Meet Bejanae Kareem: Education and Grant Acquisition Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bejanae Kareem and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bejanae, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When educators use high-impact instructional practices, children thrive! Prior to our launch in 2012, I served as a classroom teacher for over 10 years in which I recognized the need for teacher training aimed to develop students’ 21st-century skills. Teachers need high-impact, real-world immersive experiences coupled with supportive coaching to transform their practices. I launched BK International Education Consultancy (BKIEC) to advocate for and build educator capacity.

BK International Education Consultancy is an accredited social good small business focused on strengthening K-12 educator practices to better serve youth. We are different from typical training providers because we offer educators the flexibility of completing continuing education units professional learning at their own pace and place. Our CEUs are accredited by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training which are gold-standard documentation for teacher recertification. Additionally, we offer job-embedded coaching instead of a single training with no follow up support or guidance.

With 3.7 million teachers in the United States, 77% are women. BK International Education Consultancy services are targeted toward the female educator which continually pour back into school communities, students, and families across the globe to create a better world.

What should our readers know about your business?
2020 was my company’s year of resilience. Our revenue took a 73% plunge due to the pandemic. However, I used that time (and with the help of remote interns) to create online courses and finish self-publishing a book that I put on the back burner for years. During the pandemic, we were able to pilot portions of the book as FREE webinars for teachers and acquired needed feedback to make the book more clear and concise for our target audience. This time also allowed us to strategically partner with like-minded nonprofit organizations to relieve some of our capacity burdens as well as apply for several small business grants due to the economic impact of COVID-19. Although we did not make our revenue projections for 2020, we were awarded $17K in grants, made a strong new community partner, Metamorphasis Powerhouse Company, and have passive income potential through our new products (newly published book and self-paced online courses) that can be found at www.bkconsultancy.org/shop

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a traveler by nature and love to learn new things. BK International Education Consultancy has hosted several culturall immersion trips abroad. If we were to host one locally, we’d include the following must see’s on our itinerary that showcase Atlanta’s culture:
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birth Home
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Tyler Perry Studios
Atlanta University Center which houses the historically black college and universities: Clark Atlanta, Spelman, and Morehouse
Piedmont Park
Beltline
Atlanta Breakfast Club
Morris Brown
Seasons 52
Ponce City Market

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am a recent self-published author of 12 Quick Steps to Writing Winning Classroom Grants and would like to give a shoutout to my parents, Constance and Lateef Kareem. Thank you for modeling, guiding, and inspiring me to put my thoughts in writing and share them with others. Knowledge is power!

12 Quick Steps to Writing Winning Classroom Grants is dedicated to educators. Many teachers may not be aware they have the foundational skills to win grants. As a former elementary school teacher, I designed the book to leverage their expertise in lesson plan development. So here’s to all educators across the globe! I hope you find this book a quick and easy read that will add a valuable skill to your toolbox and a way to save your coins.

I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Kathleen Champlin, Dr. Adrienne Simmons, Dr. Vera Stenhouse, Ketisha Kinnebrew, Shandra Perry, and Shermaine Perry for their feedback, comments, and edits. Special thanks to Lexi Smith, Miguel Galindo, Katherine Ahn, Pamela Jennemyr, Kaitlyn Shi, and Tommy Clay for their contributions to the book. The book would not be as concise without their support and thought partnership.

#ittakesavillage

Website: www.bkconsultancy.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bk_consultancy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bk-international-education-consultancy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bkconsultancy

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bkconsultancy

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bk-international-education-consultancy-atlanta

Youtube: www.youtube.com/bkconsultancy

Image Credits
Shermaine Perry Constance Kareem Christian Holden