Usher's new look https://ushersnewlook.org Fri, 08 Oct 2021 15:59:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://4kx760.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/cropped-footerlogo-32x32.png Usher's new look https://ushersnewlook.org 32 32 Spark Story: Kim McMillian https://ushersnewlook.org/spark-story-kim-mcmillian/ Fri, 08 Oct 2021 15:44:27 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=16469 Celebrating 20 Years of Impact

Meet Kim McMillian: a woman whose life was ravaged by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as a youth. However, with the help of Usher’s New Look, Kim was able to overcome the tragedy and successfully pursue a career in the entertainment industry. New Look contributed to Kim’s success by cultivating her “spark,” or passion of storytelling and converting it into vocational success.

For Kim, and many others, life after Hurricane Katrina was devastating. Her home in New Orleans East was destroyed with “seven feet of flood water,” and Kim and her family were left homeless and forced to live in FEMA trailers. Nothing was salvageable. 

It was during this period, however, that Kim’s life was forever changed when she first learned about Usher’s New Look.  At the time, Kim was participating in a number of city programs in New Orleans, including the magazine  “Hip Hop Teen.” Mayor Ray Nagin contacted the magazine and told them “of this program in Atlanta” where Usher was “trying to bring some kids out there to be a part of his camp.”  Kim expressed how being “selected for something like this” gave her hope and excitement for the future especially during those difficult times.

Kim was impressed that New Look  “wasn’t just Atlanta kids” but also included kids from Detroit and Florida as well as teens from all over the country. She was so excited about this experience because in New Orleans East it was uncommon to “experience other kids” with similar interests.

Kim shared her story during UNL’s 20th Anniversary celebration in 2019.

New Look played a tremendous role in where I am today because they taught us that you don’t just have to be one thing, that you can do multiple things.

Kim McMillian

Kim believes that “New Look played a tremendous role” in where she is today because the organization taught her “that you don’t just have to be one thing,” rather “you can do multiple things.”

After her experiences at New Look, Kim went on to attend Loyola University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree.  She used her sparks to forge a career in storytelling and marketing.  

Kim is currently a Sr. Multicultural Marketing Manager at THE MRKT, the multicultural marketing and communications division of Terry Hines & Associates (THA). Previously, she was an Account Executive in the Promotional Partnerships Department at Warner Brother Pictures where she identified brands to partner with theatrical releases for co-promotional marketing.  Kim was also an Associate Producer on the “My Black is Beautiful” activation which debuted at the Essence Festival. Kim also loves to sing and even performed with Kirk Franklin at the 2019 BET Awards

Kim is a working entrepreneur and has already enjoyed many successes in her career. New Look is honored to have played a role in her success and know that her future is sure to be even better!


~ Rachel Meiselas
Marketing & Communications Intern


Rachel Meiselas is a senior at Syosset High School in New York. In addition to working with Usher’s New Look Foundation, Rachel is a published author and works for the female football news outlet, Gridiron Queendom. She is also a contributor to the political entertainment and media company, MeidasTouch, whose objective is to encourage democracy and equality.

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Spark Story: Tony Betton, Jr. https://ushersnewlook.org/spark-story-tony-betton-jr/ Sat, 02 Oct 2021 13:44:07 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=16406 Celebrating 20 Years of Impact

Meet Tony Betton, Jr.:  a former UNL scholar who was able to beat the odds with the help and support he received from Usher’s New Look. New Look contributed to Tony’s success by helping him find and develop his “spark” in broadcast journalism, and today, Tony is an award-winning newsman and producer for ABC.

Tony’s journey was not easy. He grew up in a single parent household on the southside of Atlanta in Clayton County where he faced many personal struggles. During an interview to celebrate New Look’s 20th anniversary, Tony shared that he had to be wary of those who he associated with. He explained that if someone wasn’t in the right crowd, they could “end up fighting,” “selling drugs,” or “possibly in a can or in a box.”

Tony also shared that when he was a seventh-grader, he read on a third-grade level, and that in 2008, just two years before he graduated high school, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ruled that Tony’s high school was “unfit for accreditation.” The loss of accreditation meant another barrier for Tony and some of the students to attend college or receive scholarships.

Tony shared his story during UNL’s 20th Anniversary celebration.

