hopes
of like, not only I did it, you can do
it too if you want it to. Also, if you
need a space to express yourself, this is exactly what
that is.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
And I can share this with you wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Well.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
For those who are interested in attending, give us all
the details, the date, the time, the location, and the
website or the ways that they can register.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Yeah, so I do have a POSH link. So it's
called the Power of Her Presence and it is on
March thirty first at six thirty to nine thirty. I
strongly encourage RSVPs because we're getting a good amount of
ursvps that we might have to just cut it out
and put a sold out event. But it is the
event that all are welcome, even guys. I know this
(17:09):
is a women's center event, but if you'll like to
come and support, you're more than welcome. But again this
is for the ladies. And again it is March thirty
first at six thirty to nine thirty with a few
fenders in mine, our collaborators and just a house of
females that are probably like minded in different areas, and
(17:30):
we're going to have amazing time. So again, all are welcome,
and this is not the end of this event. This
is actually one of Starro events, so of course look
out for us. We're also on Instagram. It's called the
Bridge Studio Philly. I do have a website. It's currently
being revamped at the moment, should be up any moment now,
but it is going to be www dot Bridge studiophl
(17:52):
dot com. And then I can personally be reached and
I can give that contact too if you need it,
which is like my email and phone number. Sure, my
email is the Bridge Studio at Bridge studiophl dot com
and my phone number is six oh nine, three, three, seven, two, eight,
four or five.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
I want to thank you so much Nicole moy, founder
of the Bridge Studio in Philadelphia, who is presenting the
power of her presence, a curated evening of art, mindfulness,
and cultural dialogue that uplifts and honors the voices and
experiences of women. That is happening on March thirty first.
It sounds like a wonderful event. Thank you Nicole for
joining us today.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Thank you Lorrain, and I just wanted to give you
a shout out because I really do appreciate you giving
events and businesses and people like myself the opportunity to
share what we do. It's very much needed. I know
these events is needed, but people like you are also needed.
And of course your beautiful husband guilt. It wasn't for
you too. No one would bought this event at the
(18:51):
level that they do. So again, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Ah my pleasure. Today we're talking about creating real pathways
from college to career, especially for first generation students who
face systemic barriers related to professional networks and opportunities. Joining
us is Sheila Saram, founder and CEO of BASTA, a
(19:16):
tech nonprofit working to close the employment gap by connecting
talented students with strong first jobs through accommodation of AI
powered matching and human centered support. Now, as BASTA expands
its work into Philadelphia with support from the green Light Fund,
we'll explore how this innovative model is helping unlock opportunity
(19:36):
for both students and employers. So, Sheila, thank you so
much for joining us here today, and for those hearing
about BOSTA for the first time, what is your mission
and what inspired you to start this work right now?
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I launched Boston
in twenty sixteen, I am the founder. For the past decade,
we have been singularly obsessed with one question, and that is,
if we believe that for generation college students are not
only equipped, but uniquely equipped for the world of work
because of their lived experience, then how might we connect
(20:10):
that connective tissue between these really talented young people and
the employers that I believe really do want to hire
across lines of difference. So that's our mission. How do
we really close the employment gap by equipping young people
with the knowledge and networks they need and then activating
those employers that really do want to hire across lines
of difference. That's our mission. We started in New York
(20:31):
and we're super excited about expanding.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Well, this is such an important project as just reading
the New York Times that the employment rate for first
time graduates of college is not good, and it's much
higher than the national average, and we find that many
of these newly minted graduates are having difficulties getting into
the workplace and getting even that entry level job in
(20:55):
the field that they prefer.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
I think every day I open the payer app on
my phone and there's you know, a different theory about
which jobs will disappear first. I think we are all
going to learn together over the next several years how
the job market is going to change and shift. However,
what is definitively true is AI has made it so
(21:19):
easy for all job seekers to apply to exponentially more jobs,
and so that leaves our employers a little overwhelmed in
terms of who to look at and how to process
all that volume. I do think right now, for early
career job seekers, making sure they are finding ways to
stand out is absolutely critical. And on the other side,
(21:43):
organizations like BOSTA, we can work with our employer partners
to make sure they're prioritizing our candidates. When you're dealing
with thousands of applications, even if you're really well intentioned,
you may not get to screen every single one. So
when you're working with partners like us, we get an
opportunity to make sure that resumes rise to the top
of the stack. And that's never been more important than
(22:06):
right now, when AI has just created an application explosion.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yeah, let's talk about how BASTA uses AI in a
unique way. How does your technology differ from traditional job
matching platforms, and how do you keep it human centered?
Speaker 4 (22:22):
I love that, Yeah, so I think we you know,
I think this technology leap we're in the only way
that we're going to make sure that it's an equitable
leap that young people like the ones that Boston gets
to work with are sort of included. Is the human
connection piece. What we're never going to sort of dismantle
is that humans trust humans, and so if I refer
someone to a job, they're just very likely to get
(22:44):
a better look or a closer look than sort of
a cold applicant. So that's the kind of the piece
of human connection piece that I think Bosta is really
invested in maintaining in this next era of hiring we
find ourselves in. So Bosta sort of acknowledges one really
important truth, which is two students can look the exact
same on paper. They can have the same GPA, they
can have the same major, They can actually be demographically
(23:04):
really similar, and they may have vastly different understanding of
themselves and the world of work and those two things.
How well you understand yourself and how well you understand
the job market is absolutely paramount to picking the right opportunities.
