LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Rock It! Lab had some accomplishments to celebrate during an event honoring the program’s most recent graduates.
Rock It! Lab is a partnership between the Central Arkansas Library System and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship to provide resources to entrepreneurs, and on May 30, both organizations came together to celebrate the graduation of 18 entrepreneurs.
During the event, Whitney Easterling, owner of The Guideline by WhitneyE, presented her business idea to a panel of judges and won a $5,000 prize.
“Don’t give up on yourself, keep trying your best. I love all my classmates. You are beautiful and amazing. Keep trying,” Easterling said in her acceptance speech.
The program’s youngest graduate, 16-year-old Morgan Perry, owner of the clothing brand Me.Marie Style, also received a $700 prize.
The Rock It! Lab program received a $75,000 grant from Walmart.org.
Monique Carswell, director of the Walmart.org Racial Equity Center, offered words of advice to the graduates as they continue their entrepreneurial journey.
“The great thing about being part of a community is that you’re never alone,” Carswell says. “You have people who are with you on your journey. Don’t let other people limit the person you can become.”
To learn more about Rock It! Lab and its mission, visit CALS.org.
