Jason Terrell and Mario Jovan Shaw met through the 2012 Teach For America Corps and lived together as roommates. Frustrated with the lack of Black male teachers, they started a non-profit called
Profound Gentlemen. But the two Charlotte transplants never imagined that this work would lead them to earn one of the highest achievements in business, the
Forbes 30 Under 30. According to Forbes, they came up with the idea to cultivate mentorship opportunities for Black men, from "cradle to career." Since launching Profound Gentlemen, Shaw, 27 and Terrell, 26, have done some amazing work. Profound Gentlemen works to provide career support for teachers while also developing mentorship opportunities for their students, young boys of color. Their
mission is "to a build community of male educators of color who provide a profound additional impact on boys of color." They do this through "Impact Cohorts" which pairs current male educators of color with aspiring ones. The cohorts focus on character development, purpose and professional growth, mentoring groups and community and civic engagement. Profound Gentlemen is currently working towards the following goals for this year:
- Retain 90 percent of gentlemen in the field of education.
- 90 percent of boys of color in our Gentlemen’s mentoring groups will graduate from high school.
- 90 percent of boys of color in our Gentlemen’s mentoring groups will be exposed to and experience diverse career backgrounds.
With goals like these, it's no wonder that they've made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.