Forbes Under 30 Scholars Program: Opportunities for Young Leaders
The Forbes Under 30 Scholars program is a prestigious initiative that provides opportunities for young leaders and innovators to attend the annual Forbes Under 30 Summit. This summit serves as a platform for networking, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas among entrepreneurs, game-changers, and industry leaders. The Under 30 Scholars program aims to foster diversity and inclusion by selecting high-achieving students from various universities and backgrounds.
Overview of the Forbes Under 30 Scholars Program
The Forbes Under 30 Scholars program offers scholarship funding to 1,000 students, enabling them to participate in the annual Forbes Under 30 Summit. The program focuses on identifying students who embody the tenets of leadership and innovation. The Forbes Under 30 Summit is the world’s greatest gathering of young entrepreneurs and game-changers. This year, with our partners at JPMorgan Chase, we're excited to bring back the Forbes Under 30 Scholars Program. For the second year, we've linked with schools and organizations from around the country to give 1,000 high performing students a free pass to the Summit, with a content focus in their area of specialty. Diversity and inclusion are at the core of the program, celebrating students across every gender, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. The opportunity is opened to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Students will be selected on a rollingbasis.
Selection Criteria and Application Process
The Under 30 Scholars are chosen based on various criteria, including a written statement about how they embody the Under 30 tenets of leadership and innovation. Forbes partners with schools across the U.S with strengths in different areas to ensure that a diverse set of high-achieving students from many universities engages in the program.
Benefits of the Forbes Under 30 Scholars Program
Access to the Forbes Under 30 Summit
The primary benefit of the Forbes Under 30 Scholars program is the opportunity to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit.
Networking Opportunities
The Forbes Under 30 Summit provides unparalleled networking opportunities for young scholars. Ashlee Seay (MGP ’18) was looking forward to the networking opportunities at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. She used those skills, which she learned from MGP, to follow up with everyone she met after the event. The networking is really invaluable at the Under 30 Summit, with all the C-suite executives who will be there. Plus, with the workshops on design thinking, problem solving and women in business, it sounds like a really collaborative environment.
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Access to the Opportunities Hub
In addition to the music festival, content stages, and tons of action in the U30 Village, the Under 30 Scholars will have access to the Opportunities Hub to meet with recruiters from different companies to talk about internships and post-grad careers. The Forbes Under 30 Scholars selected will also be granted access to the Opportunities Hub, a recruitment fair in Forbes’ Under 30 Village. Forbes has partnered with WayUp, the country’s leading digital platform for college students and recent grads to find jobs and internships, to assist with the Opportunities Hub at this year’s Forbes Under 30 Summit.
Inspiration and Motivation
Attendees gain inspiration and motivation from hearing the stories and insights of successful individuals. “Learning about all of the different possibilities and opportunities the world has to offer drives me to be my best,” he said.
Skill Development
The summit offers workshops and sessions focused on various skills, such as design thinking, problem-solving, and leadership.
Examples of Forbes Under 30 Scholars
Jade Jaiyesimi
Jade Jaiyesimi, a fourth-year biomedical engineering student, was selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit Scholar. Jaiyesimi, whose focus is on computational biomedical engineering, plans to go into industry upon graduating in December 2020. During her sophomore year, she landed a summer internship with Pfizer and this past summer, she participated in a remote hardware product sprint program with Google.
Jake Bernstein and Simone Bernstein
Morehead-Cain Scholar Jake Bernstein is finishing up his first year at Carolina, but he was 15 years old when he started his first nonprofit with his sister, Simone. Their organization, VolunTEENnation.org, was originally designed to help teenagers in their hometown of St. Louis, Mo., find volunteer opportunities. Now VolunTEENnation is helping teenagers around the country do just that. Jake and Simone were recently recognized by Forbes magazine as top “30 under 30” social entrepreneurs.
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Alumni from the University of Notre Dame
Six students and alumni of the University of Notre Dame have earned spots on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2025.
- Royce Branning, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Notre Dame in 2018, was included in the social media category alongside co-founder Oliver Hill for their app Clearspace.
- Kevin Mekulu, who earned his master of science degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics from Notre Dame in 2018, was included in the healthcare category for his innovative technology DementiAnalytics.
- Krystal McLeod, who earned her Juris Doctor degree from Notre Dame Law School in 2021, was included in the education category for her work as director of New York University's Center on Violence and Recovery.
- Brandon Wimbush, known for his star performances as quarterback for the Fighting Irish in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, earned his B.A. in Accountancy from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Wimbush was included in the sports category for his role in co-founding MOGL. MOGL is a marketplace that helps businesses connect with college athletes to form name, image, and likeness (NIL) marketing deals.
LeBow College of Business Students
Fifteen undergraduate students from the LeBow College of Business have been selected as Forbes Under 30 Scholars.
HBCUniverse and the Forbes Under 30
HBCUniverse launched its inaugural “30 Under 30” list, which celebrates young leaders in innovation, advocacy, and community impact. The judges examined their strengths in leadership, their measurable impact in marginalized communities, and their representation of HBCU values. As Davis shared, “We are extremely proud of our honorees. These honorees have set the bar high!”
Eno Oduok
Eno Oduok, an MBA graduate of Prairie View A&M University, is one of the individuals on the 30 Under 30 list. She created a start-up called el powr, which is an AI-powered energy management platform. It is “designed to help commercial buildings and school systems optimize energy consumption, reduce costs, and lower carbon emissions through a centralized hub.” Oduok described el powr as the “Fitbit for commercial buildings.”
David Nyark0
Likewise, David Nyark0, a Ph.D. student at Morgan State University, is also on the list and works on autonomous wheelchair technology at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
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Naomi Winston
Another individual on the 30 Under 30 list is Naomi Winston, a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana. She is the author and founder of The Creative Representation Empire, “a series of creative tools and coloring books used to establish creative representation for Black and Brown kids.”
Impact and Reach of the Forbes Under 30
Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia magazines, as well as Forbes.com. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 94 million people worldwide with its business message each month through its magazines and 38 licensed local editions around the globe, Forbes.com, TV, conferences, research, social and mobile platforms.
Success Stories and Testimonials
Alton B. Kirksey
Alton B. Kirksey (MGP ’16), was surprised how many people knew about the Forbes Under 30 Summit.
Kyla Wright
Kyla Wright (MGP ’15) isn’t new to the Forbes community. “Being at the summit was a reminder that I’m seen and heard as I continue to make strides and impact in my education, community and future career and also added fuel to my fire,” said Kyla, who is getting her master’s degree in magazine, newspaper and online journalism at Syracuse University. “Forbes, a global media company, recognized the true wealth and value that is in the city of Detroit,” she said.
Joseph Ucci
- Joseph Ucci At the recent Forbes Under 30 Summit, 11 MGP alumni were selected to attend as Forbes Under 30 Scholars. The Forbes Under 30 Scholars program offers scholarships to 1,000 students to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit.
Forbes Under 30 Summit Locations
The Forbes Under 30 Summit will take place at different venues all over Boston, including Faneuil Hall, MIT Media Lab and University of Massachusetts Club.
The Role of JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of customers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. JPMorgan Chase partners with Forbes to bring back the Forbes Under 30 Scholars Program.
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