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

Alright, Makeva thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea behind Immersed Global didn’t start with a business plan. It started with a teacher.

As a freshman in high school, I was placed in Honors French because I was part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Most of my friends were taking Spanish, and I was frustrated that I didn’t get to choose. I had every intention of disengaging from the class and letting my grades suffer. That’s when my French teacher, Ms. Smith, stepped in.

She refused to let me settle for less than what she saw in me. More importantly, she used language learning to introduce me to a world far bigger than the one I knew. Up until that point, my experiences had been largely limited to low-income communities, predominantly Black schools, and what often felt like a very predictable path. Through French, I began to see new countries, cultures, possibilities, and futures for myself.

Years later, while studying French and minoring in Spanish in college, I dreamed of studying abroad. The problem was that my family simply couldn’t afford it. What felt like an impossible dream became reality because another educator, Dr. Mike, believed in me. He helped me secure a full scholarship to study French in Belgium, and when my family still couldn’t afford the flight, he worked with the World Languages Department to secure additional funding to cover the cost.

Those two educators changed the course of my life.

Their investment in me sparked a passion that eventually led me to become a Teach For America corps member teaching French in the Mississippi Delta. While I loved teaching, I began to realize that the most impactful part of my work wasn’t simply teaching vocabulary and grammar. It was helping students see beyond the limitations of their circumstances and recognize that the world was much bigger—and more accessible—than they had been led to believe.

Over time, I found myself asking a bigger question: What if I could create these opportunities not just for one classroom at a time, but for entire families and communities?

That question ultimately led me to leave the classroom and build Immersed Global.

The problem I saw was clear: meaningful language immersion, cultural exchange, and international opportunities were often reserved for families with significant financial resources. Meanwhile, students from historically marginalized and under-resourced communities were frequently excluded from experiences that could expand their worldview, confidence, and future opportunities.

What excited me most was the possibility of changing that reality.

What began as tutoring evolved into placing language educators in schools, and eventually into what is now our immersive learning model—a multi-step journey that provides language learning, cultural experiences, leadership development, and pathways to international study opportunities that are intentionally designed to be accessible and affordable.

I believed it would work because I had lived the impact myself. I knew firsthand what happens when someone opens a door to the world for a young person who never imagined it was within reach.

Today, everything we do is rooted in a simple belief: talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Our mission is to help close that gap by ensuring more young people have access to the same life-changing experiences that transformed mine.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an educator, entrepreneur, and cultural immersion advocate who believes that every child deserves access to the world, regardless of their zip code, family income, or background.

I am the Founder and Executive Director of Immersed Global, LLC and Madame Armant’s Immersion Cities, Inc. (MAIC) organizations dedicated to expanding access to language learning, cultural experiences, leadership development, and global opportunities for young people and families from historically under-resourced communities.

My journey began in education. After having my own life transformed through language learning, international study opportunities and the unwavering support of great educators, I decided to become a Teacher myself. While I loved teaching, I eventually realized that many of the barriers facing students extended far beyond the classroom, and I wanted to create opportunities that would reach entire families and communities directly. That’s when I created Immersed Global.

Today, our work focuses on building what I call a “3-Step Immersion Journey.” We introduce children and families to languages and cultures through accessible local programming, provide immersive experiences that build confidence and real-world communication skills, and ultimately create pathways to international study and travel opportunities that many families never imagined were possible.

One of the things that sets our work apart is that we don’t view language learning as simply memorizing vocabulary words or completing worksheets. We view language as a bridge to cultural understanding, leadership development, confidence building, and expanded life opportunities. Our programs intentionally combine language learning with financial literacy, entrepreneurship, cultural exploration, and global citizenship.

Through Immersed Global and MAIC, we also support schools and organizations by providing language enrichment programming, curriculum development, educator support, and cultural learning experiences that help students engage with the world in meaningful ways.

What excites me most is watching young people discover that the world is both bigger and smaller than they imagined.

Bigger because they begin to see the incredible diversity of languages, cultures, and opportunities that exist beyond their immediate surroundings. Smaller because they realize how deeply connected they already are to people around the world. Many of our students are surprised to learn that there are Afro-Latinos throughout Latin America, entire African nations where French is spoken, and people who look like them living, working, and thriving in countries they may have never considered before.

