Shawn Carter Foundation ScholarsCourtsey of the Shawn Carter Foundation
Today, Means is a seventh-grade math educator in Brooklyn, a graduate student pursuing his master's in education, and the founder of Means Media and Marketing. He's also a team member and advisor at the very foundation that helped launch his career—embodying the organization's guiding principle: "Lift as we climb."
Founded by hip-hop icon Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and his mother, Gloria Carter, the Shawn Carter Foundation has spent years opening doors for students of color who face barriers to higher education. What sets the organization apart is its holistic approach—one that recognizes education as a family endeavor.
"When you create this kind of program and people can see the impact, they're willing to come forward and say, ‘listen, I want to be a part of this,’" Gloria Carter said during a recent interview. "It's not as hard as people think it is. It's just giving back."
Gloria Carter with her son, hip-hop icon, Shawn Courtsey of the Shawn Carter Foundation
"We teach them how to dress for success, how to behave, how to represent yourself," Gloria Carter said. "You have to want it more than your parents want it."
Each April, the foundation sponsors a bus tour to historically Black colleges and universities, giving students firsthand exposure to campus life and academic opportunities. For many participants, it's their first chance to walk on a college campus and envision themselves as part of that community.
