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FICO is partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to educate the next generation of data scientists. According to a news release, the global analytic software company is bringing back its FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge for the second year. This will give students the opportunity to engage with real-world challenges in artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics, inspiring them to develop innovative solutions. This year’s challenge will center on empowering students to combat payment transaction fraud by tasking them with developing a robust fraud detection model. Students will be supported by Dr. Scott Zoldi, chief analytics officer at FICO, and his team of data scientists, who will also teach and mentor participants. Additionally, they will be given financial assistance and resources for internship opportunities. The FICO® Educational Analytics Challenge will expand to the following educational institutions in Spring 2025: F. Drake State Community...
According to Forbes , the new FICO 10 model will be put into place this summer. The Fair Issac Corporation (FICO) announced it will be changing its model to include consumer’s account balances and missed payments over the last two years. The FICO specializes in predictive analytics which analyzes a range of credit information and allows lenders to predict a consumer’s financial behavior. Under the new credit model, Forbes predicts 110 million Americans could see a change in their credit score with about 40 million seeing a 20 point drop in their credit score. Unlike previous models, the FICO 10 model will put a heavy emphasis on past delinquencies and late payments from the last two years. Forbes also reports consumers with a high utilization ratio (credit used vs. credit available) will also see a drop in their credit score. Although FICO changes will soon be in effect, here are some ways to continue to manage your credit under the new FICO 10 model. Be Aware of Your Credit Score...
Howard University is on a mission to reverse the decline of Black male enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCUs). On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, the university hosted its third annual Kings of Campus Day, welcoming 150 young Black boys from the District of Columbia Public Schools and Prince George’s County Public Schools for panel discussions emphasizing the importance of Black men attending college, according to a LinkedIn post from Dr. Calvin Hadley. Hadley, the assistant provost for Student Engagement and Academic Partnerships at Howard University, said he created the event to show young males why they deserve a place at the HBCU and college in general, while urgently conveying to them how valued and needed they are. “If we are serious about increasing the number of Black males at Howard [and in higher education in general], we have to go back and contribute to building up the pipeline,” Hadley said via LinkedIn. “We are committed to this work and look...
A 13-year-old who attends high school in Conyers, GA, has fulfilled his lifelong dream of receiving an acceptance letter to Morehouse College . Joshua Suddith is currently dual-enrolled at Hills Academy and Augusta Technical College, completing 27 credit hours with a GPA of 3.88, according to 11 Alive News. In his free time, Joshua enjoys playing basketball like typical kids his age — but he is anything but ordinary. By 9 months old, he was talking, and by 18 months, he was reading. At just 3 years old, he authored his first book. “His grit and determination are the most impressive things about him,” his mother, Chaundra Suddith, said. “He didn’t let challenges get in the way of his dream.” Throughout his education, Joshua skipped several grades — he moved from second grade to fifth grade, then to seventh, and then 11th grade. By age 12, he had received over 20 college acceptance letters, including from Jackson State University and Tennessee State University, 11 Alive reported....
President Donald Trump has set a strict deadline for schools and universities to revise their DEI policies. AP News reports the Education Department has stated “racial preferences” can no longer be applicable in admissions, financial aid, or hiring. Beginning in 14 days, “educational institutions may neither separate nor segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” the memo read. “The last thing students need when making plans about how to pay for college is uncertainty over when or whether they will receive financial aid they’ve been relying on,” The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators said in a statement. The mandate was listed in a memo released on Friday, Feb. 14, which was a continuation of Trump’s executive order to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This included placing federal employees in DEI roles on paid leave per the administration’s agenda to “take steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives,...
Meta is being sued for allegedly directly contributing to education inequities in Black communities. A lawsuit filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP on behalf of the Equal Rights Center (ERC) cites that Meta’s algorithm has shown bias by directing ads for for-profit colleges and universities to Black communities. In contrast, more ads featuring public and nonprofit colleges and universities were shown to white users. “Relegating Black students to receive information about for-profit schools, which often provide lower quality education at greater financial cost, also sends a negative message about who belongs in which types of institutions,” a statement from an email sent to AFROTECH™ by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights read. The difference between the two types of institutions is that for-profit colleges focus on generating profits...
Considering a sponsor to invest in your career journey this conference season? Terri Evans, a senior technical program manager with a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A&T State University, was able to further her decade-long career thanks to securing a sponsor for her first AFROTECH™ Conference in November 2024. She has worked in several project management roles across companies that include Northrop Grumman, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and Equinix. Her next steps within her career were to move into leadership, and this was an incentive to attend the conference. “I’m looking to expand to being in a space of manager of a PMO (Project Management Office) or as director of a PMO. I work primarily in the infrastructure and data center space, so there is a lot of growth in that space due to artificial intelligence (AI) and all of the cool and things that are in machine learning that are coming into the space,” she told AFROTECH™. “So because of that, there is a deep...
Morgan State University is on a mission to determine the reasoning behind a decline in Black male enrollment and retention in higher education. According to The Baltimore Sun, the Historically Black College and University based in Baltimore, MD, has established a task force aimed at helping reverse the ongoing trend, both at Morgan State and potentially at HBCUs nationwide. Morgan State President David K. Wilson said the trend has become a critical concern for the university’s campus and students are worried as well. “Morgan has long been a leader in providing access and opportunity for Black males seeking higher education,” Wilson said . “The ongoing decline in Black male enrollment at HBCUs is a clarion call for action, and we will not stand idly by.” He continued, “This task force will engage in rigorous research to understand the forces at play and develop evidence-based strategies to ensure that more Black men not only enroll at Morgan but thrive and complete their degrees.”...
