About Us

Charita is a spring 2020 alumna of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and will be receiving her Master of Science in Education in Educational Psychology from The University of Kansas in the spring of 2022. In her Master’s thesis, Charita synthesized how to make the standardized exams used in the college admissions process more equitable for Black students by identifying metrics that more accurately reflect the skills students need for success in higher education and beyond. Charita is passionate about creating equitable opportunities for Black students in academic and career achievement through numerous avenues, but primarily through community-based solutions such as youth programming and mentorship. Outside of her community work, Charita enjoys traveling, reading, and spending quality time with family and loved ones.

Kyiia is a 2019 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communications, focusing on Advertising and Public Relations. Kyiia has experience in athletic communications, broadcast media sales, and sports branding. Aside from Change of Omaha, Kyiia is also a co-founder and director of marketing for the Racial Justice Coalition of Nebraska (RJC) which fights racial bias in sentencing and convictions through nonpartisan legislation and research. Currently, the RJC is the official campaign organizer of Send Earnest Home. Kyiia is passionate about community - bringing people together and building relationships. We are stronger when we are together. In her free time, Kyiia enjoys watching documentaries, traveling, and spending quality time with loved ones and dogs Bentley and Royce.

DaShawn is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, conferred with a Finance emphasis. He is a co-founder and director of Divine Living, a home and community services-based agency through Medicaid, that assists community members with developmental disabilities. DaShawn is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and served as Vice Basileus of the Tau Kappa Chapter during his time at UNL. DaShawn remains active in his fraternity and community by engaging in initiatives around Omaha that promote achievement, social action, and health awareness such as voter registration drives, food giveaways, and other programming focused on addressing food insecurity. Out of all his personal commitments, family is the most important to DaShawn. In his free time, he loves to cook, shop, and spend quality time with loved ones.