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Alfonso Pearson

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Dear WETATians, the countdown is on! In just 8 days, we will officially find out which WETATi Academy YoungPreneur Student Nationals finalists will win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in their respective categories for our 2025-2026 SY Annual WETATi Academy National Dureke Business iDEA Pitch Competition. 💜💙💛

Please join us on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, as our 2025-2026 SY WETATi Academy National Entrepreneurship Convention commences for our 14th Annual WETATi Academy-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala. The event will take place at the Adele H. Stamp Union Grand Ballroom, @univofmaryland College Park, in partnership with @nyumburu Cultural Center.

Doors will open at 5:30 PM for our WETATiwood RedCarpet Experience, and the program will begin promptly at 6:00 PM. We will conclude the evening by dancing the night away to Afrobeats until 10:30 PM.

Come see which WETATi Academy YoungPreneur Student National Finalists will win seed money for the WETATi Academy iDEA Lab businesses presented at the competition.

Click the link below to grab some of the few seats left at a special limited edition discounted rate: (Link in bio)👇

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-annual-wetati-academy-anne-reese-carswell-scholarship-and-awards-gala

Thank you, WETATians, for believing in our mission and standing with us. We look forward to celebrating with you next Saturday, September 12th! 💜💙💛#WETATiPower #WETATiAcademy

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Prince George's County Executive @princegeorgesmd Aisha N. Braveboy is a woman of her word! 💜💙💛

Thank you County Executive @pgcountyexec Braveboy for keeping your commitment to our students and believing in our mission to educate, empower, and train low-to-moderate income youth (8-25 years old) and communities in the DMV on how to become financially independent through our Practical Entrepreneurship Education.

We take immense pride and are honored to present you with the 2025 - 2026 SY WETATi Academy Lifetime Achievement Medal on our newly scheduled, Annual WETATi Academy- Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala, date September 12th, 2026.

If you would like to join us as we celebrate the entrepreneurial impact and civic philanthropy of County Executive Braveboy @braveboy4cex , we have a few new seats available for purchase that have now opened up. The few tickets left are selling fast, click the link in our bio or the link below to grab a discounted Grace ticket. 👇

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-annual-wetati-academy-anne-reese-carswell-scholarship-and-awards-gala

If you previously purchased a ticket to attend 2025 - 2026 SY Annual WETATi Academy-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala, please use the same link to reconfirm your attendance. If you have any issues navigating, reconfirming your tickets, or questions regarding our new rescheduled event date please email us at, Joanna@WETATiAcademy.org.

Thank you for standing with us. We look forward to seeing you on September 12th at the beautiful Adele H. Stamp Union Grand Ballroom located at the @univofmaryland College Park, in partnership with @nyumburu Cultural Center.
#WETATiPower #WETATiAcademy

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To our Students and Families, on behalf of WETATi Academy, we want to personally thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support following the unexpected postponement of our 2026 WETATi Academy Scholarship & Awards Gala.💜💙💛

We know how much this event meant to you. Many of you worked for months preparing for the pitch competition, scholarship presentations, leadership recognition, and awards ceremony. Families made special plans to attend, and students were excited to celebrate their accomplishments with those who have supported them along the way.

We share in your disappointment and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration caused by circumstances that were completely beyond anyone's control.

Most importantly, we want every student to know this:

💜 Your accomplishments still matter.
💜 Your hard work is still being recognized.
💜 Your awards, scholarships, and achievements are still being celebrated.
💜 The power outage may have postponed the event, but it did not diminish what you have accomplished or how proud we are of each of you.

Join on our newly rescheduled date, September 12th, as we honor our purpose at our Annual WETATi Academy- Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala. 💜💙💛

If you previously purchased a ticket to attend, please click the link in our bio or use the link below to reconfirm your attendance.👇

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-annual-wetati-academy-anne-reese-carswell-scholarship-and-awards-gala

If your ticket was reserved as part of a corporate team/donor table please contact your team leader to reconfirm your seats. If you have any issues navigating, reconfirming your tickets, or questions regarding our new rescheduled event date please email us at, Joanna@WETATiAcademy.org.

#WETATiPower #WETATiAcademy

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Dear WETATi Academy Family,

On behalf of WETATi Academy, I want to sincerely thank each of you for your support, patience, and understanding following the unexpected events surrounding our 2025 - 2026 SY Annual WETATi Academy-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala.

As many of you know, on Saturday, June 20, 2026, guests, scholarship recipients, award honorees, sponsors, elected officials, volunteers, and community supporters gathered at the University of Maryland in anticipation of an evening dedicated to celebrating the achievements and accomplishments of our outstanding students.

