We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Junior Bernadin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Junior, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The inspiration for The Diversity Dollz NFT Collection originally came from my daughter. She’s a very diverse little girl with several different ethnicities coursing through her. It got me thinking, I wanted to develop something for her that would have a positive impact on women of color. Naturally, I’m someone who loves STEM and thrives in the realm of technology. Combining technology and social impact just makes sense to me. So, I decided that I wanted to create an NFT collection utilizing the likeness of different ethnicities. But then I wanted to take it further, and add representation for disabilities and genetic conditions, underrepresented occupations, and special interests.

Junior, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Atlanta educator Junior Bernadin is the creator of The Diversity Dollz, a collection of 10,000 diverse NFTs dedicated to supporting women of color in various areas like Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions, special needs, and Historically Black Colleges & Univesties (HBCU)

This unique NFT concept is all about improving Diversity & Inclusion in under-represented segments of society.

“Each Diversity Doll is uniquely generated from over 180 possible traits, including nationalities, skin tones, hairstyles, outfits, eyes, and more,” said Bernadin, who a 2022 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, and the Dean and IT Director at The Ron Clark Academy (RCA),

“Some Diversity Dollz feature themes that include but are not limited to: STEM, HBCUs, autism, cerebral palsy, mental health, NF, sickle cell, diabetes, cancer, vitiligo, auditory and/or visual impairment, and much more. Each NFT sends an important message about the beauty of diversity and why representation matters.The Diversity Dollz NFT collection is part of the Bridge Builder NFT Foundation’s “NFTs for a Cause.”, which is designed to bring awareness, education, and resources for marginalized communities in the Web 3.0 space. Bernadin is the recent recipient of the nation’s highest STEM mentoring award, the Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics, and STEM Mentoring. This prestigious honor was selected by President Joe Biden and the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation

The mission of Diversity Dollz is to address some of these issues while encouraging exceptional talent and ideas from women of color. A portion of the proceeds will go into a foundation where NFT holders can vote on various initiatives and activations.

Many folks really want to be involved with helping worthy causes that target underserved areas like STEM, but don’t know of a place or hub dedicated to supporting these important causes.

NFT’s are part of Web3.0 and enthusiasts are very motivated to make sure that it is not dominated by a few, but that it will be inclusive of women of Color and all underserved groups of society that want to be involved. This is often called the next generation of the Internet, as it resides on the Blockchain.

Bernadin also is the dean of students, IT Director, and House System Expert at the highly-acclaimed Ron Clark Academy (RCA), an innovative middle school and educator training facility. He has helped to train over 100,000 educators from around the world to learn better ways to engage students, increase academic rigor, and create a climate and culture for success.

Bernadin is the recent recipient of the nation’s highest STEM mentoring award, the Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics, and STEM Mentoring. This prestigious honor was selected by President Joe Biden and the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation.

Bernadin is a Haitian-American from Miami, Fl. that has a B.A. degree in International Affairs from Florida State University and an M.S. degree in IT Management from Regis University. He has also held certifications as a Promethean Certified Installer, and Microsoft Certified Professional. In his role as the Dean of Students, he works with the cofounders in carrying out the RCA’s culture and climate.

In his role as director of information technology, Mr. Bernadin provides all system support to the Academy as well as maintains and manages all levels of technical support and integration within the school. In 2009, he organized students participating in RCA’s Senior Tech program, a student-led program where senior citizens learn computer literacy skills.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I decided to create an NFT project for the social good of others, I assumed that people would flock to it immediately. It was my expectation that if I created it, it would be supported almost instantly. I was apparently wrong. I learned that no matter what you’re doing you have to be willing to put in the work to communicate it to others and do a little convincing to get them to be believers also. People don’t naturally think that because something has altruistic motives that it’s worth their time. That’s why non-profits and charities work so hard. It takes a lot of hard work to do good, ironically.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I think that the book “Who moved my cheese?” is a significant resource.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juniorbernadin.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JrFelixBernadin/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbernadin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBernadin