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The future is available and accessible for those who are ready to lead. Leadership is a noun and a verb. The DC Chapter of the National Black MBA Association made a commitment to create a pipeline to contribute to the leadership of the future through the NBMBAA® Leaders of Tomorrow® Program (LOT) in 1994. Nearly, three decades later, the DC Chapter of LOT has celebrated major wins including most recently the 2018 3rd place winners in the annual national LOT Case Competition.
LOT was created by the National Black MBA Association in 1991 as a youth development and mentoring program designed to expose and aspire talented youth. The program is built on five developmental areas Leadership, Financial Literacy, College Preparation, Career Preparation and Life Skills. In addition to participating in national programs, the DC Chapter hosts regular meetings for LOT from October – June, an Oratorical Competition, an end of the year celebration, and provides scholarships to active members.
The annual LOT Oratorical Competition serves as a culminating event to highlight the public speaking skills of members. This year, the competition was on March 25 in the University of the District of Columbia Student Center Ballroom. The theme for this year was Unsung Heroes in STEM, Education, Politics, or Sports. Participants selected anyone they felt was an unsung hero and their speech showcased why they should be celebrated.
The event was a wonderful lesson on some phenomenal women who have made an impact in Education, STEM (Fashion), and STEM (Medicine). The distinguished panel of judges charged with selecting the winners were – Warren Wright of Raymond James; Joya Robinson, former LOT President and Case Team Winner; and Dr. Lemar White, DC Black MBA Board Member.
The winners of the competition were Arian A. Risper (1st Place), Jahnai Williams (2nd Place), and Aniya Stevenson (3rd Place). There were also two honorable mentions to Wes Robinson and Naijah McDonald for outstanding speeches. Surprisingly, each of the selected Unsung Hereos were women and selected by the students based on their individual interests.
“I feel it’s my responsibility to uplift and highlight those women who aren’t seen,” shared Arian on her selection of Dr. Virginia Apgar. “I felt like women are not represented enough in STEM and the number of contributions they have made to society that have impacted millions of people and touched the lives of many women in my generation.”
The Oratorical Competition is one of many programs conducted by the DC Chapter to support their youth program. This scholarship competition allows members to build public speaking skills while earning money for college.
For more information about Leaders of Tomorrow, visit the website at www.dcblackmbaa.org.