Entrepreneur and Author to Moderate Summer Youth Entrepreneurship Program
Austin, Texas – PeopleFund, a community development financial institution and local nonprofit will begin its Junior Entrepreneurship Track (JET) program on June 17th. Kaneisha Grayson will serve as facilitator for the six week youth development curriculum addresses a wide variety of topics: diversity, professional development, entrepreneurship, business education, and job readiness. Participants will also visit area nonprofits and businesses to gain an awareness of career opportunities in Central Texas.
“With a background in both education and entrepreneurship, Kaneisha is a natural fit,” stated PeopleFund CEO Gary Lindner. In addition to facilitating JET, Grayson is preparing for the June 22nd launch of her book Be Your Own Boyfriend at the Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce, a strategic partner of PeopleFund.
Kaneisha Grayson
Kaneisha Grayson is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Through her admissions consulting company The Art of Applying, she has worked one-on-one with dozens of applicants from the around the world in gaining admission to top MBA, MPA, and MPP programs, including Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, Wharton, and others. She speaks frequently at colleges, conferences, and businesses about the power of networking and strategies for pursuing one’s personal and professional goals.
In early 2013, Kaneisha Grayson raised $11,771 from 230 Kickstarter contributors and released her first book titled Be Your Own Boyfriend. Be Your Own Boyfriend is a self-help book that encourages college-aged women and older to embrace their self-worth and take charge of their lives regardless of their relationship status. Kaneisha has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA in Black Studies from Pomona College. While in college, she had the opportunity to spend a semester as a study abroad student in Havana, Cuba and then spent 10 months in Accra, Ghana as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Kaneisha grew up in the Southeast Austin neighborhood of Dove Springs and attended J. Houston Elementary School, Mendez Middle School, Kealing Junior High’s magnet program, and A.S. Johnston High School’s Liberal Arts Academy (now known as LASA).
Several of Kaneisha’s passions are teaching, working with youth, and entrepreneurship. Throughout high school, she interned at River City Youth Foundation and served on the board of Austin nonprofit Council for At Risk Youth. While in college, she interned for two summers for the Austin location of the national nonprofit Breakthrough Collaborative and tutored middle and high school students for several semesters for the nonprofit College Bound in Southern California. In Summer 2012, she co-led the Ivy Dolls summer program for the African American Youth Harvest Foundation.