AP's Amal Yamusah (Spr 2013) Launches "Make A Play Foundation" With Virtual Informational On June 27
THE MISSION: Make A Play Foundation (MAP) is a not‐for‐profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2019 to prepare underrepresented students with athletic backgrounds — high school, college, and post-undergraduate school — for executive careers in competitive industries, including Fortune 500 companies. While athletes from underrepresented communities make up 50% of North American sports, there is a stark contrast between the players on the field and those in executive positions off the field — i.e., Fortune 500 Presidents and Vice Presidents, ACHE Hospital CEOs, Partners at Vault 100 Law Firms, General Managers, Athletic Directors, Head Coaches, and Agents. www.makeaplayfoundation.com
[PROGRAMMING NOTE FROM MAP FOUNDER AMAL YAMUSAH: Please join the MAP team (which includes a dozen brothers from the Alpha Rho Chapter) this Saturday, June 27th, at 1:30 PM EST, for a Virtual Informational to learn more. You can support this AP-led initiative by RSVP'ing at makeaplayinfo.splashthat.com]
Without a clear or defined pathway to enter positions of leadership, many underrepresented students with athletic experience elect not to pursue executive careers in competitive industries altogether, despite their unique set of qualifications. These disparities — coupled with network gaps, economic barriers, and time constraints — make it increasingly difficult for underrepresented students with athletic backgrounds to access or envision themselves in executive leadership roles. Our year-round career training program seeks to remove the mystery and intimidation that surround these career paths by serving as a resource for underrepresented students with athletic backgrounds that want to build competitive professional profiles for entry-level positions at Fortune 500 companies.
MAP's highly integrated programs have been designed to impact the personal and professional development of our students. Our programs provide students with the tools to meet the expectations of competitive industries and highly selective industries and develop as future leaders on and off of the field. We provide career training to all students through our Training Camp, industry exposure through our Front Office Internship Program, on-going support through our Junior Board of Directors, financial support through our MAP Awards, year-round career development through Our Playbook, one-on-one mentorship through MAP's Developmental League and Coaching Program, and in-person instruction through The Power Play.
About MAP's Founder:
Amal Z. Yamusah is the Founder and CEO of Make A Play Foundation (MAP) and first conceived of the idea in Spring 2019.
After spending more than ten years in Sports and Media, he recognized a need in the non-profit sector for an organization that served underrepresented students and student-athletes interested in executive careers in sports, entertainment, and beyond. Since then, he has scaled the organization tremendously by implementing an innovative 6-step approach to career development; creating programmatic initiatives that address economic barriers and network gaps in the workplace; developing a comprehensive online curriculum that includes off the field development, networking, and professional branding; and introducing cloud software to the platform that auto-reviews and assists students in building the ideal professional profile for the sports and entertainment industry.
Pictured above: Alpha Rho Chapter Brothers who serve alongside Brother Yamusah at the Officer and Board of Directors levels in the Make A Play Foundation. Altogether — more than 12 Brothers contribute to the foundation's mission. L-R: Founder Yamusah, Arrin Richards (Spring 2009), Christopher D. Gooding (Fall 2011), Nicholas W. Holland (Fall 2011), DeShaun Bennett (Spring 2013), Jonathon J. Davis (Fall 2010), Joshua Austin (Fall 2013) and Jordan Drew Lindsay (Fall 2013).
Under his leadership, the Foundation has partnered with top employers in competitive industries, developed strong relationships with Universities and Athletic Departments, and provided a network of services to students in need of access and exposure to professional opportunities.
A well-rounded sports and entertainment professional, Amal has over ten years of experience working for Rolling Out Magazine, the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, Vanderbilt's Academic Affairs Office for Student-Athletes, and most recently, Priority Sports & Entertainment as a member of the Coaches, Front Office and Broadcasters' Division. He began his career as a beat reporter for the Atlanta Hawks after graduating from Morehouse College, magna cum laude, where he earned three letters on the varsity football team, and was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Pictured above: MAP Founder Yamusah's Line Brothers from Spring 2013 (Sovereign 16) joined together at his 2019 graduation form Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville, Tennessee. L-R: Brennan Towe, Temisanren Okotieuro, DeShaun Bennett, Andrew Mitchell, Yamusah, Aaron Francis, Eugean Moore and Justin M. Rhim.
Soon after that, he received his Master's Degree from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, where he graduated with distinction as a Toni Stabile and Pulitzer Center Scholar, and his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School where he served as an academic counselor for student-athletes in the undergraduate's Athletic Department.
Amal has landed coverage for his trailblazing efforts in Law.Com, OnBeingaBlackLawyer.com, and JDJournal.com.
How to support MAP:
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