Umoja Inc

INSPIRING VOICES: VOL. 1

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

For 12 weeks, our Umoja students explored what motivates people and how understanding someone’s culture can change the way we understand them.

And culture is bigger than ethnicity.

It’s family. Beliefs. Background. Traditions. Being an only child. Being the oldest. Being the child who carries the most responsibility at home. All of those experiences shape how we see the world and what motivates us.

We can keep telling you what Umoja is, but we’d rather let our students tell you what Umoja means to them.

Hear from our students about the impact of learning from cultures, experiences, and lives different from their own.

Because sometimes belonging starts with understanding somebody else’s story.

Meet Reanna and Julius. Two student voices showing us why Umoja matters. 🎤

Umoja is more than a writing program. It’s a space where students can speak openly, build community, find their voice, and become more connected to the world around them.

Reanna said it best:

“It just made me want to be more aware of things in my community and things that are happening around me. So it just made me want to be more involved.”

That’s the impact.

When we invest in Umoja, we invest in student voice, belonging, leadership, and young people who want to be more involved in their communities.

Now, we want to bring that experience to one more high school or middle school this school year.

📍 Fargo
📍 West Fargo
📍 Horace
📍 DGF
📍 Moorhead
📍 Minneapolis + surrounding communities

Help us find our next Umoja school.

Tag a school, teacher, principal, counselor, or community leader who should know about Umoja. One connection could open the door for an entire school of young people.

Join the Umoja family. Help us grow. 🧡

Video created by Chezy Video Company

If you live in North Dakota, there’s a good chance you know Greg Tehven from Emerging Prairie

He dropped two simple but powerful gems for our south high Umoja students:

1. Anybody can start a business — even a high school student.
2. Ask for help. There are people across the Midwest who genuinely want to see you win.

Imagine being a young person and consistently having access to dynamic leaders who don’t just talk about possibility — they’re actually living it.

Greg is the CEO & Co-founder of Emerging Prairie and Co-founder and Board Chair of Grand Farm. As a fifth-generation North Dakotan, he has spent years helping build ecosystems around entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, and big ideas right here in our region.

This is what we want our students to see:

You don’t have to wait until adulthood to start.
You don’t have to build alone.

Listen to this insight Greg shared with our Umoja students.

For four years, we’ve had the privilege of watching Minou grow, find her voice, build confidence, and become part of the Umoja family.

From freshman year all the way to graduation, she has been with us. Now, she’s stepping into her next chapter: college.

Before she goes, we asked Minou to share what her experience with Umoja has meant to her.

This is why we do what we do. It’s bigger than a program. It’s about walking alongside young people long enough to watch them become who they’re meant to be.

Hear Minou’s perspective.

We’re proud of you, Minou. Go be great. Your Umoja family is always rooting for you.

The impact of Umoja is to raise up those who will raise up others.

Our fellowship isn’t meant to end after 12 weeks. It’s a pathway from fellowship → leadership → employment → impact.

LexX started as an Umoja Fellow. Today, they’re a full-time member of our team, helping lead the next generation.

That’s the cycle. That’s Umoja.

Hear what LexX had to say about their journey. 🌱