Career Files: Joanna Briggs

 

Meet Joanna Briggs, founder of What Matters — a social enterprise dedicated to helping young adults break social barriers. Joanna walks us through her story, her career, and how she turned down law school to pursue her passion. She shares her experience with racism, and gives her advice for other millennial women on how to handle, face, and dismantle racism in their everyday lives. “The glass ceiling is far closer for me, than for many others.”

 

Pump-up Song: Selah by Kanye West 

I’m 24 years old, I currently work in Finance, and have recently launched my social enterprise, What Matters CIC — which is keeping me very busy and fulfilled.

 

I was born in a small town called Luton, but grew up in London where I have spent most of my life. I attended University where I quite enjoyed my academic years.  

 

From early on, I was eager to experience life with financial independence, where I didn’t have to ask for money to “go out”. So, I started working from the age of 16. I began working at a call centre and then my first retail job was at Argos (which was by far the best team I’ve ever worked with up until this day).

 

I’ve always been a bubbly character with a determined attitude and a clear vision of how I want to [make my] journey through life. Sometimes my vision changes, but my belief is that I will be successful at whatever I put my mind to.

I started working in Finance after receiving a call from an agency saying they had seen my CV, but this wasn’t the path I planned at all. For many years I had my sight set on studying law and becoming a barrister. I then realized that I had a passion for being a change maker and knew that my voice was the best tool to achieve that.

 

Being of Afro-Caribbean descent and knowing my family was very proud and excited for me to become a top tier lawyer — to say I was nervous to tell them I had rejected my law school offer, is an understatement! However, I knew I had to do it because something greater was to come if I followed the path that had been placed in my heart.

 

I’m a big believer in acting with wisdom, so although I had my passion project in sight (What Matters) I needed a career to fall back on. When I got the call from the agency and did my research on the company, I was really happy [and took the offer]. So far, I have no regrets.

 

One of my most impactful jobs was as Vice President in the Education sector. I was exposed to a lot! I learned a lot about myself as a working woman, but even more so about the education system in the UK. One of the big things I learned about myself was that I didn’t want to work for someone else my whole life. And in regards to the education system, I learned that many students were “failing” in the eyes of society due to barriers in place that aren’t favorable to the underprivileged.

The phrase, “they don’t want to see us win” couldn’t be more true! Off the back of this, I started to think of ways I could change this. I prayed a lot, I spoke out loud and I asked for loads of advice from my closest friends – and What Matters was born. What Matters’ mission is to teach the lessons that matter to young adults and provide the tools and guidance to be successful in adult life. We offer lessons online and will host events throughout the year giving guidance on challenges we all face during adulthood. More specifically, the challenges that aren’t taught in mainstream education.

Our goal is to shake up generations to come and unleash potential in young adults, having them realize that what they have is enough to be great – even if they don’t go down the path society says they should. We are also working towards being part of educational reform in the UK curriculum, campaigning for the Government to add more practical lessons to better equip young people.

Racism is a funny one as a black brit, because even if you don’t “feel” like you’ve suffered from racism, due to the covertness of the British people, you are very aware it has happened at some point. The one obvious time for me was at University, heading to a night out when I wore my natural hair in a bun. One of the drunk girls at pre-drinks came over and squeezed my bun. Before I could turn around to see who it was, there were 6 white hands in my hair. I hit them away. I remember thinking afterwards, “wow, so this is what it’s like to feel white privilege”. Because [putting my hands in someone else’s hair, or touching them without their permission] is something I know most black people wouldn’t even think of doing. I partied on like most would, but I’ve always remembered that, because it’s easy to brush it under the carpet and make it out to be less than it was.

 

In the grand scheme of things, I am still very early on in my career, so I haven’t experienced overt examples of racism. However, I have heard stories from others, and just know it’s coming at some point. I’m pretty sure I’m near that glass ceiling, considering the fact I’m a black female. The glass ceiling is far closer for me than for many others.

My advice would be: Be bold, be brave; apply for things that you are interested in even if you think you are unqualified! I have so many people come to me, be it mentees, or friends, wanting to do something, but they then list all the reasons why it’s not possible. I always tell them, let the employer decide if you’re not right for the role, job or opportunity. All you can do is show your interest and put your best foot forward. I have made some incredible memories, gotten great contacts and experiences while feeling inadequate. I focused on my strengths and was bold. Most of the time it paid off, but even if it didn’t, it wouldn’t have been anything my mums’ cooking couldn’t fix!

 

Seriously though, if you don’t get what you want you’ll move on and try something else, but imagine if you did? Jump in the face of fear, it’s always worth it!

When it comes to facing racism: you cannot control what others do to you, but you can control your actions and how you move forward. If you experience racism from someone or an organization, believe it will happen again. So, remind yourself that once you’ve gotten all you need from them — leave. Better is always just around the corner.

 

Know it’s hard and it will feel awful at the time but you need to value yourself, happiness and values. Don’t let anyone silence you. Take a moment to think before acting so you have a good plan based on what is right for you and not purely off of emotions (which may leave you in a bit of a pickle).

 

I’d also advise you to be heard! You may not have the words to say in the moment but once you have gathered yourself in a day or two, speak to the person or their manager — if they have one — and explain what they’ve done and why it was a problem! You don’t want things like that to be swept under the carpet.

I would hope to see a world with more courageous, young people. We are bold and have started to realize that we hold the keys to the future, so it would be great to see more wins. I’d also hope to see more people acting upon the fact that there is no one way of being successful – whatever is the best for YOU is the right way.

Specifically race-related, I would like to see better representation of black people in various roles within society. We have been type casted in every facet of life and it’s ridiculous! Equally I would want to see more white people being open about race and their prejudice and how we can all work together for a more fruitful life. This life that we’ve been given is an absolute blessing, and I for one want to see more people smelling the roses – not just a select few.