Welcome to Spotlight Hustle, where we celebrate Black women turning dreams into strategy, faith into focus, and ambition into legacy.
In Today’s Feature:
- Main Story → How Félicité turned her parents’ sacrifices into a personal mission for impact
Mindset & Motivation → What keeps her grounded when imposter syndrome hits - Wisdom for Women → Her take on confidence, community, and courage
- Looking Ahead → Félicité’s plan to turn her rebrand into a full-fledged business and a career in law
- Summit Connection → Why we can’t wait to see her rise among the next generation of leaders
The Girl Who Never Stopped Trying
When Félicité’s parents left their small village in Treichville, Ivory Coast, and brought her to New Jersey at just four years old, they carried a dream — not for wealth, but for possibility.
As the eldest of four, Félicité grew up knowing that dream rested on her shoulders. Her parents worked tirelessly, teaching her that hard work wasn’t just a value — it was survival.
But even with all that love, she often felt like an outsider.
In high school, surrounded by people who didn’t look like her, she began to doubt herself.
“I thought maybe success had a certain look, and I didn’t have it,” she admits.
That changed when she arrived at an HBCU. For the first time, she didn’t have to explain herself. She didn’t have to shrink. She saw women who looked like her leading, excelling, and taking up space — and she thought, that’s what I want.
The Spark That Became a Career
Félicité’s first big leap came after her freshman year in college. Feeling disconnected and uninspired, she decided to spend her summer differently — landing her first internship with Hershey Resorts.
“That experience changed everything,” she says. “It taught me how to show up in professional spaces and gave me the confidence to go after more.”
That drive eventually led her to JPMorgan Chase, where she now works as an analyst. Her journey there wasn’t straightforward — she was a criminology major who almost didn’t apply to the bank’s fellowship program.
“I didn’t think I belonged in finance,” she recalls. “But something told me to apply. I trusted that nudge — and it changed my life.”
Today, she’s part of the firm’s Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship, a space designed to empower Black talent in corporate America.
When fear meets faith
The summer after freshman year, Félicité decided to stop hiding and start building. She landed her first internship at Hershey Resorts — a moment that would shape everything after.
“I went from being afraid to speak up to being someone who owned her space,” she recalls. “That experience showed me how capable I really was.”
But the real turning point came two years later. She was scrolling through an email when she stumbled on an application for the Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship at JPMorgan Chase.
She hesitated. She was a criminology major. This was banking. “I almost didn’t apply,” she says. “I didn’t think I belonged in that world.”
But something in her said try anyway. She did. She got in. And that one act of courage opened every door that followed.
Now, Félicité is an analyst at JPMorgan Chase. She's part of the firm’s Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship, a space designed to empower Black talent in corporate America.
Purpose Beyond the Job
For Félicité, success isn’t just about the corner office or the corporate ladder. It’s about lifting others as she climbs.
Beyond her corporate role, Félicité is building something personal — an online platform that helps students improve their résumés, optimize LinkedIn profiles, and discover career opportunities.
“I started it because I remember what it felt like to be confused,” she says. “As a first-generation American, I didn’t always have someone to guide me through college or career choices. Now, I get to be that person for others.”
What started as helping a few classmates has grown into a rebrand-in-progress — a business designed to help first-gen students and young professionals break into industries that once felt off-limits.
Her mission is simple: if she had to figure it out the hard way, you shouldn’t have to.
Faith, Family, and the Fight to Belong
Like many young professionals of color, Félicité has faced rooms where she was the only one who looked like her. Instead of shrinking, she chose to see it as purpose.
“I remind myself that I’m in the room for a reason,” she says. “I deserve to be here.”
Faith is her anchor. “When things get tough, I pray,” she says. “I tell God what’s troubling me and ask Him to order my steps.”
Her “why” is simple but powerful — her family. “I do this for my siblings,” she says. “I want them to see that anything is possible, no matter where you start.”
That sense of responsibility fuels her discipline. She calls herself a 5 a.m. warrior, waking before dawn to pray, plan, and prepare for her day. “Discipline and faith — that’s how I stay grounded.”
Lessons in Becoming
“My mindset has evolved because I’ve learned to trust myself,” she says. “I used to think I wasn’t qualified or ready, but now I know that faith and discipline create the space for opportunity.”
That mindset shows up daily in her routine. She keeps a journal, prays, and uses her calendar religiously to stay organized. And when she feels burnout creeping in, she listens to her body and takes a break.
“Rest is part of the hustle,” she says. “If I’m not well-rested, I can’t show up as my best self.”
She’s learned that success isn’t about hitting a certain level — it’s about using what you have, right now, to build what you want next.
And she wishes more women understood the power of community.
“We rise faster when we rise together,” she says. “Asking for help isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom.”
Looking Ahead
Félicité’s next chapter is as ambitious as it is purpose-driven.
She’s rebranding her career platform, preparing to register her first LLC, and planning for law school — with her sights set on becoming a corporate attorney. She also hopes to spend time in a Spanish-speaking country to deepen her language skills and continue growing globally.
But her vision goes beyond titles or accolades.
“I want to build a legacy of multifaceted women who don’t choose between their passions — they pursue them all.”
Rapid-Fire Round
- Coffee or Tea: Coffee
- Morning or Night: Morning — she’s up at 5 a.m.
- Word for This Season: Evolving
- Podcast She Loves: Quality Queen Control with Asha Christina
- Mantra: “If you’re comfortable, you’re not growing.”
- Favorite Activity: Hiking
- Discipline Hack: “I put my phone in the bathroom before bed. It sounds weird, but it works — no mindless scrolling, no negative thoughts.”
Why We Love Félicité’s Story
Her story is proof that you can turn uncertainty into purpose, and discipline into destiny. From Treichville to JPMorgan Chase, Félicité Mbaye embodies what it means to keep showing up — even when the path isn’t clear.
She reminds us all that success isn’t about fitting in. It’s about believing, building, and becoming — one intentional choice at a time.
Catch Félicité’s journey and more powerful stories at the Top 100 Most Powerful Black Women Summit.
Tickets are free, seats are limited, and the stories are unforgettable.
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