Emily Kassie 

Director of Visual Projects, The Marshall Project

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Brown University

About Kassie, Forbes writes: 

This fall, Kassie published a multimedia feature exposing how the immigration detention system in the U.S. developed over the course of four decades. Before starting at The Marshall Project, she produced and reported a documentary for the New York Times on sexual abuse in detention centers that garnered her the World Press Photo award and an Emmy nomination.

PHOTO Emily Kassie 

Austin Martin

Founder, Rhymes with Reason

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Brown University

About Martin, Forbes Writes: 

Martin got the idea for Rhymes with Reason after learning that 67 of the top 100 SAT words can be found in recognizable hip-hop songs. RwR's product leverages the genre's lyrics, which he refers to as "the world's most popular and equitable word bank," to teach literacy and vocabulary in 100-plus education programs. Among Martin's collaborators is musical artist Chance the Rapper's SocialWorks, which teamed up with RwR to make the "Chicago Learning Playlist" for 1,000 Windy City students.

PHOTO: Brown University

Nico Enriquez

Founder, Willie's Superbrew

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Brown University

About Enriquez, Forbes writes: 

Though Nico Enriquez went to Brown University to become a synthetic neurobiologist, he soon realized the field wasn't for him. Instead, he partnered with his friend Willie Fenichel, a Cape Cod goat farmer, in 2015 to start Willie's Superbrew, initially a producer of craft, alcoholic ginger beer. After the pair were accepted into the Chobani Incubator in 2017, they pivoted to selling a canned hard seltzer made with real fruit. At about 110 calories, Willie's Superbrew forgoes artificial flavors or synthetic sweeteners in favor of fruit concentrate and mango. The “Superbrew” is now sold in Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Fairway. Enriquez has pledged to donate 3% of his company's profits each year to an environmental cause picked by Superbrew customers.

PHOTO: LinkedIn

Kiara Butler

Founder of RI's "Diversity Talks"

About Butler, Forbes writes:

Mississippi native Kiara Butler, who is pursuing an Ed.D., developed Diversity Talks in 2017, a Rhode Island-based program empowering pupils to improve their educators' cultural competence. 

After a two-week summer training program and follow-up sessions throughout the academic year, 9th- to 12th-graders become part of a student-led task force that facilitates conversation-based workshops for adult professional development on topics such as power privileges, microaggressions, and race.

Photo: YouTube 2018 DEI Accelerator Conference 

Marly Gallardo

Illustrator

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Rhode Island School of Design

About Gallardo, Forbes writes: 

Gallardo is a globally-renowned Ecuadoran illustrator based in New York City. Her work has appeared in campaigns and editorial publications for clients including Apple, Netflix, Adobe, Microsoft, and The New York Times.

PHOTO: Marly Gallardo

Jon Key

Artist 

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Rhode Island School of Design

About Key, Forbes writes: 

At age 10 Jon Key was given a book on HTML coding and used the new language to design posters for his mom's friends and church. Today his multi-disciplinary practice includes graphic designs for clients such as Nike and the Cooper Hewitt museum, as well as painting. In a series he began shortly after the Pulse Nightclub tragedy, he explores his identity using green to represent the south, black for race, violet for queerness and red for family.

PHOTO: Jon Key 

Acacia Johnson

Photographer, Acacia Johnson

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Rhode Island School of Design

About Johnson, Forbes writes: 

Born and raised in Alaska, Johnson is a photographer, artist and writer focused on humans' relationship to the world's polar regions. In 2014 she spent the winter documenting Inuit life on Canada's Baffin Island. Her work is in the collections of the Smithsonian, the Anchorage Museum and it has been featured in National Geographic and in dozens of exhibitions.

PHOTO: Acacia Johnson

Saad Moosajee

Illustrator

Bachelor of Arts/Science, Rhode Island School of Design

About Moosajee, Forbes writes: 

Self-taught graphic designer Moosajee began experimenting with animation at 12. His skills have led him to work with Pixar, artist Stefan Sagmeister and as part of the Google Five, a yearlong fellowship the search giant hosts for creatives. Last year he directed a music video for Mitski's "A Pearl," hand painting 1,480 unique frames. The hypnotizing video was screened at the Museum of the Moving Image and the Hammer Museum and has been viewed close to 1 million times online.

PHOTO: Saad Moosajee

Farah Al Qasimi

Photographer

Rhode Island School of Design Faculty 

About Qasimi, Forbes writes: 

Raised in the United Arab Emirates, Al Qasimi uses photography and film to explore power, gender and taste in the Gulf Arab states. Her work has been displayed around the world, including in a solo booth at Art Basel Statements. Starting in January, 15 of her photos will appear on New York City bus shelters in a 100-site exhibition with the Public Art Fund.

PHOTO: RISD