Stephane Jean Baptiste, Class of 2002
The seed of leadership was planted in me in the roaming halls of Prospect Hill Academy’s (PHA) early years. As a PHA student, along with my classmate Ruben Sanchez, I co-founded a chapter of Junior Statesmen of America (JSA), a national student run organization geared at strengthening American democracy by educating and preparing high school students for life-long involvement in a democratic society. As part of the graduating class of 2002, PHA’s second graduating class, we understood the importance of the paradigm changing movement that our school stood for. We accepted the call to action of responsible citizenship and created an organization that would help current and future students to leave a meaningful imprint on the world. Since the chapter’s inception, PHA students have participated in JSA on both state and national levels.
Little did I know that my activities at PHA were the beginning of a lifelong commitment to influencing my community. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Temple University, I served as the Marketing Coordinator for the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. I had the wonderful opportunity to travel extensively throughout the country to identify potential graduate school candidates and increase the pipeline of educators in the Philadelphia region. As my passion for education, social justice and community organization grew, I was chosen to be the Communications Director for the 2007 National Haitian Student Conference. As Director, I spearheaded the marketing and devised public relations strategies that led to the cultivation and mobilization of over 800 progressive, educated and effective leaders nationwide.
Currently, I reside in Philadelphia, PA and am the owner and founder of Nouveau Concepts, LLC. Nouveau Concepts is a communications company that focuses on strategic marketing, branding and graphic design. Our chic design concepts have landed us contracts with Ivy League Institutions such as The University of Pennsylvania, local colleges such as the University of Massachusetts, political organizations such as the Pennsylvania Women's Campaign Fund, non-profits such as Jersey Cares, and health based causes like The Nigerian Healthcare Foundation. My company also affords me the opportunity to affect the economic development of the Boston and Philadelphia Haitian communities by working directly with startup companies and hiring local college students as interns and designers.
In addition to the above, I am an advisor for my undergraduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a co-founder of the Alumni Board for Summer Search (a national leadership development program that helps low-income young people graduate high school, go to college, gain successful careers, and give back to society), the Communications Director for the Young Friends Museum Board at the University of Pennsylvania, and a founding member of the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia.
As a recent College Graduate, Entrepreneur, and Community Organizer, I have often sought inspirations from the many lessons learned while at Prospect Hill Academy. I credit my lifelong love of learning and being the responsible citizen that I am today to the dedication and support of the administrators, teachers, and families. The skills harnessed at Prospect Hill Academy, in those halls as a co-founder of JSA, have truly allowed me to be who I am today.
