This spring, at Monmouth University, Aariana Flippin, a senior from Trenton, NJ, put together an exhibit alongside Visionary Philanthropy Group Inc.’s founder, Nyene Baker, and three other returning citizens/entrepreneurs. This great opportunity was facilitated by Dr. Reggie Walker, Director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Rider University.
To begin the project, Aariana approached Dr. Walker about her motivations. She wanted to show that resilience outweighs circumstances, focusing on the high incarceration rate of black people. Aariana found it important to represent the ones who come out with a positive, healthy, and prosperous outlook on life relative to when they camein. In the individuals presented in the exhibit, this new outlook manifested in starting thriving businesses and nonprofits.
In line with this objective, Dr. Walker introduced Aariana to Ella Nesmith, founder of Ella Nes Publications, Nyene Baker, founder of Visionary Philanthropy Group Inc., Shane West, founder of West Point Training, and Dontae Thomas, founder of Team Chizel LLC.
Dr. Walker helped Aariana set up interviews to execute her project, where she drew from the stories of these individuals to set up her inspirational exhibit at Monmouth. The exhibit showcased two portraits of each individual, one representing where they came from and the other representing where they are at now, including short descriptions ofthe individual’s story on the side of the eight portraits.
The exhibit started April 14th and ended May 15th. Shane West and Nyene baker both attended the exhibit to see the brilliant work that Aariana displayed.
Nyene Baker expressed deep appreciation for Arianna taking the time to meet with him at his childhood home, where he shared the story of his upbringing. He described growing up in a neighborhood plagued by drugs and violence,where the odds of becoming involved in illegal activity were high.
Baker walked Arianna through the area, pointing out how his house was located directly behind the Donnelly Homes, a well-known public housing complex. He recalled how, for much of his youth, whenever he looked out into his backyard,the only view was of the projects. Just next to his home was an alleyway, where he frequently witnessed drug users injecting heroin and smoking crack cocaine.
He explained that being surrounded by such despair made it difficult to imagine a different kind of life. “When you grow up in an environment like that,” he said, “it’s hard to dream big.”
This is one of the reasons Baker is so passionate about taking young people on trips to inspiring places like the Google Headquarters in New York City. “When kids see greatness,” he said, “they have a better chance of dreaming beyond what they see every day in their environment.”
