Community Pop Up

Founder & Lead Event Coordinator | 2025

Community Pop Up began as a summer series created to uplift and support small businesses, artists, and creatives on Chicago’s South Side.

What started as a simple idea to create a space where community members could shop local, discover new businesses, and connect with creatives had quickly grew into a recurring community-centered event.

As the sole Event Coordinator, I was responsible for bringing the vision to life from planning to execution. I managed the many moving pieces behind each event, including vendor coordination, event logistics, programming, communications, setup, and day-of operations.

The series also gave me the opportunity to expand beyond individual event planning and build meaningful collaborations with other organizations across Chicago. Through these partnerships, Community Pop Up continued to grow as a space rooted in creativity, entrepreneurship, connection, and community support.

My Role Included:

Serving as the sole Event Coordinator for the Community Pop Up series
Developing the event concept and overall format
Planning and coordinating recurring community pop-up events
Recruiting and communicating with small businesses, vendors, artists, and creatives
Managing vendor registration and event participation
Coordinating event logistics, timelines, setup, and breakdown
Supporting event programming and entertainment
Managing event communications and outreach
Serving as the main point of contact for vendors and collaborators
Overseeing day-of event operations and troubleshooting
Building partnerships with other Chicago-based organizations
Creating opportunities for local businesses and creatives to reach new audiences

Makers & Mics: A Community Pop Up

One edition of the series, Makers & Mics, brought together local vendors, artists, and performers for a community pop-up and open mic centered around creativity, connection, and giving back.

Powered through a collaboration between BIGGERTHANTHECITY × CREATE & EVOLVE × FROM CHICAGO TO THE WORLD, the event expanded the original vision of Community Pop Up by bringing multiple Chicago organizations together around a shared purpose.

Instead of a traditional entry fee, attendees were encouraged to bring canned goods, winter clothing, or toys to be donated during the holiday season.

The event created space for:

Bakers. Cooks. Thrifters. Jewelers. Designers. Artists. Rappers. Poets. Small business owners. Community members.

Everyone had something to contribute.

Community Pop Up

A Create & Evolve Initiative

Founder & Lead Event Coordinator | 2025

Community Pop Up is a community-centered event series created through Create & Evolve, my creative platform dedicated to creating opportunities, experiences, and spaces that uplift artists, small businesses, and communities.

The series began as a summer initiative with a simple goal: to create a space where people could support small businesses, discover local creatives, and connect with their community.

What started as a seasonal pop-up quickly grew into a recurring event where vendors, artists, entrepreneurs, performers, and community members could come together under one roof.

As the founder and sole Event Coordinator, I was responsible for bringing the event from concept to execution. Through Create & Evolve, I developed the format of the series while managing the many moving pieces behind each event—from vendor outreach and communication to logistics, programming, partnerships, setup, and day-of operations.

My Role Included:

Founding and developing Community Pop Up as a Create & Evolve initiative
Serving as the sole Event Coordinator
Creating the overall concept, format, and vision for the series
Recruiting and communicating with small businesses, vendors, artists, and creatives
Managing vendor registration and participation
Coordinating event logistics, timelines, setup, and breakdown
Supporting event programming and entertainment
Managing communications, outreach, and promotion
Serving as the primary point of contact for vendors and collaborators
Overseeing day-of event operations and troubleshooting
Building partnerships with organizations and creatives throughout Chicago
Creating opportunities for local businesses and artists to connect with new audiences

Makers & Mics: A Community Pop Up

As the series grew, Community Pop Up expanded through new partnerships and collaborations across Chicago.

One edition, Makers & Mics, brought together local vendors, artists, performers, and community members for an evening centered around creativity, connection, and giving back.

Through a collaboration between BIGGERTHANTHECITY × CREATE & EVOLVE × FROM CHICAGO TO THE WORLD, the event brought multiple organizations together around a shared goal: creating opportunities for people to support local talent while also giving back to the community.

Instead of a traditional entry fee, attendees were encouraged to bring canned goods, winter clothing, or toys to support community members during the holiday season.

What began as a space to shop local became something more.

Young Women of Color Symposium (YWOCS)

Core Student Founder & Organizer | 2020–2022

The Young Women of Color Symposium (YWOCS) is an annual leadership conference created for 6th–12th grade self-identified young women of color throughout the Chicagoland area. Co-organized by Francis W. Parker School and Loyola Academy, the symposium creates a space for hundreds of young women to connect, learn, build community, and celebrate their identities.

As one of the core student founders and organizers, I played a central role in bringing the symposium to life. Working across multiple teams, I helped coordinate different aspects of the event while supporting its overall vision, organization, and execution.

One of my primary areas of responsibility was marketing and merchandise development. I helped develop and manage YWOCS-branded merchandise, including the symposium logo and apparel. Through this work, the YWOCS identity became a visible part of the event experience, with over 400 students wearing merchandise featuring the YWOCS logo.

My Role Included:

Serving as a core student founder and organizer for the symposium
Leading and collaborating across multiple student teams
Supporting the overall planning and execution of the annual conference
Managing marketing and promotional efforts
Leading merchandise development and coordination
Supporting the creation and distribution of YWOCS-branded apparel
Helping create a cohesive visual identity for the symposium
Coordinating with students, organizers, and school partners
Supporting an event experience that engaged and empowered 400+ young women of color