Penn State Great Valley student Alexis Akarolo, a native of Burtonsville, Md., is the co-founder of Rebuildtheblock, a nonprofit that connects Black business owners with resources to create generational wealth and capital in the Black community, and the Creative Director of Lovello Elizabeth, a fashion business.

Akarolo, who began working when she was 16 years old as a server at a retirement home, earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Penn State Abington. She’ll also graduate this spring with an MBA from Penn State Great Valley.

Akarolo credits Philadelphia native Alnika Lovello, the founder of Lovello Elizabeth, with having the biggest impact on her career.

“Alnika always saw more than my potential and gave me the tools needed to bloom into the professional that I am today,” said Akarolo. “I worked day and night, sometimes even across states, to build and grow with this business. Five years later, I now have a full-time leadership position, building the brand beyond our wildest imagination.”

Akarolo’s proudest professional moment was learning that Rebuildtheblock had been approved for 501(c)(3) status.

“We were ecstatic!” she said. “We put our all into ensuring that we could be the change that we wanted to see in the world. We were finally given the green light to assist Black entrepreneurs in any way that we could.”

Akarolo’s favorite Chester County restaurant is Mabel’s Barbeque, a Black-owned business in West Chester.

Akarolo and the rest of the 2022 Class of VISTA Millennial Superstars will be honored at the Awards Reception & Celebration held outdoors on Tuesday, May 10 at Penn State Great Valley. The in-person event will feature food trucks, drinks, touchless registration, a VIP tent, and boundless opportunities to network. It will also be live-streamed.

Sponsors are still being sought. Click here to learn more about the various opportunities available to partner with VISTA Today as it celebrates Chester County’s next generation of leaders.