Meet Stefayne Dunn | YouTuber & Tech Professional

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

Hi Stefayne, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I believe being a risk taker is what’s gotten me to where I am today. I’ve made major risk in life that have shaped me for the better.

One of the most major risk I decided to do early in my 20’s was drop out of college and go into the workforce full time. Most individuals would’ve looked at this decision as career suicide, but I saw it as a way to gain experience and reach my goal of making 6 figures by the age of 30. I made many sacrifices a long the way, like not traveling or going out with friends as much, and also working tremendously hard to gain promotions and new jobs where I could earn higher salaries. At the age of 29, I hit my goal of making 6 figures and also was able to purchase my very own home in one of the most wealthiest communities in Georgia.

I think if you’re going to take risk make sure that it’s a calculated risk that you’ve thought out and have a plan attached to taking that risk. Life isn’t always about being comfortable in every situation and usually those uncomfortable situations are what help you grow and take you to the next level.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I ultimately dropped out of college and decided to take my chances in Corporate America. With no degree and no experience, I started off working lower level positions at the bank at the age of 24 years old. I knew at that very moment being a black woman with no degree, I would have to work even harder than before and be extremely focused because of all the odds against me. These were the years that I cared only about work and nothing else. While most people my age were partying in Miami or going clubbing, I was learning any and everything possible within the banking industry such as fraud, compliance, sales, operations and much more. I networked with other like minded individuals to expand my knowledge even further, which in doing all of this helped with obtaining a management position. After five years of soaking up as much knowledge as possible, I was recruited outside of the banking industry into the credit industry within fraud. Taking this leap of faith into another industry would change my life overall because this company didn’t focus on people having a degree to obtain a higher salary, but focused more on their experience. I went from making 47k to 80k, and then after 3 months at the company I was promoted into a management position, which took me to a 6 figure salary. This afforded me the opportunity to purchase my home in the Buckhead community of Atlanta at the age of 30. This position also gave me the opportunity to travel internationally, which changed my way of viewing life differently. My mind was always centered around work, but after experiencing different cultures that valued living your life to the fullest, this inspired me to enjoy more of my life, which I did. I felt on top of the world, but as time went on I noticed discriminatory practices at my job when minorities were trying to move up into a higher level positions within the company. I initially decided to speak up and report the information surrounding it and I also got others involved, but I ultimately decided I wanted to move on to a workplace that not only provided financial stability, but also provided fair opportunities for all, so I started applying for other job opportunities. On February 28th 2020 at 10am my job terminated me and even though they had their reasons, I knew me reporting the discriminatory practices was really the reason I was let go, but immediately after leaving the building I oddly felt a sense of relief. Hours later on that same day I received a call from a highly successful tech company that I had applied and interviewed at earlier that month and they offered me a position with a higher salary, equity with the company, many perks, and the biggest reason I wanted to work for this company was because of the extreme diversity the company exuded on all levels. After starting with the company, I immediately joined the Inclusion and Diversity group because I wanted to ensure that other minorities didn’t have to go through what I had experienced in the past. Also within the year of 2020 I paid off 20k plus in student loans all on my own and also started to invest more of my money. I’ve gained a solid work life balance with having the ability to work from home 100%, which drove me to start my Youtube channel. I decided to start my Youtube channel to share my life with the world and also provide useful information to anyone who may be in a similar situation that I was once in. I really want people to know that there’s always a light at the end of any tunnel, and to never give up no matter how many roadblocks are thrown your way. I plan on investing more into my Youtube channel to share knowledge, and I ultimately plan to start a business in the next two years because this is just the beginning of my story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta has a little something for everyone. Here are some of the it places to try out when coming into town.

Night life
– Modish
– Sivas Hookah Lounge
– Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge

Fun Activities
– Picnic In Piedmont Park
– Zoo Atlanta
– River Tubing Down the Chattahoochee River

Historical
– Atlanta History Center
– National Center for Human Rights
– MLK National Historical Park

Cool Black Own Restaurants
– Slutty Vegan
– Life Bistro Atlanta
– Toast
– Spice House

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shout out my family especially my mother Deidre Dunn, my grandmother Wyomia Fambro and my two sisters Eryca Fambro & Eryn Dunn.

These women have shaped my life to what it’s become today, and they’re the true definition of strong black women. Each one of these women have shown me how to carry myself like a lady, have courage, strive for success, & staying humble no matter how much success I gain.

Without them there would be no me!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladymaystef/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaynedunn/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCR5RBytRetiByV_-eJH0Klw

Image Credits
Instagram: @zay.noir (First Pic)