They allowed me to find the tools within myself…that would help me to crawl my way to where I am today.

Tony Betton, Jr.

In an effort to better his education, Tony decided to join Usher’s New Look  He explained how New Look’s academic strategy wasn’t based on giving him a map and stating “do this and you’ll be successful” nor “these are the steps that you need to take in order to get to where you need to be.”  Instead, Tony shared that New Look allowed him to “find the tools within” himself, and “crawl” his way to where he is today.

With help from New Look, Tony successfully graduated from Georgia State University, where he was a broadcast journalism major concentrating in public relations. He also minored in entertainment media management. Today, Tony is an award-winning journalist, producer/anchor, and MMJ at ABC21 (WPTA).

Tony is “forever indebted to Usher’s New Look” for helping him beat the odds. Even after graduating, Tony remains very connected to New Look. Though he may be unable to be involved on a daily basis, Tony is always open to supporting New Look in any way he can. He will forever be part of the New Look family!


~ Rachel Meiselas
Marketing & Communications Intern


Rachel Meiselas is a senior at Syosset High School in New York. In addition to working with Usher’s New Look Foundation, Rachel is a published author and works for the female football news outlet, Gridiron Queendom. She is also a contributor to the political entertainment and media company, MeidasTouch, whose objective is to encourage democracy and equality.

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Spark Story: Ammon Lyle https://ushersnewlook.org/spark-story-ammon-lyle/ Thu, 01 Jul 2021 02:37:37 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=16305 Celebrating 20 Years of Impact

Meet Ammon Lyle: an Usher’s New Look alum passionate about giving back and building more African American content creators to help diversify his industry. 

Ammon’s story began in the northside of Milwaukee where he grew up in an area that faced racial discrimination alongside many social and economic challenges. Ammon describes Milwaukee as “sometimes a horrible place to raise a Black person” because of the city’s racial separation. Ammon’s community on the northside is home to “a lot of violence and a lot of poverty” because of the lack “of resources being poured” into the area. Ammon also describes how people in Milwaukee become “trapped in that system” of violence and poverty and “it becomes a cycle” that’s “hard to grow from.”

Despite having moved away from the city, Ammon still remains connected with Milwaukee through his family and friends who currently live in the city. And the dangers of the city continue to cause him a great deal of stress. He explains how when “a murder comes across the (television) screen” he feels troubled and has to see if he’s related to them, or if they are a friend. The passing, imprisonment, or lack of progress for some of his childhood friends also troubles Ammon because they are “good people” with “good hearts” caught in a system they can’t escape.

Ammon shared his story during UNL’s 20th Anniversary celebration.

New Look completely changed my life and how I view the world.

Ammon Lyle

In sharp contrast, Ammon notes how “New Look completely changed his life” and how he viewed the world. New Look supported his passions and helped Ammon navigate the complexities of racial discrimination in a positive way so he “could impact and change the world.” Ammon was able to successfully graduate from Howard University where he earned his BBA in Finance and Financial Management services. He has worked at The Walt Disney  Company, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, and now at Audible as the Manager of Content Acquisition and Development for Entertainment Originals.

Thanks in part to New Look, Ammon is indeed ready to change the world, starting with his profession! He describes how “there aren’t many African Americans systematically” working in his profession because they have been “held back economically.” As a result, Ammon is eager to apply his personal knowledge to “help build creators and give back in a way that will change the industry!”


~ Rachel Meiselas
Marketing & Communications Intern


Rachel Meiselas is a senior at Syosset High School in New York. In addition to working with Usher’s New Look Foundation, Rachel is a published author and works for the female football news outlet, Gridiron Queendom. She is also a contributor to the political entertainment and media company, MeidasTouch, whose objective is to encourage democracy and equality.

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Spark Story: Terez Chapman https://ushersnewlook.org/spark-story-terez-chapman/ Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:00:36 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=15598 Celebrating 20 years of Impact

If you know Terez Chapman then you know how Usher’s New Look strives to help students identify and develop their spark (passion). Whether someone’s spark is reading, singing, or science, New Look prides itself on successfully cultivating their students goals, passions, and aspirations in order to send them into the real world with their best foot forward.

