Meet Carla McCullough

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carla McCullough. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carla below.

Carla, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
Thank you so much for this question. Throughout my life I have had various experiences being the only one in the room who looks like me. I think I was prepared to find my voice in different environments from my earliest days in school. My preschool was walking distance from my house at a local Salvation Army. All the children there were Black and from the surrounding neighborhood. My first elementary experience involved being bussed to a school on the other side of town. The students on the bus were all Black, but when I entered the school, my classes were diverse. Learning alongside numerous students who didn’t look like me taught me that at our core, we are all the same.

I have taken this belief with me throughout my educational experiences, so whether I was at my all Black middle school, majority White high school, or Spelman College, my HBCU alma mater, I brought my true and authentic self into every room. Safe learning spaces in my formative years shaped me to have confidence in myself regardless of who is in the room. This confidence has been the key to being both effective and successful. I truly believe that your greatest competition is between you and you.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Professionally I’ve worked in two industries, education and entertainment. I am currently combining my passion for both professions in service of creating great art, having the most fun possible, and changing the world for the better along the way.

I think it’s rare to satisfy all three goals in one project, but College Reunion does just that. We started out making a fictional film about three women who reconnect for their 45th HBCU College Reunion. While on the path to creating the film, I am honored to use our platform to uplift black women, shine a light on HBCUs from around the country, and give back to students in K-12.
The goal behind the movie is to create a film while simultaneously changing our real world for the better. College Reunion has evolved into a mov(i)ement. We are accomplishing our goal of changing the world for the better by working to decrease chronic absenteeism amongst K-12 students on the path to their own college reunion.

Throughout the dual strikes we have been able to hone in on our K-12 mission. At the conclusion of the acting strike, we are posed to make College Reunion the movie. I’m excited for everyone to join us along this journey. You can find out more at our website acollegereunion.com or by following us on social media. Also, be on the lookout for Little Shirley Goes to School, a children’s book for adults that introduces our main character.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities or skills that have been most impactful along my journey are my imagination, my ability to read and think critically, and my willingness to ask questions.

Imagination is number one for me because mine has been overactive since I was a child. I think the reason my imagination serves me now is because of all of the daydreaming when I was young. Staying close to wonder, awe, and what’s possible allows me to view the world as it could be even in the midst of how it is currently.

Reading fueled that imagination even more. If I were to offer advice to anyone old or young, I’d say read as much as you can. Read newspapers, magazines, long and short books, fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks. I can’t stress enough how important the written word is to expanding your mind. After a while, you’ll start to develop a list of questions that will make you want to read/research more to find the answer.

I recognize that everyone is on their own journey and many of us would rather scroll through our socials or watch TV than pick up a book, but trust me, there is beauty in getting input from multiple places. My imagination, fueled by books, made me ask the exact questions that put me on my current path.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We are always looking for folks to collaborate with. We are looking for supporters for our K-12 efforts as well as donors and investors to contribute to our final film budget.

For those interested in supporting our effort to increase K-12 school attendance, you can help by donating items to be raffled off at various schools such as backpacks, books, food gift cards, grocery store gift cards, school supplies, sports equipment, teacher supplies, toys, and handwritten notes of encouragement. In addition to collaborating with school officials around best practices, we hope to enhance the amount of incentives that schools can offer to encourage daily school attendance. Please send all items to College Reunion 300 Long Beach Blvd #644, Long Beach, Ca. 90802

Contact Info:

• Website: www.acollegereunion.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acollegereunion/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aCollegeReunion
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-reunion-moviement
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CollegeReunion