NEW YORK – Hailing from Queens, NY, Shola Gbemi received a B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University with minors in Education & Africana Studies. As a junior, he produced “Emerge”, a YouTube film that highlights Hip-Hop culture & additional themes that shape Black experience. As a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, he currently interns for the Youth Advocacy Project, where students and lawyers advocate for juveniles whose cases are handled in adult courts. Shola also provides counseling for young men at a predominantly Black charter school in North Philadelphia. In his spare time, Shola enjoys photography, filmmaking and creative writing.

DETROIT – Mira Hart is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, majoring in International Studies with a concentration in Global Health and the Environment and a minor in Entrepreneurship. At the University of Michigan, Mira is a Peer Academic Coach for three freshman and the Executive Director of Dance2XS Michigan, a student-run hip hop dance company. Mira was born and raised in Washington, DC and plans to move to New York City after graduating in May 2017.

ATLANTA – Jeremy Hughes, born and raised in Atlanta, is a graduate student at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in majoring in Architecture. Hughes is currently writing his graduate thesis on the intersection of hip hop culture and architecture. Music has always played a major role in his life, whether helping him filter through emotions during troubling times or inspiring him to create his own art.