Terez joined New Look after her experiences in the Villages of East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia.  Daughter of an immigrant from Guyana, Terez frequently moved around as a child before settling in the violent (at the time) housing project. Though the violence of East Village has decreased by 95% since it’s peak in the mid-1900s, Terez lived in an area where crime was once 18 times higher than the national average. Terez expressed how the project was called “Little Vietnam,” though she “wasn’t sure why” at first. Evidently at one time the deaths per month in Atlanta were equal to the monthly death toll of Americans in Vietnam. Terez also shared a personal experience she had with her brother when they were approached by men and held at gunpoint while waiting for the bus.

Terez was initially hesitant when she learned about the New Look Foundation because she wasn’t sure where she fit in as “a nerdy girl, interested in turtles, and nature and trees.”  At first she assumed that New Look was an entertainment-based nonprofit organization; however, she soon realized that it’s goal was to educate students and help them find their purpose. Once joining the organization she stated how “a lot of the staff and faculty turned into a second family.” 

Terez shared her story during UNL’s 20th Anniversary celebration.

“When my interests would change their support would stay the same, but they would still provide me with different information to propel me in that way”

Terez Chapman

New Look helped cultivate Terez’s interests in nature and public speaking to provide her with the necessary resources and opportunities needed to succeed. Over time, Terez took on more responsibilities within the organization such as “editing paragraphs for the website” since she enjoyed writing and “introducing guest speakers” because she was interested in public speaking. She’s grateful that New Look helped push her towards doing more research, applying for positions, and looking into a topic more thoroughly. Terez further explained how New Look’s staff would send her links to current events to keep her more abreast of her interests, fostering her love of nature and helping her embrace it in order to make a career for herself. She noted how the great thing about New Look is how even when her interests changed “their support would stay the same, but they would still provide” her “with information to propel” her in that direction.

Terez thanks the organization for giving her “a new look on life” by providing her with the necessary training in networking and properly communicating to help her succeed.

After her time at Usher’s New Look, Terez noted that there have been times when her sparks for science, nature, and public speaking have intertwined. For example, she has seen this intermingling of her sparks during her internship at the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management when she was “able to communicate all of these difficult (science related) topics” through public speaking. Terez has also shared her sparks while serving as a program assistant at the East Lake Foundation and in a variety of other roles and internships.

Terez is currently at the University of Colorado Boulder working towards her Master’s degree in environmental engineering. Reflecting back on her time at New Look, Terez expressed how she has used her experience “working in a team setting” to help impact the world through conflict resolution and leadership skills. New Look continues to play a role in Terez’s life by acting as a reminder of affirming conversations she’s had with the organization’s staff.  Terez explained how the organization taught her that if something does “not go according to plan, it doesn’t mean that” she “doesn’t have a chance to redeem” herself.

Terez has shared her spark in many special ways, including serves as and embraces her spark of public speaking and environmental studies thanks to her New Look experience.

Terez is grateful for her New look experience and advises future students of the organization to be themselves and “try everything even if it’s something UNL doesn’t offer.” She believes that “if you have a pretty good idea of what it is you would like to see being offered or what it is you might want to take the lead on, you can always contact your coordinator or supervisor” and they will help and reinforce your leadership capabilities.


~ Rachel Meiselas
Marketing & Communications Intern


Rachel Meiselas is a senior at Syosset High School in New York. In addition to working with Usher’s New Look Foundation, Rachel is a published author and works for the female football news outlet, Gridiron Queendom. She is also a contributor to the political entertainment and media company, MeidasTouch, whose objective is to encourage democracy and equality.

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Hopkins Health x UNL https://ushersnewlook.org/hopkins-health-x-unl/ Sun, 26 Jul 2020 00:40:55 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=15180 This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

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T. Dallas Smith https://ushersnewlook.org/t-dallas-smith/ Sun, 26 Jul 2020 00:40:02 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=15178 This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

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Virtual Education – National Parks Service https://ushersnewlook.org/virtual-education-national-parks-service/ Sun, 26 Jul 2020 00:39:04 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=15176 This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

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Monday Motivation https://ushersnewlook.org/post-secondary-prep/ Sun, 26 Jul 2020 00:36:16 +0000 https://ushersnewlook.org/?p=15173 This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

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