Mix is a marketing senior in MSU’s Eli Broad School of Business. He grew up in Detroit, where he started a nonprofit organization — the Our Young Leaders Foundation. 

The foundation officially gained legal status as a nonprofit earlier this year. Mix serves as the foundation’s co-founder, president and chairman of the board. Our Young Leaders Foundation aims to give back to the community in Detroit by providing services for community members. 

Mix talked about his original vision for the organization — which included mentorship and financial support, as well as urban revitalization. The organization purchased different plots of land within Detroit to create small gardens.

“Originally, we wanted to create a mentoring program. We realized that the value of that is great, but we could provide greater value by also providing financial support,” Mix said. “That way, we can give those back to the community members,” Mix said. 

Today, his foundation is legally established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. He talked about some of the projects he’s been putting together through it.

“We are creating a high school tour,” Mix said. “I’m really excited for this because it’s a very creative project that we haven’t seen anyone do yet, and it’s an opportunity for us to talk to hundreds of high school students about how to brand themselves and put themselves in a position that aligns their passion with their purpose.”

Mix’s tour will start in either East Lansing or Detroit. As he grew up in Detroit and attends school in East Lansing, he’s familiar with both locations.

“The title of the tour is called ‘Finding your Purpose’ tour,” Mix said. “The tour will start in East Lansing or in Detroit, then it will go back and forth until the springtime, leading up to our second annual Plant A Seed Gala.”

Mix was recently designated a Forbes Under 30 Scholar and attended the Forbes Under 30 Summit on Sept. 30 in Boston. The Under 30 Summit is “an open forum for Under 30 listmakers — past, present and future — to take the stage and share their stories,” according to Forbes.

The summit was a networking opportunity for Mix, with a line-up of speakers including Sen. John Kerry, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Olympic athlete Adam Rippon.

“(It) is just like in the movies, where you are able to see all these celebrities and all these game changers,” Mix said. “You’re pretty much on the forefront for networking, you’re on the forefront for getting your resume out there and for getting your brand out there.”

Mix is also appointed to MSU’s 2018 Homecoming Court. As an ambassador for the court, he’ll appear in the MSU Homecoming parade Oct. 5 and at the MSU vs. Northwestern football game Oct. 6. 

With the community service Mix has done over the years — in and outside of his nonprofit — he hopes to be a true role model for young people looking to make a change in their communities. 

“The sky is not the limit for everyone, but in order to really add something to a community ... you really have to stay true to your heart,” Mix said. “Create something that is long-lasting, that’s everlasting, because those things are really what change is about.”