GSU students Elissa Russell (CEHD '20) and Jiana Zapata (RCB '21) win 1st place in the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) short - clip film festival for READI Consulting, LLC. This film festival focuses on short stories, webinars, and clips of women entrepreneurs from around the world. Winners were announced on March 8, appropriately marking this proud and monumental achievement on International Women's Day.
To view their film, click here. To view their interview with ICSB, click here.
About READI Consulting and the Winners
READI Consulting is a training solution for workforce readiness focusing on upskilling & reskilling for the underemployed – aligning them with the UN sustainable development goals selection criteria.
Elissa Russell is the Founder and CEO of READI Consulting, LLC. Upon earning her Bachelors in Political Science at Spelman College, she journeyed to SE Asia, where she spent ten years teaching and engaged in educational consulting within the private and political sectors. After nearly ten years abroad, Elissa returned to the U.S. and began working with international students seeking academic opportunities at U.S.-based colleges and universities. She spent several years managing a University Placement program at Oglethorpe University. Recognizing the language literacy gap for these international students, Elissa began to explore gaps in literacy for other learners, which led her to adult education within the non-profit sector. After nearly three years as Director of Programming at Literacy Action, Elissa launched READI in effort to close the gap in access to necessary literacy training for underemployed adults. Elissa’s personal mission is to Upskill, Advance, and Be the Change that You Want to See in the Community.
Jiana Zapata is a second year undergraduate student at Georgia State University. She is majoring in Computer Information Systems and Marketing with future goals of working in the Tech Industry. While enrolled as a full-time student, she builds her minority, woman -owned business in the space of Digital Creativity. Her platform No Name Creative is a space for up and coming Creatives who are talented but have not yet but a reputation or ‘name’ for themselves. NNC purposes to serve start-ups that need skilled technical support, graphics, and social media optimization but don’t yet have the budget to invest in large firms. NNC connects the creatives with the new businesses. No Name Creative sets itself apart by partnering with only enrolled college students and recent graduates, thus keeping the cost for the small business reasonable whilst allowing the service provider (student) a means of gaining experience, building a reputation and earning financial resources. Her business is Your Brand.
-Shelby Birch, Digital Communications Graduate Assistant, Office of the Provost