KEY INSIGHTS
- For the 2022 list, 47.5 percent of the 600 honorees self-identified as a person of color
- Forbes does not break that down by racial groups
- Three HBCU alumni made this year’s list: Shaquille Brewster, Donte Miller and Austyn Wyche
For a decade, Forbes has compiled a list of young people who are making the biggest impacts in their industries, ranging from gaming to venture capital.
However, critics have said that the list is far from representative. In 2011, no Black or latino people made the 30 under 30 list, according to The Root. For the 2022 list, 47.5 percent of the 600 honorees self-identified as a person of color, although Forbes does not break that down by racial groups.
Among the hundreds of honorees, three HBCU alumni made this year’s list:
Shaquille Brewster, Howard University ‘14
Brewster is an NBC News correspondent who has covered everything from the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder to Hurricane Ida (his coverage went viral when a man pulled up in a truck and confronted him live on air.) Brewster was honored in this year’s media category. A native of Connecticut, Brewster studied journalism and political science at Howard, where he was the executive producer of WHUT Spotlight Network Television. As a junior, he won a scholarship from the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Donte Miller, Morehouse College ‘15
Miller is the co-founder and president of Village Micro Fund, an Atlanta-based social impact fund that supports and invests in Black-owned businesses, which he started while a student at Morehouse. He was honored in this year’s social impact category.
Miller was inspired to start the fund after watching his grandmother cook and feed those living in her low-income neighborhood, according to Forbes. But she didn’t have the resources to open her restaurant like she wanted to, so the fund empowers entrepreneurs in situations like his grandmother.
Austyn Wyche, Morehouse College ‘19
Wyche is an artist who specializes in photography, graphic design, content creation and creative strategy. He was honored in this year’s Art & Style category.
“[Shoutout] to my alma mater. Morehouse played a tremendous role in this coming to fruition,” Wyche wrote about being named to the 2022 list.
In just a few years since graduating from Morehouse, he got his Master’s in Psychology from Columbia University, created a campaign poster for now-Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, made merch for HBO Max show South Side, had photos featured in The Atlantic and more.
