2023 Fellow Focus: Dr. Ijeoma Kola + Cohort Sistas
Serial entrepreneur, higher education advocate, way-maker…2023 Fellow Dr. Ijeoma Kola of Cohort Sistas shares more about her journey as a social impact entrepreneur.
What life experiences propelled you into the entrepreneurial space and made you decide to be your own boss?
Shortly after we immigrated to the United States, my parents became entrepreneurs, and co-ran their own real estate appraisal business. They viewed entrepreneurship as a way to create a flexible work schedule to be very present in the lives of their three children, and were able to shuttle us to and from soccer practices, band lessons, and volunteer opportunities. Growing up in that environment, I admired how entrepreneurship created freedom for yourself and for your family, and even though I had a number of professional interests throughout my childhood and young adulthood, I always knew that I would have some kind of side hustle to supplement the work that I did.
During my doctoral program, I explored a variety of business projects — including freelance web design, hair braiding, and lifestyle blogging — as a way to supplement my graduate school stipend to make it possible to have a life outside of school in New York City. When I finished graduate school, I decided to create an organization that would enable me to be my own boss but to also equip other Black women and non-binary scholars to pursue full-time or part-time entrepreneurship alongside their academic pursuits, if they wanted to.
What do you enjoy most about being a founder?
I love being able to see the immediate impact of my ideas on the lives of those who participate in our programs and initiatives! Any time a scholar shares that they received a fellowship that a fellow scholar reviewed, that they were able to navigate a difficult situation with a mentor after receiving advice from the community, or that they received admission into their dream doctoral program, I feel incredibly rewarded.
What do you wish someone had told you before you started your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish someone had told me how to prioritize all the ideas that I would have along the way. It is often difficult to decide what new programs or initiatives to implement and when to do so, and I wish I'd received some secret playbook or advice on how to choose what to do next.
Tell us about an experience you had as an entrepreneur or in starting your company that exemplified one of Camelback's core values: "Belief in Mission + Vision"; "Unafraid of Failure"; "Constant Learner"; "Humble + Hungry"; and "Give First."
When I first started Cohort Sistas, I began with a digital community where Black women and non-binary scholars could find and network with one another, regardless of their geographic location, academic discipline, or stage in the process. After a few months, we conducted a community survey and heard from our scholars that they wanted access to mentorship by Black women with doctoral degrees, so we created what is now our flagship program, the Sista Circle Mentorship Program, which pairs 3-5 Cohort Sistas scholars with a mentor holding a doctorate in a similar academic discipline. Listening to our community members has ensured that Cohort Sistas creates the solutions that the community wants and needs, rather than what we think is best for them.
How do you stay motivated?
Having been exactly where many of our Cohort Sistas scholars are myself — in the throes of a stressful, often unsupported doctoral program that either puts you further into debt or severely limits your earning potential with stipends below living wage — I am extremely motivated to equip other Black women and non-binary scholars with the resources, tools, and mentorship they need to not only remain in, but to thrive in their doctoral programs.
Let's talk about your legacy. How do you hope your venture will make the world a better place generations from now?
I believe that Cohort Sistas will be able to not only help increase the number and percentage of Black women and non-binary scholars who complete doctoral degrees, but will also empower more scholars to utilize their academic and professional skills post-doctoral degree to change the world in significant ways.
What's your favorite book or podcast that you draw entrepreneurial inspiration from?
Reading The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life by Lynne Twist helped me reframe the scarcity mindset I had developed around money to enable me to become a bolder, more confident entrepreneur. While money is important for my family's well-being and sustainability, and I work towards encouraging Cohort Sistas scholars to become financially healthy in the pursuit of their doctoral degrees, my entrepreneurship goals are rooted in transformation and impact and not in financial gain.
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