RMU kicks off first of diversity speaker series

On Sept. 17, native Pittsburgh entrepreneur, Kevin Carter, came to speak for the Diversity Series for the RMU Multicultural Student Services.

Carter is the CEO of the nonprofit organization Adonai, which is centered on assisting young black males around the ages of 14-24 in educational and social environments. With around 856 young men, the program itself takes around four weeks to learn about the individuals and help them in multiple aspects.

Many of the males come in with a GPA of around 1.3 and leave the program with a GPA of a 2.7. In his speech, Carter talked about what it was like to set up his own nonprofit and encouraged college students to “learn from just about anybody you want to learn from, as long as you are open to the concept of learning.”

Carter started his quest at the age of 19 with two of his other friends. As he describes it, they were sitting alone in the cafeteria at Point Park University when the idea came to them. They then spent six hours discussing it. From that point, he went on to start his organization.

“Being able to start a nonprofit is a rewarding experience,” says Carter.

Carter doesn’t take all the credit, he gives it to the young males coming into the organization with determination. The program is now going to be filmed with four other non-profits from around the world and entered in a contest in Bangkok, Thailand in November.

For more information on the Diversity Series, visit www.rmu.edu/mss.