Those moments of discovery are powerful. You can almost see a young person’s perspective shift in real time as they begin to understand that the world is not some distant place reserved for other people—it’s something they are already a part of. When students start seeing themselves reflected in global communities and recognizing that international opportunities are within reach, their confidence, curiosity, and sense of possibility begin to expand in ways that are difficult to put into words.

Those are the moments that remind me why this work matters.

The accomplishment I am most proud of is not a particular award, title, or milestone. It is building programs that create access. Every scholarship secured, every partnership formed, every family served, and every student who gains confidence through our programs represents another door being opened.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My journey has required several pivots, and each one has taught me that pivoting does not always mean failure. Sometimes, a pivot is simply growth, shifting priorities, or a clearer understanding of what the work is really supposed to become.

One of my biggest pivots happened in spring 2022, when I made the decision to leave full-time classroom teaching and focus on Immersed Global full-time. That was not a small decision. My husband and I were moving from a two-income household to a one-income household, and I knew that choice would require sacrifice, faith, and a lot of discipline. But I also knew that leaving the classroom would give me the opportunity to have an even greater impact.

At first, Immersed Global focused heavily on supporting schools by sourcing, training, and placing language educators in classrooms. That work mattered, but over time I realized I did not only want to help schools fill language gaps. I wanted to build direct pathways for children and families to experience language, culture, leadership, and global exposure in ways that felt accessible and meaningful.

That led to another major pivot in spring 2023, when I began shaping what is now our 3-Step Immersion Journey, and forming Madame Armant’s Immersion Cities as a nonprofit organization. The work became less about simply providing language instruction and more about building an entire ecosystem of access.

Then, in fall 2023, I became a mother. Giving birth to my son Gabriel brought another pivot I did not fully anticipate. I stepped away from both businesses for a season and did not return to the work in a major way until spring 2025. That period taught me that rest, motherhood, and personal transformation are also part of the entrepreneurial journey.

Over the past year, I have pivoted back into entrepreneurship and community engagement with a stronger sense of purpose, clarity, and urgency. Looking back, every pivot sharpened the vision. I did not abandon the work. I grew into the version of myself that could carry it with more intention.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience has been one of the biggest requirements of building Immersed Global and Madame Armant’s Immersion Cities.

Much of this journey has been bootstrapped, built late at night, built during nap times, and built while being a stay-at-home wife and mom. There have been many moments where I was writing grants, planning programs, responding to emails, creating materials, and trying to keep the vision moving while also being fully present as a mother.

The grant rejections were probably one of the hardest parts. They felt endless. I knew the work was meaningful, but every rejection made me question whether I was seeing something that no one else could see yet. On top of that, I was pulling together our inaugural Unity 5K & Cultural Festival, which was a huge undertaking. There were moments when it felt like I was carrying an entire event, organization, and vision on my back (because I was).

At one point, I was so exhausted and discouraged that I had a conversation out loud with God. I asked for a clear sign. I needed to know if I was wasting my time, because if I was, I was ready to stop right then.

The very next day, someone reached out to me and said she wanted to be part of the work I was building with Immersed Global and Madame Armant’s Immersion Cities. She happened to work at the t-shirt shop that had agreed to sponsor our 5K. After seeing what we were doing, she researched the organization and looked me up. She discovered that we had attended the same undergraduate program, earned the same degree in Modern Languages with a concentration in French, and even shared a connection to UMBC, where I earned my master’s degree in Intercultural Communication.

For me, that was not random. That was the sign I had asked for.

After that, I kept going. The 5K took off and became a success, and shortly after, we received our first grant award letter.

That experience reminded me that sometimes resilience is not about never questioning the journey. Sometimes resilience is asking the hard questions, admitting you are tired, looking for confirmation, and still choosing to move forward when the next door opens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.immersedglobal.net
• Instagram: @immersioncities ; @immersed_global
• Facebook: Immersed Global, LLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/makeva-armant-a4a698161/
• Youtube: @ImmersedGlobalKidz
• Other: Facebook: Madame Armant’s Immersion Cities, Inc.

Image Credits

RodgersPolk Photography