Alisa Bowens-Mercado is the proud owner of a beer company available across several states, FOX61 reports. Working as a salsa instructor for 16 years, Bowens-Mercado made the decision to venture into entrepreneurship. She was motivated by her grandmothers, Mary Pullen and Delores Bowens, “who were lager drinkers back in the 1970s, and because I would partake and enjoy some wonderful lagers,” she told the outlet. She also wanted to increase representation within the sector. “I knew that I needed to go into business so that I could amplify voices of color in this very male-dominated industry,” Bowens-Mercado explained. In November 2017, she launched Rhythm Brewing Co. in New Haven, CT, and made history as the state’s first Black woman-owned beer company. “I don’t take that lightly,” Bowens-Mercado told FOX61. “It’s because I have to continue to open up doors for the future. And so, if my journey and my mission can help anyone that wants to do something or go into an industry that you...
Entrepreneur Brian Roberts has found a way to elevate his mission to amplify Black-owned businesses. He has been the proud owner of The Black Pantry since 2020 and is now set to open Good Karma Coffee in February 2024, Startland News reports. The shared space will have the two business operating side by side in a new location, which he describes as an “elevated Black coffee space.” Located at 3134 Gillham Rd. in Kansas City, MO, doors are open on an invitation basis until full launch. “Every Saturday we’ve been doing things like inviting different groups, playing with our menu, and getting the team some experience,” Roberts told the outlet. “I’d say I’ve attracted some of the best baristas in the city.” Customers visiting Good Karma Coffee can look forward to trying out locally sourced products, including signature roasts from Marcell Coffee, while also learning about the origins of their coffee. “If you want to have a pour-over in front of you, the barista can do it while...
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is not backing down from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. According to Business Insider, Dimon confirmed that the financial services firm will continue to advance its DEI efforts and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies despite pressure from the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), a conservative nonprofit organization. The NLPC has proposed that JPMorgan reevaluate how executive compensation is linked to the company’s racial equity goal. “Bring them on,” Dimon told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “We are going to continue to reach out to the Black community, the Hispanic community, the LGBT community , the veterans community.” In 2020, JPMorgan launched a $30 billion program to promote racial equity in personal finance, which included mortgage refinancing and partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities . The bank also launched an “accountability framework” to...
Brooklyn Nets owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai are trying something ground-breaking that’ll change the game for Black business-owners looking for financial assistance. According to CNBC, as part of their $50 million commitment to help minority communities, the sports owners have launched “EXCELerate,” a $2.5 million Black business loan program to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds for the program will come from the Tsai foundation’s Social Justice Fund — which was started last year to help resolve economic inequities in Black communities. “We know that there is no social justice without economic opportunity,” Tsai said in a statement, “which is why we are so excited to launch the Brooklyn EXCELerate Loan Program aimed at elevating Brooklyn’s BIPOC [Black, indigenous, and other people of color] business owners post-pandemic and doing our small part to overcome barriers this community faces in accessing capital.” What’s unique about the program is that instead of...
Financial Literacy Month may be during the month of April, but one founder is making sure children and adults have their finances in order year-round. Evan Leaphart created Kiddie Kredit, an app that is changing the face of credit education and teaching kids about the subject early on. AfroTech had the chance to sit down with Leaphart to discuss a new partnership with the Equifax Foundation, what Kiddie Kredit is doing this month and beyond to promote financial literacy, and more. Editorial Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Graphic Courtesy of Kiddie Kredit AfroTech: April is financial literacy month, can you tell us how your company will help educate the community on the importance of all things finance? Evan Leaphart: We’re in the early stages of building a city-wide initiative that’s aimed to increase the credit scores of our citizens; that’s something that we’re working on with the Equifax Foundation and a couple of other supporting partners. While...
Issa Rae’s hair game is always on point, so it’s only right that she is taking her talents into the haircare industry as the co-owner of Sienna Naturals , according to Allure. Rae joined forces with Sienna Naturals’ CEO and founder Hannah Diop in a move to rebrand the clean hair-care line designed for coily, curly, Afro-textured hair. “I think hair has always been a part of the conversation for me, and it’s been such a huge part of my identity,” Rae told Allure . “[Even my] debut was a big chop that I did for Awkward Black Girl .” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sienna Naturals • Haircare (@siennanaturals) Naturalistas can get their hands on the updated variety of products from the brand which includes the Salon In A box collection that comes with H.A.P.I. Shampoo, Dew Magic, a leave-in conditioner, Plant Power, and Lock & Seal. If that isn’t enough, the line has more in store later down the road. Rae, who calls herself more of a “lazy” natural, says although she...
For business owners who need help funding their venture, loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration can be a popular financing option. The SBA aims to help small business owners who have trouble qualifying for traditional business financing , said Terri Denison, SBA Georgia district director. However, that doesn’t mean everyone with less-than-perfect credit can receive SBA loans. “What we’re looking for is that middle section — the borrower that has a good, solid business plan and idea, but maybe there’s something that’s not quite meeting all the requirements of a lender’s conventional loan,” Denison said. If you fit that description, keep reading to explore the pros and cons of SBA loans. We’ll dive into the benefits of an SBA loan, as well as some downsides you could expect. What are SBA loans? Pros and cons of SBA loans The bottom line What are SBA loans? The SBA doesn’t directly lend to small business owners — rather, it backs loans made through partnering lenders,...