So Boston has developed a tool called seekert. It's our
platform and secret in under sort of fifteen minutes can
(23:25):
help a young person understand where they are on that
journey of self discovery and job matching by bringing in
a ton of different variables. By collecting this really robust
data set on a young person, we can connect them
with the right career prep workshops, We can push them
to the right opportunities on platforms. So I think what
we do different is we acknowledge that a job search
(23:48):
is way bigger than your GPA, your major, and a
resume and some networking. There's all these other invisible variables
that Boston makes visible to young people and then make
sure they're getting during their job search process. Over five
million data points we've collected. Through secrets of every data
point we collect, we can get even smarter about what
our population needs in order to connect them with those
(24:08):
great jobs.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
You focus on first generation college students. What are some
of the biggest barriers that they face and landing the
strong first job, and how does best to help bridge
that gap?
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Exposure and what we call social capital, but I'll sort
of define it as networking in this conversation. What we've
discovered over the last decade is that going to college
and doing everything right doesn't necessarily expose you to all
the great industries that are out there. And so you
could start college just knowing about law and teaching, and
you could end college just knowing about law and teaching.
(24:40):
And so we need to be doing more to expose
young people during their college experience to all of the
great jobs and industries that are out there. And so
that is a big, big part of the role we
play and why it's so important that we have employers
at the table working alongside of us to present young
people with these very real opportunities. So that's the exposure part.
Every bit of data we've collected over the last ten
(25:03):
years on high performing students and students who may even
be struggling more academically doesn't really matter. We find they
all have sort of minimal exposure during the college experience. Now,
if you grew up in a middle income household where
maybe your dad was a consultant and your mom was
in finance, you're just getting that kind of knowledge at
the dinner table. And so how do we mimic that
(25:23):
for students that maybe aren't sort of coming into contact
with these roles more organically. Exposure, exposure, and then The
second piece is around social capital. So again, so much
of the job market is someone once told me it's
the trust market, and we are really relying on people
we know to validate or verify the proxies of success.
You know, is this person going to do well if
I hire them or if I recommend them to be hired.
(25:45):
And so Boston, we're really working to sort of build
that social capital network for the young people that trust
us to provide them support.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
All right, so someone is out there listening, whether they're
a current college student or if they've just graduated, walk
us through what they need to do in order to
connect with FASTA.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
Yeah, So we partner directly with higher ed institutions as
well as nonprofits and organizations that serve college age youth.
So we partner with those institutions, and once those institutions
are on the platform, their students receive unlimited support from BOSTA.
So they hop on our platform, they take secret they
(26:20):
can come to our workshops across the entire year. We
host workshops multiple times a week, multiple times a month.
We host events with employers, so they're getting to know
different employers. And we have a job board, a vetted
job board where where we're connecting them with jobs that
we know pay great salary or internships that are definitively paid.
So we really try to be there for the entire
life cycle, from figuring out where you are to what
(26:42):
kind of supports you need, to connecting you with jobs
and resources.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you hope to
see here in Philadelphia coming in here for the first time,
What is the impact you're looking for students, for employers,
and for the broader economy.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
When we launched Boston and New York, we realize it
is so important to understand a local ecosystem when you
run an organization like ours. We're interfacing with higher education,
with employers, with community of philanthropic funders, sometimes with the
K twelve education system, and so a deep knowledge and
(27:18):
understanding of the local context matters immensely. I don't use
this word lightly. We were so honored to be invited
into Philadelphia through green Light and the green Light process.
We know that green Light really engages thoughtfully the community
to better understand what are the priorities of the community
and then looks for organizations to potentially invite into Philly.
(27:41):
So we were just really excited that we have that
invitation and that we were entering Philadelphia with the full
support of such a broad contingent of folks who are
involved in the green Light Philadelphia process. So that is
just in and of itself, incredibly exciting. And then for us,
it's always about job and internship outcomes. So we want
(28:02):
to work with all the colleges and universities and CBOs
on the ground who are looking to link arms with
an organization like ours to improve outcomes for students. And
then we want to work with employers who are looking
at the talent pipelines that we get to work with
as competitive talent may not be accessing otherwise. So in
this next year, we're aiming to work with about one
thousand students across Philadelphia and building about five partnerships with
(28:25):
different CBOs and higher ed institutions, also building similar partnerships
with employers.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Naming an organization is always very critical. It's the word
that you choose really creates an image. And I wonder
if you can explain to us where Bosta comes from.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Well, Boston means enough, and it's up for interpretation. You
may decide that we are saying enough the way we've
been doing things until now is enough or you may
decide to interpret it as I am enough. We leave
that to you to decide.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Bosta. If people want to find out more, how do
they find out more?
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Yep, they can just go to our website which is
Projectbosta dot com and there is information there for students,
for higher ed partners, for employers, and we are very
quick to respond. So we are very excited to work
among the Philadelphia community.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
We're excited to have you here in Philadelphia. Sila Saram,
who is founder and CEO of BASTA, a tech nonprofit
working to close the employment gap by connecting talented students
with strong first jobs through a combination of AI powered
matching and human centered support, especially for those first time,
first generation students who face systemic barriers related to professional
(29:42):
networking and opportunities. Sheila, thank you so much for joining
us today.
Speaker 4 (29:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I'm at
Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballard. Morel and I stand for
service to our community and media that empowers. What will
you stand for? You've been listening to insight and thank
(30:10):
you
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