Yasmine Arrington Brooks

Yasmine Arrington Brooks is a Washington, D.C.-based social entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, and nonprofit leader focused on education equity and support for children of incarcerated parents. As a teenager, Arrington Brooks founded ScholarCHIPS, a nonprofit organization that provides college scholarships, mentoring, mental health support, and a support network for college-bound young adults with incarcerated parents. The idea for ScholarCHIPS emerged during her own college search process, when she recognized a lack of scholarships for students facing similar circumstances.

Arrington Brooks earned a Bachelor of Arts in strategic communications and history from Elon University and a Master of Divinity from Howard University School of Divinity, where she served as Student Government Association president. She launched ScholarCHIPS as a social venture through the LearnServe Fellows Program at age 16, growing it into a nationally recognized organization. ScholarCHIPS has awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships to over 120 students, with 54 graduates.

Arrington Brooks has been recognized for her work on platforms such as BET's "Black Girls Rock," CNN's "An All-Star Tribute," and the Drew Barrymore Show. She has been named a CNN Hero, included in the CNN Heroes Top 10 list, and featured in Drew Barrymore Magazine. Her honors include being named a Washington Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 and a Washingtonian of the Year. She was also recognized as one of L'Oréal Paris' Women of Worth, receiving $25,000 and national visibility through the initiative.

In addition to her nonprofit leadership, Arrington Brooks is a speaker, model, author, poet, and host of the podcast "Millennial Minds." Her memoir, "From Tragedy to Triumph: A Personal Journey of Healing, Love, Purpose & Legacy," reached the top of Amazon's "New Release in Teen and Young Adult Social Activist Biographies" list.

Arrington Brooks draws on her personal experiences to advocate for education access, criminal justice reform, and community support for marginalized youth. Through her work and public speaking, she addresses the challenges faced by children of incarcerated parents and promotes pathways to higher education and personal growth.