At 21, University of Chicago grad Dinah Clottey has turned her quarantine pastime of crocheting into a fashion line with social uplift for the Black community
, a competitive 10-week summer program designed to help early-stage ventures develop key elements of their business, with coaching and a $6,500 grant. And her accomplishments don’t just stem from her entrepreneurial skills. At 21, Clottey’s resume also includes serving as an organizer and communications fellow for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in Iowa and being
Looking back, Clottey recalls a conversation with a fellow high school student whose dream was to go into the film industry. She said he never entertained following up on his passion, instead opting for something more practical. In her mind, she just couldn’t understand why he didn’t go for it. The young man would eventually share his reasons for forgoing his dream: taking care of family and no means to go to film school or invest in film equipment.
As an undergraduate, Clottey juggled her advocacy needs as a board member and president of the Organization of Black Students. Under her leadership, she developed and launched the annual Black Convocation, an event designed to celebrate the accomplishments of Black students at the U. of C. Clottey also served as outreach manager for the award-winning podcast “Kinda Sorta Brown” — that discusses policies affecting Black and brown communities.