Unfortunately, shortly before the start of the event, the University of Maryland experienced a campus-wide power outage that affected the venue and surrounding campus facilities. Despite every effort by University personnel, utility crews, WETATi Academy staff, volunteers, and event partners to determine whether the event could safely proceed, we were informed that the power could not be restored in time and that all activities scheduled for that evening had to be suspended.

We understand the disappointment and inconvenience this caused for our students, families, sponsors, guests, volunteers, and supporters—many of whom traveled significant distances, rearranged schedules, and eagerly anticipated this special celebration. We share in that disappointment and sincerely apologize for the circumstances and the disruption to your plans.

While the evening did not unfold as we had hoped, we remain committed to honoring our scholarship recipients, competition winners, award honorees, sponsors, and community partners in the manner they deserve.

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 - 2026 SY Annual WETATi Academy-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala has been officially rescheduled for:

Saturday, September 12, 2026
Adele H. Stamp Union Grand Ballroom
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland

Thank you for standing with us. We look forward to seeing you in September.

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We did it WETATians! 💜💙💛 We are officially SOLD OUT for our 14th Annual WETATi Academy-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala! Thank you for your continued love and support!

We cannot wait to celebrate, “Reshaping Classroom Education with Entrepreneurship Mindset,” with you tomorrow at the beautiful Adele H. Stamp Union Grand Ballroom located at the University of Maryland College Park, in partnership with Nyumburu Cultural Center.

This is a Black-Tie Fundraising Scholarship & Awards Gala, so come dressed regal like a true WETATian!

Doors will open promptly at 5:30 PM for our WETATiwood Red Carpet Experience. The program will begin at 6:00 PM, dinner will be served during intermission and the event will close at 10:30 PM, as we dance the night away to Afro-beats.

#WETATiPower 💜💙💛

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The judges' votes are in and all scores have been tallied! 💜💙💛

Thank you to our 2025-2026 SY Annual WETATi Academy National Dureke Business iDEA Pitch Competition judges who attentively listened to each of our WETATi Academy YoungPreneur Student National Finalists pitches:

💙Alfonso Pearson @alpearsonjr
💛Financial Advisor and Consultant of Prosperity Builders Collective LLC

💙Inga Adams @ms_sttues
💛Co-Owner of Pepperidge Promise LLC

💙Jasmine Stewart @_allthtjas_
💛Assistant Principal of Hardy Middle School

💙Nury Mena
💛President & Branch Manager at @fulton.bank

💙Rachel Wooden
💛Community Health Economic Opportunity of @kaiserpermanente

The winners of the 2025-2026 SY Annual WETATi Academy National Dureke Business iDEA Pitch Competition will be announced live, this Saturday June 20th, at our Annual Annual WETATi Academy- Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala, in partnership with @nyumburu Cultural Center, @univofmaryland College Park.

Click the link in our bio to purchase a ticket to support our WETATi Academy YoungPreneur students and to see which student competitors will win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, in their respective categories, and receive seed money to launch their business ideas.👇

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-annual-wetati-academy-anne-reese-carswell-scholarship-and-awards-gala #WETATiAcademy #WETATiPower

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Thank you to everyone who joined our @wetatiacademy x @sistersoulumd collab meeting!

The community brought together by our shared interest in being financially smarter and empowering one another will make us stronger. Your support makes all the difference as we continue together.

Here is @_.i.n.a.y.a , one of our newest WETATians, sharing her favorite moments from the meeting and her hopes for the future 💜💙

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SAVE THE DATE WETATians!! 💜💙💛

Our 2025-2026 SY WETATi Academy-Anne Reese Carswell Scholarship & Awards Gala will be held on Saturday June 20th, 2026 at the Grand Ballroom, Adele H. Stamp Union University of Maryland College Park in partnership with Nyumburu Cultural Center.

WETATi Academy’s 2025-2026 SY National Entrepreneurship Convention Theme is “Reshaping Classroom Education with Entrepreneurship Mindset” and our 2026 Honorary Chair is Mayor of Bowie Maryland, Tim Adams @tim4md .

So mark your calendars WETATians because we have so much in store for you this school year! #WETATiPower

To learn more about our Practical Entrepreneurship Education Program visit our website at WEATiAcademy.org. 💜💙💛

#WETATiAcademy #Nonprofit #Fundraising #PGCPSPartners #PGCPS #PGCPSvolunteers #PrinceGeorgesCounty #PGCountyMD #MDPublicSchools #MarylandSchools #DMV #MD #Maryland #DMVArea #schoolpartners #schoolpartnerships #Partnership #CommunityPartner #YouthOutReach #NonprofitOrg #Education #publicschool #publicschools #entrepreneurship #studententrepreneurship #communitybuilding #FutureLeaders

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WETATi Academy is a Center for Creative Thinking and Leadership 501(c)3 non-profit Practical Entrepreneurship Education Organization, based at and in partnership with, Nyumburu Cultural Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Our mission is to educate, empower, and train low-to-moderate-income youth, ages (9 to 25), and communities on how to become financially independent through our Practical Entrepreneurship Education.

