CINCINNATI — Jadyn Humphrey wants to become a social worker, something the Princeton High School senior hoped an event at TQL Stadium could help her achieve.
"We don't always hear that we can grow up and be as successful as other people," Humphrey said.
Humphrey joined hundreds of other high school students at the Black Futures event at TQL Stadium, where they sat face-to-face with 80 Black professionals from banking, medicine, business, tech and other industries.
WATCH: How the event creates a space where opportunity meets mentorship
At the event, students are able to ask real questions and make authentic connections with established professionals who share their experiences.
"I just thought there's enough people successful, looking like me and you can go meet them and they will just speak life, you know, that's cool," Humphrey said.
Tyran Stallings, executive director of The D.A.D Initiative and founder of Black Futures, designed the event around a simple, but powerful concept.
"If you see it, you can achieve it, " Stallings said. "It is the thing that comes to mind. What we're doing is, we're putting all of these career paths, all of these possibilities, in front of young people so they can be encouraged."
For first-time attendee Lester Parker, who heard about the event from friends, the gathering represented more than networking — it's about building communities for lasting change.
"I'm really curious and anxious to get there so we can build coalitions and move this city and the country forward," Parker said.
Parker said he hoped to leave the event with a sense of empowerment and urgency.
"We are not tomorrow, we are now," Parker said.
