Woonsocket high schooler wins $1 million for plan to invest in communities of color

Amy Russo, The Providence Journal
·2 min read

WOONSOCKET – High school student Mariam Kaba just won big bucks for a big idea.

The 15-year-old Career and Technical Center sophomore and daughter of West African immigrants was one of 97 teenagers who tried to answer a tough question: What would you do with $1 million to transform the state's communities of color?

That's what the Papitto Opportunity Connection's Transform Rhode Island Scholarship wondered, and in Kaba's proposal, it received its answer, rewarding it with a $1-million investment.

Kaba floated a dynamic plan to engage Rhode Islanders of color in job fairs, career preparation, financial literacy, mental health wellness and a community cleanup initiative.

Mariam Kaba, a Woonsocket sophomore, recently secured a $1-million investment from Papitto Opportunity Connection for her plan to reinvigorate Rhode Island's communities of color with job fairs, career prep, mental health wellness and a community cleanup program.
Mariam Kaba, a Woonsocket sophomore, recently secured a $1-million investment from Papitto Opportunity Connection for her plan to reinvigorate Rhode Island's communities of color with job fairs, career prep, mental health wellness and a community cleanup program.

When Barbara Papitto, who founded the private nonprofit, saw the idea, she asked herself, "Why aren’t we doing this already?"

But picking a winner wasn't easy, and nor were the judges pushovers; among them sat Ford Foundation President Darren Walker, state Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and POC Managing Trustee John Tarantino, who spearheaded the scholarship, which is in its first year.

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Tarantino came up with the concept after realizing POC had focused its outreach primarily on adults, from business owners to local leaders, instead of youth.

"I think young people are energized and they want to be heard, but oftentimes we don’t give them a voice," Tarantino said. "They’re too young or they’re inexperienced, or whatever it may be."

But as Tarantino put it, youth "are really the pulse of what’s going on" in their communities.

That's how Kaba developed her idea – with firsthand experience seeing what was lacking in her Woonsocket school.

"I feel like a lot of the BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] community don’t really know how to apply for jobs, how to prepare for a job interview … and it also helps with practical education. Half of my class doesn’t even know what interest is."

Now Kaba will create a way to teach her peers and others across the state those crucial skills, sitting in on POC's team meetings to iron out the details of her program and how to implement it.

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In addition, Kaba scored a $25,000 scholarship, which POC hopes may be used for future schooling or living expenses.

As the scholarship program approaches its second year, Papitto is confident it has allowed "young people to understand that they can effect change, that they can be a part of their community and make their community better."

"I think the big word that we have is hope, that they see hope in their future."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Woonsocket teen wins $1M for plan to invest in communities of color