2021 40 Under 40 Honorees
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Monique Smith
“Particularly for students from underrepresented communities, I think it’s important for them to see people who look like them teaching them.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Ernest Rajakone
“I realized that politics and government was where I wanted to make an impact.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Shiv Sethi
“The arts and particularly increasing rates of equity in the arts is something that’s really important to me.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Alydia Thomas
“I think you really need someone to look up to and I try to be that for people.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Andre Turner
“Our communities and our neighborhoods are so much bigger. The world is so much bigger.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Cheyenne Tyler
“I’ve shifted into listening and learning and working with partners to address vaccine hesitancy.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Kyle Webster
“It really has been this unique moment of organizations and people who care coming together to really try to stabilize our neighbors.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Felicity Williams
“Folks leave their communities, gain expertise and talent and don’t bring that back to their communities. It creates a vacuum.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dr. Maya Ragavan
“I really love this idea of thinking about the ways we can expand health care outside of the hospital or doctor’s office to really think about communities.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Chardae Jones
“I want to show people how to own their work."
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Shenay Jeffrey
“I see the power and influence of young people, not only for our city, but for the world, and I’m constantly inspired by it.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Chancelor Humphrey
“I want to capture the diversity of Pittsburgh through my eyes.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honorees: Taylor Stessney and Kacy McGill
“Our role is making sure workers feel supported, making sure they have a voice in the workplace.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Anette Nance
“To really solve a problem, you have to see what’s going on internally.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Aleya Crable Jennings
“My goal is to make sure that, if there are other women or women of color in these spaces, they are supported and they have the tools they need to be successful.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Michael R. Komo
“Being a zealous advocate for equality is a lifelong passion of mine.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Cue Perry
“Racial tension had been at a crazy high. I wanted to do my part and came up with an ice cream flavor with proceeds given back to a nonprofit.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Ray Nell Jones
“When you’re passionate about [a nonprofit] and you show people you’re passionate about it, you’ve had that experience, things can happen more quickly than you can expect.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Summer Lee
“This is a very, very urgent moment ... Helping people to identify their place in this system, and their power in this system, is what we need right now.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Jeremy C. McCool
“Teaching came naturally to me. It didn’t feel like work, which is a beautiful thing.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Constance Mulbah
“I’ve been there and I’ve been able to walk into different rooms and feel what it feels like to be new. I had tons of people pour into me in Pittsburgh.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Haji Muya
“We wanted to make sure people know their neighbor and know a little bit about their neighbor.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dr. Utibe Essien
“I think more attention has been paid to some of those disparities because of the pandemic, and I think it’ll really benefit our community as we pay more attention to it.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Abraxis T. Blackwell
“Things that tear a lot of people down actually built me up.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dr. Syed Bukhari
“Going to those clinics and talking to those patients and treating them and the way they were thankful, that really made me proud.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Christina Flewellen-Howze
“It’s nice to have a group of veterans that have navigated those current waters you’re going through.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Mel Cronin
“It’s eye-opening every single day of my job how much people and organizations are doing in our area, in our region.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Carlos Carmona
“I’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunity to make an impact on my community. I’m really happy I had the foresight to capitalize on it.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Corey Carrington
“I’m just always working, always hustling, always going to the next thing and working on the next opportunity.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Rebekah Diaz
“Being on the stage is fun, but this is rewarding.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Angelique Drakeford
“The moment I stepped into the classroom, I felt like this is what I’m supposed to do.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Danielle Filip
“I think it’s wonderful that I’m able to accommodate a larger group of the population. My work now is focused on ensuring that there are standards in place.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Boaz Frankel
“Pittsburgh is a place you’re really going to be rewarded for your curiosity.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Anthony Hall
Hall’s role is focused on: “making sure that I’m advocating and supporting and providing resources, both individually and school-wide.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Orlando Houston
“I feel it is important to pay it forward to those who want to learn.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Eric Howze
“There’s a lot of veterans who want to be reintegrated into society. They just need some type of help, and that’s where we come in.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dr. Taylor Abel
“Forty percent of children have epilepsy that doesn’t respond to medications. And all of those should be considered for the highest level of care and potential surgery.”
2021 40 Under 40 Honoree: Leighann Bacher
“I was seeing all these nurses and doctors on the front lines and I kind of felt helpless, 'What can little me do?’ And looking back, this was kind of my [way] to contribute.”
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