Darrel Young had humble beginnings as a three-sport athlete in Amityville NY. He played football, basketball, and ran track, but his talents were mostly on the football field. He received a full scholarship to play at Villanova University where he would graduate with a Bachelors in Communication and Media Studies. Upon graduating he was able to pursue his dream and made it into the NFL as a Fullback for the Washington Football Team. Nowadays you can find Darrel in the NFL offices as a Manager of Engagement and Player Relations. This involves helping players in their transition into the league and out. When he's not doing the work in the NFL, he is doing work in his community. Darrel is a part of various volunteer-based programs that help train and educate young people in his community to be the best version of themselves. 

This episode will tell you all about Mr. G, the mind behind MasterMine. It will also give you some insight into the purpose of the program and what it aims to accomplish. The interview is conducted by Constance Saal. Constance is a supporter and collaborator in the mission of MasterMine. She has her own story to tell in a future episode. We know the episode is long, but if you really want to learn about the origins of MasterMine and who Mr. G is, it will be worth it. We hope you enjoy. New episodes will be released every Friday starting on December 11th. Send your questions and feedback to [email protected]. You can also follow us on Instagram at mrg.mastermine. Thank you for your support.

Nigerian-born photographer and painter Osaretin Ugiagbe draws inspiration for his work from his life, often using it to reflect on his experiences in Lagos, the Bronx, and London. He has traveled around the world with his camera and his brush in pursuit of studying people in order to master his craft. He first developed his interest in art through a painting class he took at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. After that class, art became a part of him. He later got accepted to the top art school in the world, The Royal College of Art in London. Osaretin’s work has been on the cover of books like Stillborn by Diekoye Oyeyinka, as well as publications like the New York Times, The Financial Times in London, The Daily News, Columbia Journal Review, Okay Africa, Fox 5, CBS, Exit-Express, and more.  Osaretin is also recognized as one of the top photographers in the world. When he is not painting you can find him walking through the city streets and capturing life as it is happening. His work is truly art imitating life. For more info on Osaretin or his work check out his website https://www.osaretin.com/

Simba AKA young ghost is a talented Hip-Hop artist, poet, and educator from the South Bronx. His flow motivates and inspires young people to strive for greatness. His album mixed emotions tackles the difficulties of being a black man, how to deal with difficult emotions, and tough life questions. Young Ghost is a part of the Artist collective that looks at influencing young people through art education. He is also part of VOTE that educates young people in the Bronx community on their rights and how to handle police encounters. Here is the link to Young Ghost's album Mixed Emotions https://www.amazon.com/Mixed-Emotions-Explicit-Young-Ghost/dp/B00TKKDXWS/ref=sr_1_1 dchild=1&keywords=Young+Ghost+mixed+emotions&qid=1606455976&s=dmusic&sr=1-1 

Carly Harper, a New Jersey native, experienced dance studio life in high school, where she learned techniques in Jazz, Ballet, Ethnic Fusion, and Hip-Hop. Her passion had motivated her to study dance in college, where she was privileged to work with Desmond Richardson, Khaleah London, Clifton Brown, Hope Boykin, Carl Paris, Steven Vaughn, and other prominent dancers in the business and received a B.F.A. in Dance Studies from Long Island University. Upon graduating, Carly continued her training through classes at Alvin Ailey and Broadway Dance Center, which includes her performing in the Ailey Extensions' Voices and Visions student showcase performance at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater along with Broadway Dance Center's student showcase at Symphony Space. She has had the privilege to dance for Charles Smith, Jared Jenkins, Neil Schwartz, Chio, James Alonzo White, and other commercial dance choreographers. Carly was a featured dancer in So You Think You Can Dance Tour's commercial with Love Pastry sneakers, and was chosen to train in a select group of dancers with Dana Foglia for a heels-intensive. She performed for BET Network's The Rundown with Robin Thede as a live dancer and pre-recorded music video. She performed at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY for the Masters of Ceremony concert as a backup dancer for 50 Cent as well as Starz network, Power Premiere for 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Trey Songz, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie at Madison Square Garden. She opened her own dance studio, Surge Studio, in Congers, NY. Carly continues her training at Broadway Dance Center and is involved with many developmental projects with her dance career. For more info check out her website https://www.carlyharperchoreo.com/

Tailer for MasterMine. 

Simba AKA young ghost is a talented Hip-Hop artist, poet, and educator from the South Bronx. His flow motivates and inspires young people to strive for greatness. His album mixed emotions tackles the difficulties of being a black man, how to deal with difficult emotions, and tough life questions. Young Ghost is a part of the Artist collective that looks at influencing young people through art education. He is also part of  VOTE that educates young people in the Bronx community on their rights and how to handle police encounters.

Carly Harper has established an impressive career so far in the dance world. She has performed for BET Network's The Rundown with Robin Thede as a live dancer and pre-recorded music video. She performed at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY for the Masters of Ceremony concert as a backup dancer for 50 Cent as well as Starz network, Power Premiere for 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Trey Songz, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie at Madison Square Garden. She opened her own dance studio, Surge Studio, in Congers, NY. Carly continues her training at Broadway Dance Center and is involved with many developmental projects with her dance career. She also has her podcast 1woahmangig that gives aspiring dancers the Do's and Don'ts of Dance. https://anchor.fm/1woahmangig