Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

Yvonne Orji is an actress and is best known for her work on HBO’s  Insecure (2016), Sex (Therapy) with the Jones(2013) and The Conversation: Talk Show Series (2016). Yvonne was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. when she 6 years old. Orji was on a path to become a medical doctor, but the opportunity to be in a beauty pageant changed that. She decided to defy her parents’ wishes and pursue a career in writing, stand-up comedy, and acting. She began writing for the TVOne show Love That Girl, which starred Tatyana Ali, and was named the new Queen of Comedy by Ayiba Magazine.  Yvonne also created a web series called First Gen. The show told the story of a Nigerian immigrant daughter who forgoes her medical degree to pursue stardom. The series’ pilot went viral and Orji gained attention from HBO producers who then cast her in Issa Rae’s new show, Insecure. Yvonne has a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in public health from Geor...

Ifeanyi Awachie is a writer and curator. She studied English at Yale, where she produced a multimedia novella as her senior project in the competitive Writing Concentration. She wrote, performed, and competed with Teeth Slam Poets, Yale's nationally-recognized slam poetry team, of which she was Artistic Director. She was chosen to perform her poem Let's Commence as the Ivy Ode, an annual tribute to Yale College, at the 2014 Class Day Ceremony. A visual thinker, Ifeanyi uses photography as a means of storytelling. Determined to find images of Nigeria she sensed were missing from mainstream media, she traveled alone to the country for the first time since birth to start the multimedia project Summer in Igboland, aimed at documenting Nigeria in a nuanced way and rebranding it in a positive light. She won the Tristan Perlroth Prize for Summer Foreign Travel to support the project and has hosted multiple exhibits at Yale. In 2015, she published a book based on her experienc...

One to watch David Emuche Nwaigwe is a multi-talented artist and teacher. He graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied drawing and painting. Nwaigwe, who has an MBA, identifies himself mainly as an illustrator. He however has an interest in other artistic mediums including filmmaking, printmaking, and fashion design. Emuche's fantastic works can be found here Sources: AfroPunk dot com, EmucheNwaigwe dot com

One To Watch   Austin describes himself as the weirdest tech YouTuber you're not subscribed to. If you like tech, gaming, and comedy, his channel is the place to go. A Social media influencer and entrepreneur with an academic background in computer engineering. Austin manages a YouTube channel where he provides comical but candid technology-based videos to an audience of almost 50,000 subscribers. Because of this experience, he has amassed over 6 million views and partnerships with YouTube, Amazon, Motorola, HP, LG, and many other marketing companies. Austin was recently named by DailyTekk as one of the most promising Tech reviewers on YouTube. 

Angelica “Angie” Nwandu is the CEO of 'The Shade Room'. Recently TIME magazine recognised her among the 30 most influential people on the internet. Angie who is 25 has transformed The Shade Room from an instagram account into a flourishing media empire, replete with its own tipsters, staff and advertisers—all of whom serve an audience of 3.9 million. The Shade Room has spawned a website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, Snapchat account, and online store. The Shade Room has a full-time staff of four who work in shifts to publish 24 hours a day; 20 unpaid interns around the country who work around 10 hours a week, going to events and keeping an ear to the ground in Atlanta, Miami, New York, and L.A.; and an ever-growing number of readers, aka “Roommates,” who submit tips of varying levels of accuracy. Nwandu is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, USA

George is the founder and CEO of DivvyRide . DivvyRide is a start-up that is transforming the current ride share industries. By developing a solutions based model, DivvyRide has created a paradigm shift in ride hailing services by taking the best of the car-for-hire model and combining it with the innovation and forward momentum of the ride share industry.  DivvyRide lets you book rides up to a year in advance, giving you an exact quote for your fare before you order. The app also has options to book immediate rides. A standard DivvyRide fare pairs you with another rider going the same direction as you, but it’s possible to get a private ride for a slight up-charge. George is a graduate of Indiana University and a former employee of Goldman Sachs. Thanks to Chika Unigwe

One to watch Zim Ugochukwu is the CEO of Travel Noire, a digital publishing platform for travelers of color. With an audience of 150k+, she is changing the way we view international travel, forever. Zim has cloned genes linked to genetic disorders, traveled on a 10-day, 4,900 miles national journey on a train through India to shadow social entrepreneurs and recently launched Travel Noire Academy, an online travel school comprised of courses and challenges tailored to the black experience. She was named in Glamour Magazine’s “20 Amazing Young Women Who Are Already Changing the World” and Triad Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under Forty,” Zim was born in Mankato, Minnesota Sources: blackenterprise dot com, Zim Web