Grambling State News

Grambling, La. – March 1, 2022 – The COVID-19 pandemic saw America pull together as a country to look out for each other and work to care for our own for the better good of all.

And in that same spirit, UpStart Works, a company with expertise in product development, supply chain management, marketing, e-commerce solutions, and go-to-market strategy to guide brands as they look to grow on any of the world’s other leading marketplaces, recently donated 10,000 containers of disinfectant wipes that will be used across the Grambling State University campus.

UpStartWorks client portfolio manager Myles Davis, a 2021 Grambling State graduate, was instrumental in making the donation happen.

“We were just kind of brainstorming about what we could do for Black History Month and then the idea popped up of, ‘What about giving back to HBCUs?’” Davis said. “In our industry, we have a lot of clean-cut sanitary wipes, so the idea was brought up — “Why don’t we donate towels and sanitary wipes? And we just ran with it. And of course, when we said HBCU, I said that we’ve got to do Grambling.”

UpStartWorks Director of Strategic Initiatives Deshandra Henderson said making the donation in February — Black History Month — also played into her company’s decision.

“There’s a theme associated with (Black History Month) every single year,” Henderson said. “This year’s theme is Black Health and Wellness. So, we just brainstormed and tried to figure out how we could associate that while making it a meaningful impact? And we realized that it all goes hand-in-hand. We’re still in the thick of the pandemic. It’s not going anywhere, and we just felt like this could go a long way. It could seem small, but we hope the donation will go a long way.”

Henderson said she also hopes that donation will help lead to bigger things in the future.
“If there are other ways to partner together — we had these wipes and we have other things that maybe Grambling State could utilize, then we’d love to have that conversation to see if there are maybe other ways we can partner with each other in some of the other things that we do at UpStartWorks,” Henderson said.

UpStartWorks Founder/President Rohan Thambrahalli said careful thought was put into where the donation should be made.

“Companies have to be deliberate about the impacts we want to make,” Thrambahalli said. “Our organization is very keenly focused on making sure that we’re investing in not only giving opportunities to African American talent, but we’re very deliberate about it. The easy thing to do would be to take this and give it to the American Heart Association, or another organization, or whatever. We want to make sure we’re deliberate in making sure that we’re giving with a purpose. And I’m glad that we’re doing this and not just randomly giving it to some other charity that may not be as purposeful.”

GSU interim Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Rudolph Ellis said the university is appreciative of the donation and the fact that it was made with thought toward the health and well-being of GSU students.

“One of the main things I appreciate is that we have different institutions looking out and appreciating our alumni as well as our students,” Ellis said. “A GSU alumnus played a key role in making that connection in this case. I’m happy to see one of our alumni making an impact on a company they interned with and now work for and realize the value of what comes from Grambling State University. That’s first and foremost.”

“Secondly, I appreciate that during Black History Month we have companies that are reaching out to us and trying to make a difference,” Dr. Ellis continued. “Focusing on health and wellness, I’m very appreciative that they thought about us. Giving out these sanitizer wipes that benefit our students will make a big difference for those students. It shows that we continue the fight to alleviate or prevent COVID-19 for the health of our students.”