Jacoria Borders, a Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumna from Marianna, Florida, has built a career focused on civic engagement and youth empowerment. Borders described her beginnings as challenging but rooted in faith. “I came to FAMU with one dollar and a dream,” she said. “Every single dollar I had went to my rent deposit. I had about thirty dollars left for the whole month. To this day, I don’t know how I made it, but I do know that God did.”
Borders graduated from FAMU’s School of Allied Health Sciences in 2015. She initially considered nursing as the most accessible profession due to limited exposure to other careers in her rural hometown. “I had never met a Black doctor, nurse or attorney growing up,” she said. “Where I’m from, a good job meant working at a prison or the state hospital.” Despite academic success, Borders was advised to be realistic about her goals.
Her experience at FAMU shifted her perspective: “It wasn’t until FAMU that my world got bigger. My calling got bigger,” she said. “Your zip code does not determine your destiny.” She recounted feeling intimidated when first joining the Student Government Association (SGA). “Walking into SGA for the first time, I was intimidated,” she said. “Everybody was sharp and serious about their work. I didn’t think I was ready, but it pushed me.”
Borders became active on campus by founding Get Fit FAMU, a health initiative aimed at promoting wellness and collaboration among students. Despite facing several rejections, she persisted: “One thing about me, the word ‘no’ is not in my vocabulary. Backwards, it spells ‘on,’” she said. “So, I stayed on.”
She also revived the Pink Tie Ball—a student-led fundraising event for breast cancer awareness—raising $5,000 for related initiatives and led FAMU’s Relay for Life campaign to its first profitable year in nearly ten years by generating over $20,000 for the American Cancer Society. Additionally, Borders co-created the 1887 Reasons to Give campaign to encourage senior students to contribute back to their university.
Reflecting on these experiences, Borders stated: “Everything I learned at FAMU set the stage for my real-world career,” she said. “Fundraising, partnerships, campaign strategy. FAMU was my training ground.”
Three days after graduating in August 2015, Borders started at Morehouse School of Medicine before entering politics as an intern with Stacey Abrams and later joining Abrams’ 2018 gubernatorial campaign as a fundraiser.
Borders launched Democracy Fest to make civic education engaging for young people and founded TCG Impact—a nonprofit organization supporting youth leadership and civic involvement. According to Borders: “Our students represent more than 28 colleges,” she said. “We’ve seen 100% high school graduation rates and 97% college or military enrollment. This is legacy work.”
Her efforts have reached international levels; during a diplomatic mission in Angola supporting President Joe Biden’s visit, Borders established connections with global leaders which now benefit her students.
This year Borders delivered a TEDx Talk in Atlanta near Mercedes-Benz Stadium—the site where her civic engagement journey began—which she described as significant: “It was surreal,” she said. “It reminded me that purpose is always bigger than the moment.”
Looking back on her path from small-town beginnings to national leadership roles in civic participation initiatives across the country, Borders emphasized faith and determination: “I used to look at the sky and ask God for something greater,” she said. “I didn’t know what greater looked like, but He did.”
Guided by Romans 8:28 from scripture and influenced by lessons learned at FAMU—“FAMU taught me excellence with caring,” she said—Borders continues her work inspiring young people.
