Quavoris Wellington, Jr.
2024 Parity Project Innovation Challenge Winner
Project: Pro Bono, But Not Free
“You should apply to the Parity Project Innovation Challenge because you’re connected to thought leaders, you’re connected to business leaders, and you’re connected to people in the community who are actually looking to give back.” –Quavoris Wellington
Hi, Quavoris! Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I’m currently a senior at Howard University graduating soon. I’m originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina. For this Parity Project, I submitted “Pro Bono, But Not Free.”
I’m also an entrepreneur at heart. I currently own an education technology platform called Urgent Assist, where we connect students in need of homework help with students who can provide tutoring.
Tell us more about the pitch for your 2024 Parity Project Innovation Challenge submission.
“Pro Bono, But Not Free” is essentially a marketplace that connects business owners, especially small business owners, to consultants, business students, other entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts to ensure that small business owners are not only facing critical issues or problems that need to be addressed, they’re also connecting and growing their businesses so that they can continue over the years while also producing a profit.
Where did you get the idea for this project?
Being surrounded by entrepreneurs all my life and being an entrepreneur myself, I realized that oftentimes, there’s a lot of advice that’s needed when owning a business or corporation. And even more than that, there are just so many problems, so many issues, and so many questions that entrepreneurs face. I feel as though a marketplace where you can aggregate all of those people together—subject matter experts, consultants, whoever feels the need to give back to other entrepreneurs—getting those people into an online marketplace is an opportunity that I foresee being beneficial to entrepreneurs and small business owners for many reasons, whether it be for funding, customer retention, strategy, growth, or things of that nature.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to go full-time on entrepreneurship. In the meantime, I’m still looking for a job and an opportunity to have an income. But ideally, full-time entrepreneurship and potentially building “Pro Bono, But Not Free” and other ventures that I have ideas for.
Why should someone do the Parity Project Innovation Challenge?
You should apply to the Parity Project Innovation Challenge because you’re connected to thought leaders, you’re connected to business leaders, and you’re connected to people in the community who are actually looking to give back.
But beyond that, I think it’s a great opportunity for us as young entrepreneurs and young visionaries who have an idea or are looking to fight a challenge or fight for a cause in our community or the world abroad. It’s a great opportunity to not only be connected to people, but also to explore your interests.
What does parity mean to you?
Parity simply means to give back. To give back means someone has to give to you, and then you pay it forward.
So what does that look like? Personally, for me, it’s simply seeing what challenges and problems are in the community and seeing what problems my people are facing, then ensuring that I can somehow give back to ensure that their life is easier in the long run.
Why is STEM important to you?
In high school, I took many STEM classes. I’m a marketing major currently, but I have had great interest in engineering since middle school. I took various computer courses and engineering courses, and then in high school, I was on the engineering track. I took architecture, I took computer engineering, and I also took electrical engineering. So from my foundation, from my childhood, I’ve always been around STEM.
I realized the great opportunity that lies in STEM beyond just being aware of it. I think it allows people to think differently about different problems and come up with different solutions in many different ways, whether it be through technology, engineering, mathematics, or science.
STEM is also the foundation of the world. Beyond STEM, there are other opportunities, but STEM sets the standard for what comes next.
Who is a mentor or someone who inspires you?
I have many mentors and I like to say that I also have many mentors who I have not met yet—but someone who’s really inspired me throughout my life beyond business, beyond financial gain, and beyond “success” is my mom. She’s someone who’s super motivated and super driven, and she has instilled those things in me. And if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be on this call right now and I wouldn’t be at Howard University.