We recently connected with DaVeon Smith and have shared our conversation below.
DaVeon, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
With “Young Black San Antonio”, I found my purpose through seeing a lack of intentional opportunities for the Young Black Professional segment of the city to congregate. Moreover, I realized that coming to San Antonio can be tough socially. Due to the city’s urban sprawl, it can be tough to find like minded individuals or even social outlets that appeal to you as a Young Black Professional in the city. In an effort to close that gap, I launched an instagram page that highlights events in the city geared towards the Young Black population. As well, I created a series of happy hours/mixers aimed at facilitating organic connections between this population.
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?
My name is DaVeon Smith, I am originally from Los Angeles, CA; currently residing in San Antonio, Texas. I run the Young Black San Antonio instagram page and I am the creator of the Young Black San Antonio Happy Hour/Mixer series. Right now, we are in a state of expansion. One of my biggest goals for the next 6 months is to expand into special events and more community service efforts.
We are doing our first R&B Brunch on August 13th with Brunch Boss TX at the Upstage Comedy Lounge. We are also hosting our first day party on August 20th at Claude Hopper’s. Finally, our Young Black San Antonio running club just launched; aimed at getting folks active at least once a month in a relaxed setting.
Of course, we still want to continue our Happy Hour/Mixer series by visiting different venues in the city.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have been most impactful on my journey thus far are humility, risk taking, & consistency. Humility has manifested itself for me by staying cognizant of the biggest picture. Despite my personal opinions, I try to highlight as many event spaces and nightlife venues as possible on our instagram page. Risk taking has also been a penchant of my journey. Many of the happy hour & mixers are thrown in a pop up fashion, where we meet at a space without much buy-in from the venue’s management. Thus far, this strategy has worked out in our favor and has exposed people to different venues in the city.
Ultimately, my biggest advice for folks who are early in their journey is to stay consistent. You may not realize it but people recognize consistency. Consistency is what will take your brand or movement from good to great. Those “daily deposits” will pay off in the long run.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We are looking for collaborators. If any venues would like to host us, they can contact me on instagram at @youngblacksanantonio.
If anyone wants to co-host a happy hour or mixer….we are also open to that as well.
Finally, We are also looking for community organizations to partner with.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/youngblacksanantonio
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/officialdkrisp
