Success Seekers is a company dedicated to empowering youth to become leaders and strive for success. We host a seasonal bootcamp turning girls into leaders, public speakers, and entrepreneurs. We also host educational panels and workshops in collaboration with schools to provide guidance and mentorship opportunities to young adults from underrepresented backgrounds. We are closing the financial literacy gap in American youth and the confidence crisis in young women.
Starting this organization was a natural next step for me, considering that this is a mission I have actively been working on since I was just 13 years old. I’ve written three books on financial literacy, self-development, and mindset for teens, established my own brand, host a business literacy podcast on Spotify where I interview famous doctors, CEOs, and politicians, and am a dynamic keynote speaker. I see my future in medicine as an extension of this motivational work. My experience at DePaul is a critical enabler of the leadership example I set for others.
DePaul truly offered me the best of both worlds. As a young entrepreneur, Driehaus gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for business and entrepreneurship while being a pre-med student. I don’t see many schools offering opportunities for student entrepreneurs from diverse majors. I am so grateful that I can express my creative and entrepreneurial side without sacrificing my love for science and medicine.
Success Seekers received 2nd place from DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at their annual Purpose Pitch competition. This achievement allowed me to gain exposure, connect with other student entrepreneurs, and receive support from established faculty at DePaul. We also had the privilege of participating in the CEC’s Pitch Madness. I learned that, despite the obstacles young leaders face, there are always people who want to guide and help you. I realized that there are so many opportunities as a college student; all we have to do is keep an open mind.
We want to continue empowering the youth of our community and further build on this mission. The impact we’ve made in just the first six months of operation has been incredible. I couldn’t have done this without the help of my team members, Maliakah Shaikh, a junior studying Business, MIS, and Marketing at DePaul, and Zoya Muzammil, a senior at Maine East High School. At Pitch Madness, many people told us there is a desperate need for Success Seekers — we couldn’t agree more. In our first bootcamp session, we had students who couldn’t even make eye contact with us. In just three months, they were able to confidently pitch their businesses to a large audience. We’ve had people tell us, “Thank you for doing this.” Parents have told me, “I want my daughter to be like you.” This is why I do what I do. I’m here to use my voice and image to empower and inspire others who are also underrepresented in business and medicine.
Follow us on Instagram @wearesuccessseekers and learn more on our website www.successseekers.org.
Contributor bio
Ayra Mudessir is a neuroscience student at DePaul University and the founder and CEO of Success Seekers — a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women to become leaders. Ayra is a three-time author – recently writing INSPIRED BY THE FEAR OF BEING AVERAGE and Rags 2 Riches both available on Amazon. Ayra, host of the Grow Wealthy podcast on Spotify, has inspired countless people through her interview-style episodes with successful members of her community including CEOs, doctors, and politicians. Ayra has had a passion for entrepreneurship since she was 14. After witnessing a lack of support and financial knowledge for ambitious youth, she founded Success Seekers — a community focused on fostering sisterhood, closing the financial literacy gap in American teens, and addressing the confidence crisis in girls. She is also a keynote speaker, invited to exclusive events to deliver impactful speeches. Ayra has made it her mission to inspire young people to find their passion, become leaders, give back to their communities, and strive for success.