In a world accustomed to seeing Black women working the front desk and cleaning rooms, two rising Howard University seniors are on the glide path to hotel ownership.

Brooklynn Tucker is an international business major from Aurora, Colorado, and Kayden Edwards is a supply chain management major from Columbus, Ohio. In May, they won the She Has a Deal pitch competition with a plan to develop a hotel project they identified in New Orleans.

As winners, they received a $50,000 prize. But the award is unique because it is an ownership stake in a hotel projects rather than a simple cash payout.

The victory was more than just a student accomplishment. The She Has a Deal competition is not designed solely for college students but is open to anyone serious about hotel ownership. Tucker and Edwards competed in the early careerist section for current college students.

The competition is widely recognized as a premier, high-stakes pathway into hotel ownership for women. Both are telling incoming freshmen, including those in the School of Business — well recognized for nurturing the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs — not to sleep when it comes to value of deep involvement in campus life.

“My advice to incoming freshmen is simple: Do not wait to get involved,” Edwards said. “Put yourself out there. The people who take chances early gain the most. Freshman year is the perfect time to make mistakes, learn, and grow.”

Tucker said Howard is great preparation because it is really student led when it comes to organizations and opportunities. As SpringFest 2024 coordinator last year, for example, Tucker made pitch decks for sponsorships, collected assets, and worked with corporate relations to secure deals for the event.

“In my mind, Howard is really student led as far as student organizations and opportunities,” Tucker said. “At Howard, there have been opportunities I never thought I was going to have.”

That kind of experience proved crucial to the pair’s success in the She Has a Deal competition.

Backed by Howard’s Hospitality Leadership Center

Howard University’s Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership sponsored the team. The center’s executive director, Omari Head, personally coached the students, ensuring they had access to key resources and connecting them with industry leaders from Synergy Hospitality Group, Paramount Capital Advisors, and other industry leaders who reviewed and gave feedback on their pitch.

Two teams from Howard’s School of Business competed in the high-stakes competition aimed at bringing more women into hotel ownership. The other participating students were Eseosa Eregie, a senior international business major, and Marshell Kennedy, an international business student who recently graduated.

Head, completing his first year at Howard, said the support was intentional. He wanted students to see “what’s possible beyond the typical roles people imagine in hotels” by exposing them to investment and ownership opportunities. A former hotel owner and consultant, he has partnered on two properties and led more than 300 hotel transactions totaling over $1.5 billion. Early in his career, he was one of only a handful of Black hotel brokers in the country.

“When you layer gender on top of that, it’s even worse for Black women,” he said. “These students now have equity experience in their 20s. By the time they’re in their 30s, they’ll have a decade of exposure and lessons learned. That’s how you build future owners.”

She Has a Deal, founded by hospitality entrepreneur Tracy Prigmore, gives women the tools and connections to enter an industry historically dominated by men. Over several months, students learned how to source deals, underwrite properties and pitch investors.

The final round took place May 1 at the Innovation Gallery inside the Hilton at Tysons Corner in Northern Virginia. The judges were chief development officers and senior vice presidents, and the room was filled with hospitality executives.

“Everyone in the room felt our students were going to be winners,” said Head, who previously served as a judge for the contest. “The Howard teams performed head and shoulders above the rest. I was only surprised we didn’t get first and second place.”

Tucker and Edwards didn’t win a simple cash prize. Instead, they gained $50,000 in equity within the She Has a Deal investment fund. Kemi Omisore, senior program manager at the Marriott-Sorenson Center, said the platform is transformative because it addresses the hospitality industry’s glaring racial and gender gaps.

“Black women are not highly represented on the investment side of hospitality,” Omisore said. “They’re often in operations — front desk managers, event planners, things like that. This competition helps change that narrative by giving access to capital and networks our communities have historically lacked.”

By winning, Omisore said, the students now have something rare for many aspiring Black entrepreneurs: seed equity and industry credibility.

“They now have the potential to own a hotel in New Orleans because of the capital they received,” Omisore said. “That kind of access changes lives.”

CAMPUS LIFE

Before ever stepping on stage at the She Has a Deal competition, Tucker and Edwards said leadership in campus organizations and business school academic programs had been pushing them outside their comfort zones for years, building their confidence.

Tucker immersed herself in campus life from the moment she arrived. She became the 2024 coordinator, leading a student-run team that raised more than half a million dollars in sponsorships from companies like Netflix, Capital One, Warner Bros., and DTLR. She helped secure artists such as Mariah the Scientist, Huncho, and Young Nudy for the festival and negotiated production costs — all skills that mirrored what she would later need for the pitch competition.

Edwards also built her leadership experience on campus. She planned Howard on the Hill, the university’s first student-led lobby day, and served on the steering committee for Alternative Spring Break, organizing fundraising and events. She also took on leadership roles within her major, becoming secretary of the Supply Chain Management Student Association.

Both students also benefited from Howard’s 21st Century Advantage Program, a business school initiative that trains students in professional development, presentation skills, and corporate networking. These programs taught them how to pitch confidently, secure sponsors, and build industry connections — all crucial in the She Has a Deal competition.

They gained corporate experience early. During her freshman year, Tucker landed an internship with McKinsey and Company, where she has already secured a full-time consulting offer. She also interned with Pebblebrook Hotel Trust to expand her understanding of the hospitality industry. Edwards interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the second-largest professional services network in the world.

“The business school pushed me outside my comfort zone,” Edwards said. “Howard has been such an amazing experience for me for sure. If I had gone to any other school, I probably would not have gotten the same opportunities that I’ve had at Howard.”

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