2025 BSSS Episode 1: Building Futures and Finding Purpose — Conversations with Solace, Ava, and Eve
Episode 1 · Sep 10, 2025, 11:37 PM
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🎙️ Episode 1: Building Futures and Finding Purpose — Conversations with Solace, Ava, and Eve
Black Student Success Summit Podcast
In this episode, host Morgan Jones sits down with three remarkable young women — Solace Jenkins (Vancouver School of Arts and Academics), Ava Walker (Mountainside High School), and Eve Gerard (Gresham High School) — for an honest and uplifting conversation recorded live at the 2025 Black Student Success Summit at Portland State University.
Together, they discuss their experiences as Black students navigating education, leadership, and identity across Oregon and Washington. From community involvement through organizations like the Zeta Phi Beta Arconettes and BBEA, to dreams of attending HBCUs, Harvard, or studying abroad, their stories reflect ambition rooted in purpose.
The group opens up about the importance of mentorship, the courage to seek opportunities, and what it means to build networks that inspire and challenge them. Through shared laughter and reflection, these students remind us that success is not just about grades — it’s about connection, community, and self-discovery.
🎧 Listen to learn:
Black Student Success Summit Podcast
In this episode, host Morgan Jones sits down with three remarkable young women — Solace Jenkins (Vancouver School of Arts and Academics), Ava Walker (Mountainside High School), and Eve Gerard (Gresham High School) — for an honest and uplifting conversation recorded live at the 2025 Black Student Success Summit at Portland State University.
Together, they discuss their experiences as Black students navigating education, leadership, and identity across Oregon and Washington. From community involvement through organizations like the Zeta Phi Beta Arconettes and BBEA, to dreams of attending HBCUs, Harvard, or studying abroad, their stories reflect ambition rooted in purpose.
The group opens up about the importance of mentorship, the courage to seek opportunities, and what it means to build networks that inspire and challenge them. Through shared laughter and reflection, these students remind us that success is not just about grades — it’s about connection, community, and self-discovery.
🎧 Listen to learn:
- How youth organizations and sisterhood shape leadership and confidence
- What motivates young Black women to pursue education beyond the Northwest
- The power of family, faith, and self-belief in defining success