Born in New York to Jamaican immigrants, Caleb Gayle remembers a childhood that was defined by his grandfather, a strict but loving reverend who cherished the pursuit of the American Dream and believed there was no excuse for anyone who fell short.
It wasn’t until Caleb’s family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he began to grapple with systemic racial and economic injustice, an experience that led to his interest in nonprofits and government.
While at the University of Oklahoma, Caleb began replicating the community development work he had done in Oklahoma, this time with burgeoning, low-income female entrepreneurs in Mexico. After graduating, Caleb, a Harry S. Truman Scholar, worked for Crea Comunidades de Emprendedores Sociales, a social enterprise that creates customized programs to empower women entrepreneurs from marginalized areas in Mexico.
After completing his graduate work at the University of Oxford as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Caleb returned to Mexico to support scaling the work of Crea as a federal government program, Mujeres Moviendo México.
Caleb and Peter Hong were selected from 1,775 applicants for 30 fellowships and chosen for their potential to make significant contributions to US society, culture, or their academic field. They will receive up to $90,000 in funding for their graduate school education.
Here is what Caleb had to say while accepting his award
“This fellowship really belongs to my parents and grandparents, who made the difficult journey from Jamaica to the United States, worked numerous jobs to provide for me, and continue to sacrifice for me ”
Well Done Caleb!
Story Curated from:Meet the Fellows-Caleb Gayle
