Participants in the Hennessy Fellows Program, a collaboration between the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Hennessy, recently helped a small, Black-owned business as part of their capstone project in the program.
The Hennessy Fellows Program is for exceptional graduate students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In a new format of the capstone project, students served as consultants, helping small businesses solve challenges in marketing, international expansion and retail expansion. A cohort of 10 students worked for months on their projects then presented to a panel of judges. The group with the best idea won.
“We’re excited to see the Hennessy Fellows Program evolve to include real-world opportunities for our students,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said. “Hennessy has been a wonderful partner and we’re thankful for their continued commitment to enhance the education and opportunities of our students.”
Renee Pettiford, CEO of Sister.ly Drinkware, said the experience of working with graduate students on real-world projects was both energizing and eye-opening.
“As a small business owner, I’m often deep in the day-to-day, so having a group of sharp, motivated students come in with fresh ideas and a different perspective was incredibly valuable,” Pettiford said. “They took the time to really understand my business—our voice, our goals, and our challenges—and they approached the work with a level of professionalism and creativity that impressed me.”
Calvin J. Barnaby, an MBA student at Morgan State University and former hospital corpsman in the United States Navy, was a member of the winning team. He found the experience very meaningful.
“Collaborating with a Black-owned brand on strategies for growth and market expansion was both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling,” Barnaby said. “It gave me the opportunity to integrate my work experience, learn from my fellow Hennessy cohort members, and witness the remarkable caliber of talent in the program.”
Mya Pierce, an MBA student at Clark Atlanta University, was also on the winning team and was grateful for the chance to make an immediate impact.
“Being on the winning marketing team made it even more rewarding, especially now that we are seeing Sister.ly actually implementing our strategies and suggestions,” Pierce said. “It is incredible to see the tangible impact of our work right here in my own community.”
Pettiford said the business has incorporated several suggestions so far.
“We’ve posted the content they created, which was well thought out and aligned with our brand,” she said. “We also moved forward with their recommendation to partner with Ty Nicole of SoMixxy to enhance our social media presence and that collaboration has been great so far. Additionally, we’ve hired a marketing manager intern—another suggestion that came out of the Fellows’ work—to help us stay consistent and strategic with our content.”
Pettiford said she sees long-term value in their ideas, but several of them have already made a real impact in the short term.
Mwanza Lumumba, Senior Brand Director at Hennessy V.S, said moving to the new format was beneficial for both the small businesses and the students.
“This is a great adjustment to the program to give Fellows relevant experience in all aspects of business,” Lumumba said. “It also helps support African American–owned businesses, which only represents 3% of all businesses in the USA, and it allows for the program to have a positive impact in the African American community, offering the tools to help build generational wealth.”
Pettiford said the care, effort and investment of the students to help her business grow didn’t go unnoticed.
“It was refreshing to be part of a program that genuinely supports small, Black-owned businesses in such a hands-on way,” she said. “I also appreciated the opportunity to give them a real-world look at what it’s like to build a brand from the ground up. It felt like a mutual exchange of value and I’d absolutely do it again.”
Through this collaboration, more small businesses will have the same opportunity in the future.
“As a brand, Hennessy is excited to continue our relationship with TMCF: a 10-year $10 million commitment,” Lumumba said. “The program champions and supports the next generation of leaders and changemakers in the community.”
