Usman Khalid, a Political Investigator at Upcomers, ensures that the organization remains committed to its ethical and social impact goals. His efforts contribute to Upcomers’ dedication to creating positive change within the communities it serves.
The Synergy Symposium, an event that explored the intersection of the creative industry and technology. Yelissa Lopez, a senior majoring in Applied Physics at Columbia University and the founder of Upcomers, led the event at NYU in partnership with Niouma Semega, the founder of Semegachange.
Upcomers is an organization with a mission to bring resources and exposure to black/minority-owned clothing brands, fostering wealth reallocation into inner-city communities. Yelissa’s journey from the inception of Upcomers to hosting the Synergy Symposium reflects her commitment to driving positive change in the creative industry. Semegachange is a developing empire of Black & Women of Color cultivating change through the intersectionality of their identity and passion for STEM for environmental and societal change.
The Synergy Symposium featured a diverse lineup of panelists and exhibitors. The mission of the symposium was to explore and unify the creative industry and technology, empowering the future generation to think beyond their current spheres.Through exhibitors, panel discussions, and a communal dinner, the symposium aimed to explore the intersection of the creative industry and technology, making connections, and empowering the future generation to think beyond their current spheres.
The event featured clothing brands and technical projects, including model rocketry, a hydrogen car, desktop lap, and video games developed by the exhibitors. Some of the panelists were Kaia, a brand owner and a technologist intern; Lily a games and anime fan artist and studying game design; Muhammad who modeled for notable brands and a recent graduate in computer engineering; Safa, a R&B singer and an audio engineer; and Jwalt who a recording artist and published author. There were also performances from Malik Fountain and Lucas Hunter. Malik is a saxophonist and studies mechanical engineering while Lucas Hunter is a singer and is working on a project called Project IMORA which explores the intersection of music and computer science. At the end, guests participated in a trivia contest and with the help of the exhibitors/panelists were able to win prizes as well as expand their network.
The Synergy Symposium broke the division between the arts and engineering, fostering collaboration between creatives and engineers. This transformative event, which aspires to become an annual gathering that bridges the gap between two dynamic industries, received positive feedback from attendees.
Author: Usman Khalid, Editor: Yelissa Lopez