Staff Spotlight: Movin’ On Up - Ming Washington

One of our very own has reached another life milestone!

Village Micro Fund social media manager, Ming Washington, is graduating from Spelman College with a degree in Art History. She’s a tremendous asset to our team and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

We had a chance to catch up with Ming to find out about how she’s feeling about this special moment in her life, what brought her here, and where she’s going next.

Here’s what she had to say:

Village Micro Fund: You’re graduating college! Congrats! What was your major and degree?

Ming: I’m a graduating senior Art History and Curatorial Studies major/minor at Spelman College.

VMF: What drew you to Spelman College, if anything specific?

M: I was scared to follow my sister to college; I transferred to Spelman after a gap year from Agnes Scott College in 2019. Motivated to continue my family’s AUC legacy, I committed once Spelman’s Art History degree was formalized and joined the inaugural class of the AUC Collective for the Study of Art History & Curatorial Studies. The chance to be educated in the company of like-minded women and peers, in an environment of rich history, culture, and innovation, and study art by and about Black women is why I chose Spelman College.

VMF: What major life lesson did you learn in school that you’ll carry with you forever?

M: The life lesson I learned young but was reminded of daily in the AUC is my dad’s favorite mantra and my way of life, “Do Good & Be Good.”

VMF: What is it that you’ve enjoyed learning as a team member of the Village?

M: Joining the Village gave me the chance to learn Atlanta intimately, support Black businesses, and work alongside my AUC (GA State and otherwise Educated Black) siblings. I am grateful to Harriett and Donte for trusting me and supporting me as the VMF Social Media Strategist. Since March 2020, I’ve supported the Village and our #FlourishFellow Entrepreneurs in all things social media, including content creation, copywriting, graphic design, and day-to-day platform and community management. This experience has provided me with adaptable skills to apply to my passions.

VMF: What do you like about being a member of the Village family?

M: Witnessing and contributing to the brilliance birthed in and brought to the Village has been my favorite part of this family. Though my focus is social media, this work and the mission of the Village have given me an invaluable perspective on entrepreneurship, building community, cooperative investment, new tech and financial skills, and social impact work.

VMF: What’s next (if you know)?

M: Following graduation this summer, I will be a Getty Marrow Intern at SoLA Contemporary, a nonprofit art organization, and gallery in South Central Los Angeles. I am pursuing curatorial, poetic, and academic opportunities both independently and with institutions and collaborators worldwide.