| Cheers to a wonderful week, ForbesBLK. Jabari here. This week, venture capitalist Jewel Burks Solomon is my guest on The Enterprise Zone at the Nasdaq MarketSite. Solomon is the managing partner and co-founder of Atlanta-based Collab Capital. In June, the firm closed on a $75 million fund that will invest in tech startups, especially those led by entrepreneurs innovating in education and healthcare. Collab is also an investor in companies we covered, including SparkCharge and Hairbrella. We chat about Solomon selling her business to Amazon, overcoming the depression that followed, and she offers tips for college graduates on landing their first job. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. On that note, who remembers their first job, post-college? For me, it was working part-time on the copy desk at the Courier-Post newspaper in New Jersey. For my colleague Ayisha Mendez, it was here at Forbes. In 2019, Ayisha started as an executive assistant to the CEO. Then, in 2023, she pivoted to the role of ForbesBLK Community Manager. Since then, Ayisha has been my ace teammate and mastered the role—organizing our more than 50,000 members worldwide. From Brazil to Canada, Nigeria, United Kingdom, and here in the U.S., Ayisha built lasting bridges between our members and the ForbesBLK mission. The generosity she displayed along the way was unmatched. And Ayisha’s professionalism consistently stood out—the mark of a future CEO. Now, she’s taking a new role elsewhere—I’ll let her make that announcement. We couldn’t be prouder, even as we’ll miss her deeply. Last week, when Ayisha informed me of her decision, the call came just before I walked onto the campus of my alma mater, Temple University. I was there to speak with journalism students and offer career advice. Now, I’m offering that same advice to Ayisha. As hard as it is to see Ayisha leave, watching her grow into her next chapter has been a privilege. On Wednesday, before she officially departed, I asked Ayisha one last request. Describe her time as ForbesBLK Community Manager in one word: “Hope,” Ayisha says. I asked why that word. “So many members have come to our events and got the confidence to take that leap (in their careers),” she explains. “Being around all the inspirational leaders that we have at our events, through the communities we create, through the connections that are formed, provides a whole new hope for the future.” That commitment to community was on full display through Ayisha’s work during the ForbesBLK Summit earlier this month—from leading our community service day and spearheading the BLK Marketplace to organizing gatherings and fostering meaningful connections throughout the week. Her impact reflected the very essence of what she later described as the true power of community: “The loneliness that people feel when they are growing in their career. Being able to find that solace and a support system through community, that opens their eyes to opportunities they might not normally think about or even consider,” Ayisha said. “I think that is the power of community.” Perfectly stated. Congrats to a fantastic teammate. I’m excited to see the next phase of your evolution. My One Interesting Read: A farewell post from Ayisha via LinkedIn. | 
