Two St. Petersburg College Titans recently made Tampa Magazine’s 2021 Top 10 Under 40 list! Belinthia Berry is the Director of SPC’s Corporate College, and Samyr Qureshi, an outstanding SPC alum, is the CEO of Knack, a technology platform.
Each year, Tampa Magazine names 10 of the community’s best and brightest entrepreneurs, businesspeople and philanthropists who are under 40 years old, are leaders in their fields, and still find the time to give back to the community.
Belinthia Berry
Berry, a graduate of Florida A&M University, oversees SPC’s contract training programs with companies and municipalities, as well as programs like Kids’ College, recreation and leisure, and Silver Scholars. She told Tampa Magazine that her main goal is to lift people up.
“I’m helping people get where they need to go in life, whether it’s the employer or the individual — giving them the keys to success,” she said.
Berry’s work doesn’t stop at SPC – she is also the president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Tampa Bay chapter and serves on the Hillsborough County charter review board. She is also on the board of directors of the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative, which helps navigate the healthcare system. She told the magazine that the Healthcare Collaborative is a pet project, due to health issues she has struggled with over the past few years.
“When I was approached to join the Healthcare Collaborative board, I said, ‘I need to be that voice and that advocate for other people [dealing with their own health issues],’” she said.
See Berry’s profile in Tampa Magazine here.
Samyr Qureshi
After SPC, Qureshi went on to be the co-founder of Knack, a technology platform that partners with colleges and universities to facilitate peer tutoring programs. He said that after a stint in the corporate world, he wanted to make more of a difference with his work.
“Working in education has been an incredible experience that allows me to make a direct impact on the lives of others,” he told Tampa Magazine.
See Qureshi’s profile in Tampa Magazine here.
Berry said she believes in giving back to the community that has given her so much.
“There were many mentors who poured into me about serving our community, and I do that by providing my time, talent and treasures (donations),” she said. “I encourage many other young professionals to step up, lead and give back to the community in any way.”
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