Posts

Women's History Month
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Empowering Women’s History Month: Honoring Legacies and Creating Your Own

As we step into Women's History Month, I can't help but reflect on the incredible women who have shaped history and left an indelible mark. In this photo, I'm surrounded by two of my friends and mentors, Beverly Robertson and Rose Flenorl, both…
Black History Month
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Empowering Black & Women’s History: Unveiling Stories of Resilience

As we approach the upcoming Black History Month and Women's History Month celebrations, I want to share a personal snapshot with you. A moment frozen in time when I left the football field as Ms. University of Memphis. Making history as the…
Jae Henderson
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Redefining Resilience: Jae Henderson S.O. What! Success Story

Most of the time, we don’t understand the impact or importance of relationships until years (or even decades) later. I met Jae Henderson when we were both undergrads at the University of Memphis. She was a Zeta, and I was an AKA. As part of…
Summer Owens with mother and 101 year-old grandmother at the S.O. What! Awards and Scholarship Soiree
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The Success of the Inaugural S.O. What! Awards and Scholarship Soiree

One night about six years ago, I had a dream about an awards and scholarship program. I've been a part of several awards programs either as a recipient or helping to plan the event, and I knew I wanted this one to be special. On April…
Netisha Burnett takes the lead as the Executive Director of the S.O. What! Foundation

New Leadership Feels SO Good

You never know where your dreams can take you. In 2011, I started my speaking business, S.O. What! LLC, and the next year I founded the S.O What! Foundation. I had no idea how hard it would be to lead and grow both organizations simultaneously.…
Ms. Univesity of Memphis
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Ms. University of Memphis and Me

Do you attend your college or high school homecoming events and games? As a student at the University of Memphis, I enjoyed the basketball games but have never been a big football fan. So the first Homecoming I attended was when I was a finalist…
Bud Richey
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Bud Richey: S.O. What! Success Story

Bowties. Crawfish. And leadership. They are all things I immediately think of when I think of Bud Richey. As a student leader over 20 years ago, I met Bud Richey when he came to the University of Memphis to direct the Emerging Leaders…
Annette Webb McNeil
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Annette McNeil: S.O. What! Success Story

It’s never too late to get your degree(s). That’s one of the first thoughts I have when I think of Annette McNeil. Another is how she too was a 15-year-old mom. A third is our connection to the Fogelman College of Business and Economics…
Rosie Phillips Davis
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Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis: S.O. What! Success Story

Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis went from poverty to a Ph.D. and has inspired thousands of people along the way. As a nineteen-year-old black female college student, I’ll never forget the day I saw Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis (known to me as Dr.…