Why Bee The Difference Inc.?

Not only am I the writer of this piece, but I am also the founder of this organization. Many of you who know me on a personal level, somehow do not know about Bee The Difference Inc. (BTD Inc.) in the same context. However, don’t worry, that’s what this blog post is for.

I was ever so fortunate to attend Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida for my undergraduate career. Not only did FAMU provide me with a fruitful academic adventure, it also provided me with a community like none other. During my time at FAMU, I not only grew as a student, but also as an individual that developed a never-ending passion to want to encourage others to grow into their fullest potential as well.

BOOM — in that moment, BTD Inc. began to be conceived. At the early stages, I wanted to create a virtual community for undergraduate students who did not feel the sense of community that FAMU gave me, but at our current stages we are a full-blown nonprofit organization that aims to build a community with and for every undergraduate student within the United States.

You may still be asking the why question I posed in the title, and hopefully the following descriptives answer that question for you:

Scholarships

When applying to undergraduate institutions, I applied to twice as many scholarship opportunities. With many acceptances, came invitations to mixers, alumni events, school tours, and the development of friendships with potential classmates. Applying for scholarships also gifted me the platform to tell my unique life story as a girl with neither parent present or within the United States with all the ambition in the world to achieve a lifetime humanitarian award.

Through BTD Inc., our team is fortunate enough to offer two annual scholarships to allow applicants to feel those some feelings I did when I was navigating the next chapter of my life, later known as undergrad. Even though, making memories and sharing memories are not the sole reasons people apply to our scholarships we do encourage them to still embrace the more emotional and mental aspects of taking the chance on applying to something.

Events

During my time at FAMU, I thrived at on campus events, as the extrovert, socialite I am. I was able to meet students, faculty members, and people in the surrounding Tallahassee community that all contributed to making the memories I made during undergraduate so much sweeter. I also was able to learn more about what social settings I prefer over the ones I could care less about.

Although, we are a virtual-organization we have adapted to the wave of online learning and communications by hosting virtual events! At the beginning of COVID, no one was a fan of anything virtual, but now people feel more comfort to engage in virtual events due to the mere fact that they can join from whatever space makes them comfortable, wear whatever feels comfortable, and engage at whatever level is comfortable. Through online hosting we hope to provide people with a space that not only they can feel comfortable in, but also some sort of positive discomfort to connect with people who also attend our events.

We try to create programming around a plethora of areas such as music, movies, professional development, social justice, and more. As much as we find it beneficial to cater to as many student interests as we can, it is beneficial for students to try out potential interests of their own to develop their own sense of self.

Voice

I can truly say I found my voice in undergrad, and have not shut up since. Luckily for others, BTD Inc. aims to provide a similar platform for students by allowing them to be guest writers on our blog — that’s right, this can be you next —, co-host events, and engaging us on social media.

Find your voice during undergraduate allows you to set your tone post undergraduate. Meaning that as you figure out what you want to say while completing your studies, you will then have the chance to take those same words and state them with certainty into the world as we know it.

Although there are more reasons I can list as potential answers as to why BTD Inc. was created, I want to ask you why you attend college and what do you expect to gain from it beyond a degree? These kind of questions directly led me into creating the organization of my dreams, that will hopefully cross your path while you try to answer that question for yourself. And hey, you never know, you too might be writing a blog post soon for your very own organization with your very own ideas how to better this world we all get once chance to live in.