ENTREPRENEURS OF PURPOSE At sixteen years old, most teenagers are thinking about graduation, driver’s licenses, and what comes next. Yasmine Arrington Brooks was thinking about children with incarcerated parents. Not as a social issue. Not as a statistic. As her life. Her father spent much of her childhood cycling in and out of jail and prison. Like millions of children across America, Yasmine lived with the uncertainty, questions, and stigma that often accompany parental incarceration. “There were times I wondered if my dad wanted to be part of my life,” she recalls. “I didn’t understand what was happening,” Yasmine says. The seed for what would become her life’s work came from an unexpected source, her grandmother, Veronica Wright. While helping Yasmine search online for college scholarships, Wright noticed something surprising. “There are scholarships for everything,” she said. “But I didn’t see any for students with incarcerated parents.” That simple observation changed the trajectory of Yasmine’s life. At the time, she was participating in Learn Serve International, a program that introduces young people to social entrepreneurship and challenges them to solve problems they care deeply about. When asked what issue made her think, “This isn’t right,” the answer was immediate. Children with incarcerated parents. As she researched the issue, Yasmine discovered millions of young people shared experiences similar to her own. Many faced financial barriers to higher education, lacked guidance through the college application process, and carried emotional burdens largely invisible to others. She realized she was not alone. More importantly, she realized she could do something about it. Yasmine developed a concept for a scholarship and mentoring program specifically for students with incarcerated parents. Then she did something few sixteen-year-olds would dare attempt— she pitched the idea. To her surprise, mentors and judges encouraged her to turn the concept into a nonprofit organization. “I didn’t even really know what a nonprofit was,” she says with a laugh. What followed was an extraordinary lesson in determination. With support from mentors, educators, and her former Girl Scout leader, she assembled a founding board and began fundraising. Donation by donation, she raised approximately $30,000 to launch her vision. The result was ScholarCHIPS, an organization whose name stands for “Children of Incarcerated Parents.” In 2012, eight students became the program’s first scholarship recipients. Today, ScholarCHIPS is celebrating 15 years of impact. The organization provides financial assistance, mentorship, educational resources, and a supportive community for students whose lives have been affected by parental incarceration. Scholars receive annual funding, book awards, technology support, and access to a network of peers who understand their journey. Yet the greatest gift may not be financial. It is belonging. Throughout her career, Yasmine has remained committed to changing the narrative surrounding families impacted by incarceration. Rather than focusing on limitations, she focuses on possibilities. Rather than defining young people by their parents’ circumstances, she helps them define themselves by their own potential. The work has required persistence, faith, and an unwavering commitment to the mission. “It takes conviction,” she says. “And it takes faith.” Those qualities have sustained her through years of fundraising, growth, and advocacy. They have also reinforced her belief that meaningful change often begins with a single act of generosity. “It only takes one person,” she says. “One donation can change a life.” Today, Yasmine’s vision extends beyond scholarships. She hopes to build a lasting endowment that will support future generations of students and ensure that a parent’s incarceration does not determine a child’s destiny. Her legacy is not simply about educational funding. It is about breaking cycles, expanding opportunity, and transforming inherited pain into possibility. And it all began with one grandmother’s observation, one teenager’s courage, and one dream that refused to be ignored. Today that dream continues to change lives, one scholar at a time. EOP Member Legacy Spotlight Yasmine Arrington Brooks How she built a legacy of opportunity for children of incarcerated parents 64 enterprising Women
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