Boston
Tyrell Jourdan Adeyemi
President
President Tyrell Jourdan Adeyemi is a lifelong learner and the Co-Leader of an Elementary school within Boston Public Schools. Tyrell attended Hampton University and American International College for undergraduate studies. Furthering his education, Tyrell was awarded the Urban Scholars Fellowship during his time at Harvard University earning a Master's in Educational Leadership. During his time at Harvard, he was the proud President of the Harvard Black Graduate Student Alliance. He is also a commentator on race, culture, inequality, and education through various platforms. He believes as Black Harvard graduates we must shepherd, mentor, and uplift present and past Black Harvard students so that as a collective we can leverage all that the prestige of being Harvard graduates affords us. Tyrell currently resides in the Greater Boston area with his wife Natasha and their two brilliant children Ava & Amari. - In Service & Gratitude Ty
Sari Saint-Hilaire, Ed.M
Vice president of Community Connection
Sari Saint-Hilaire, EdM is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) CO’23. She got her master's in Education Policy and Analysis with a concentration in Higher Education. During her time at Harvard, she was an avid member of the Black Student Union and worked at Harvard College as a Graduate Assistant in the Dean of Students Office in Student Engagement. She was also the co-chair of the Alumni Of Color Conference at HGSE. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst CO’22 (Zoom’s!) where she got her bachelor's in psychology on the neuroscience track and a certificate in Social Welfare and Social Work. Sari has a special interest in First-Generation and Low-Income student success in college. Growing up in Haiti gave her a unique perspective on access to education. She aims to create a centralized location where Harvard Black current students and alumni across the diaspora can stay connected and support one another. When she is not working, Sari can be found reading too many books, listening/playing music and writing.
Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq. Ed.M
Vice president of Alumni engagement
Evangeline M. Mitchell, Esq., Ed.M. is a multiple-award-winning social entrepreneur, lawyer, author, publisher, documentary filmmaker, oral historian, and mentor. For over two decades, through her books, grassroots programming and initiatives, as well as her ability to bring people together around a common cause, she has literally helped thousands of Black people across the country with law school aspirations better understand what it takes to get into law school, succeed while there, and become lawyers.
She is the author, editor and publisher of several books including The African American Law School Survival Guide and Profiles of Successful African American Lawyers. She founded the National Black Pre-Law Conference, the National HBCU Pre-Law Summit, Future Legal Eagles Flight School, and The Bridge Builders Esquire National Mentorship Program for Aspiring Black Lawyers. Further, she is the creator and director of the documentary short "Becoming Black Lawyers" screened at over 100 film festivals nationwide and around the world. Currently, she is working on "Becoming Black Lawyers II: African Americans and the HBCU Law School Experience" and a special oral history collection entitled "The Black Lawyers Legacy Project."
Her life's work has been dedicated to helping empower and inspire African Americans so they can see becoming lawyers as a reachable goal despite very real obstacles and additional challenges - through providing access to invaluable information, resources, and connections.
A first-generation college graduate, Evangeline is an alumna of HBCU Prairie View A&M University, the University of Iowa College of Law, and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Houston, Texas, she currently resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband Michael, and two children Nyla and Michael.
Wensess Raphael
Vice president of Membership Engagement (Programming)
Wensess Raphael has spent over 22 years as an educator, deeply committed to youth empowerment and career development. A proud Black Haitian American woman from Dorchester, Massachusetts, Wensess holds a Master’s in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Northeastern University, where she received the Ujima Scholars Academic Achievement Award and earned two minors in mathematics and Mandarin. Wensess is the first in her family to graduate from undergrad and graduate school. Throughout her career, Wensess has excelled in leadership roles, including a variety of nonprofits in the city of Boston. She gave a year of service with national and global americorps non profit called City Year. Showcasing her love for bringing people together and creating impactful experiences. Wensess continues to drive equitable opportunities for success in education for young people. Wensess is an advisor, mentor, daughter, sister, aunt, friend who loves to dance, eat, travel, spa, and try out new things.
@hbas_boston