Community Highlights: Meet Tatiana Cooper of SAGE and RDUConnect

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Cooper.

Hi Tatiana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I am a Chicago Native, born and raised on the Southside. I received a full-ride offer to NC A&T for volleyball and graduated Magna cum Laude with a degree in Civil Engineering. I worked as an engineer for 8 years and am currently licensed in Finance at Fidelity Investments full-time. I own RDU Connect and SAGE (Saving Adolescent Girls Everywhere). My story all started with SAGE, the nonprofit organization I started in 2018. I started this organization because I wanted to mentor teenage girls. I wanted them to have an example that looked like them and someone they could relate to. Growing up as a top-tier volleyball player in a private school in Chicago, I never received help from people that looked like me. I was grateful for the assistance but never felt like the people guiding me could relate to my experience. I worked as a Civil Engineer and one day quit my job to take a leap of faith and start this organization. I knew I had the resources to lead our young girls. Today I currently have 25 girls that I mentor in Southeast Raleigh. We work on social awareness, educational involvement, and career and professional development programming for our girls. Through SAGE, I have connected with various business owners that have facilitated programs for our ladies and sponsored our programs. These relationships and connections prompted me to start RDU Connect, a social media marketing, consulting, and advertising platform that provides exposure to business owners and events throughout the Raleigh Durham area. We are on most social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitter @RDUConnect.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but the work is definitely rewarding. The struggles that I had initially when doing this work were finding donors and people to work with our girls. We also had difficulty with having transportation for all of the girls. Today we still have difficulty with finding corporate donors and grants. Overall we are in a much better position. The way I was able to grow and learn from past mistakes was honestly just having confidence to ask for help. I also spent time learning the demographic and scheduling meetings. Today we have an amazing space, transportation, and constant support for our girls. RDUConnect has been growing tremendously as well.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
SAGE
We have developed young leaders out of our adolescent girls. Mentoring 25 girls this year, and overall we have served 75. Our mission is to provide social awareness, educational assistance, nutritional value, outings, community service, and career and professional development to our teen girls. We meet every Thursday from 3-4:30 pm at the Teen Club in Raleigh; what sets me apart is my passion and drive to serve the community and connect with others. I am a valuable resource for others, and I am always willing to uplift—the success and cleanness of my brand and the engagement we receive. My brand is centered around building leaders and creating opportunities for everyone around me. I want people to know I am here for them, and if they ever need business support, they can contact me, and I also have the opportunity for them to meet with the SAGE girls.

RDU Connect
We share information about businesses with events and amazing initiatives in the area and are more than happy to feature those doing great work in the area.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?

• Apps that help would be Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Tiktok. I also utilize LinkedIn Learning, a favorite, and Youtube for a great learning experience.
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X inspired me.
• Podcast: Listen to Money Matters.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sage.inc @rduconnect
• Facebook: SAGE.Inc and RDUConnect
• Linkedin: SAGE Inc.

Image Credits
Fitz Frames Photography