If you are a school administrator, educator or parent of children who fall within our target demographic and are interested in bringing our micro-focused, hands-on and experiential learning courses to your child’s school, reach out to us by clicking the link in our bio. 💜💙💛

To learn more about our Practical Entrepreneurship Education Program visit our website at WETATiAcademy.org.

#WETATiAcademy #WETATiPower #Nonprofit #Fundraising #PGCPSPartners #PGCPS #PGCPSvolunteers #PrinceGeorgesCounty #PGCountyMD #MDPublicSchools #MarylandSchools #DMV #MD #Maryland #DMVArea #schoolpartners #schoolpartnerships #Partnership #CommunityPartner #YouthOutReach #NonprofitOrg #Education #publicschool #publicschools #entrepreneurship #studententrepreneurship #communitybuilding #FutureLeaders

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Welcome back to the new school year WETATians. WETATi Academy wishes you a healthy, prosperous and empowered 2025 - 2026 SY.

We know and believe you have what it takes to achieve the impossible. WETATi Power!

-DR. MARGARET DUREKE
Founder & Executive Director
WETATi Academy

Founder & Managing Principal of Margaret Speaks

To learn more about WETATi Academy visit our website at WETATiAcademy.org.💜💙💛

#WETATiAcademy #WETATiPower #Nonprofit #Fundraising #PGCPSPartners #PGCPS #PGCPSvolunteers #PrinceGeorgesCounty #PGCountyMD #MDPublicSchools #MarylandSchools #DMV #MD #Maryland #DMVArea #schoolpartners #schoolpartnerships #Partnership #CommunityPartner #YouthOutReach #NonprofitOrg #Education #publicschool #publicschools #entrepreneurship #studententrepreneurship #communitybuilding #FutureLeaders

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We had the pleasure of spreading awareness about our mission and providing free back to school supplies to Prince George's County households of all sizes at the annual Back to School Resource Fair hosted by Prince George's County Public Schools ( PGCPS).

PGCPS theme for their 2025 Back to School Resource Fair was “The Power of WE” and that was exactly the atmosphere PGCPS created amongst fellow community members and leaders.

Thank you to Prince George's County County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy, PGCPS Board of Education Board Member Robin Brown, educators, staff members and all the families who stopped by our table.

Many thanks to fellow PGCPS partners, Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, Kaiser Permanente, 96.3 WHUR-FM, and the Revenue Authority of Prince George’s County for making the 2025 PGCPS Back-to-School Fair possible. #PGCPSProud #PGCPSPartner 💜💙

To learn more about WETATi Academy visit our website by clicking the link in our bio.

#WETATiAcademy #WETATiPower #Nonprofit #Fundraising #PGCPSPartners #PGCPS #PGCPSvolunteers #PrinceGeorgesCounty #PGCountyMD #MDPublicSchools #MarylandSchools #DMV #MD #Maryland #DMVArea #schoolpartners #schoolpartnerships #Partnership #CommunityPartner #YouthOutReach #NonprofitOrg #Education #publicschool #publicschools #entrepreneurship #studententrepreneurship #communitybuilding #FutureLeaders

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Our inaugural Small Business Growth Academy (SBGA) cohort from our Small Business Management Program will graduate on Saturday September 13th at Selby's located at 11672 Billingsley Road Waldorf, MD 20602.

The 2025 (SBGA) Graduating Class of The Small Business Management Program is:
💛Powered by Wells Fargo Bank
💛Created by MargaretSpeaks
💛In Partnership with WETATi Academy
💛In Collaboration with Charles County Chamber of Commerce & Sisters4Sisters Network, Inc
💛Fed by Apple Spice Catering Company

(SBGA) was created to provide “Umbrella Business Services Streamlined For Growth” and our motto is #GrowToScale!

Key Program Features include:

🧡Comprehensive Business Training Modules
🧡Expert & Lived Experience Led Workshops
🧡Networking & Partnership Opportunities
🧡Hands-On Support
🧡Interactive Sessions
🧡Social Media Marketing Business Pitch Competition (SMMPC)
🧡Small Business Growth Academy Certification (SBGA Certified)
🧡Certificate of participation
🧡and more

To learn more about the Small Business Growth Academy (SBGA) click the link in our bio 💛🧡💜

#SBGA #WETATiPower #WETATiAcademy #WellsFargoBank #CharlesCounty #CharlesCountyChamberofCommerce #AppleSpiceJunction #Sisters4SistersNetworkInc #MD #DMV #Maryland #DC #SmallBusinesses #SmallBusiness #Donate #Charity #Nonprofit #Academy #Business #Entrepreneurship #Cybersecurity #MSPGrowth #Leadership #AI #TechInnovatio

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