Why I’m building Bold Minds.

I grew up in metro Atlanta. When I was five, my mother enrolled my sister, my brother, and me in a program that let a small number of Black children leave our neighborhood schools for wealthier ones across town. Every morning before the sun came up, I rode a yellow bus for hours to get to class.

My mama understood that access could change the course of our lives. That yellow bus was one of the ways she fought to give us more.

Those classrooms opened up my world. They also taught me something no one intended: the brilliance, history, and imagination of people who looked like me were rarely part of the lesson. I gained so much on that ride—but I also learned what it feels like to succeed in spaces that ask you to leave pieces of yourself behind.

I want every child to learn without leaving any part of themselves behind.

When it was time to choose a school for my son, I felt that same pull. I wanted him to have every opportunity without checking who he is at the door. So I started homeschooling him and writing the curriculum I wish I’d had. That work grew into Bold Minds Academy.

Today I’m a creative director at a global consulting firm, leading brand, digital, and accessibility work for some of the world’s largest companies. I’m also a mother, a homeschool teacher, an entrepreneur, and the author of the children’s book Too Many Rules. Bold Minds brings all of it together: design, technology, and a deep love for our history, so every child in the diaspora sees their own story at the center of what they learn.

Yaya KittlesFounder, Bold Minds Academy