Jaedun Ward
Student, Small Business Owner, and Writer in Detroit, MI
Why, hello there! My name is Jaedun Ward, and I’m a sophomore at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. I’m an entrepreneur with ‘multi-potentiality,’ and someone who is constantly curious about the world around me. I enjoy turning ideas into something tangible, whether that means creating a photograph, writing a story, building a project, or finding a way to help other people. A lot of what I do is centered around creativity, opportunity, and my belief that young people should have the chance to make an impact in their communities.
Academically, I’m a student at Cass Tech with a strong interest in economics, computer science, business, and the arts. I earned a 3.4 GPA during my freshman year and am continuing my studies through advanced and honors coursework. Outside of the classroom, I founded MAKE (Making Access Kindle for Everyone), a platform designed to make opportunities in the arts, entrepreneurship, culture, and other areas easier to discover and access. I’ve also participated in entrepreneurship, investment, student government, and youth leadership programs, including the Detroit Mayoral Youth Cabinet. As an artist, I received a Gold Key in Photography through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and a national honor from: Celebrating Art sponsored by BLICK, and I’ve continued exploring photography, writing, filmmaking, and other creative mediums. Through MAKE and my other projects, I’ve also gained experience in public speaking, pitching, interviewing, fundraising, community organizing, and working with artists and entrepreneurs (I'm also a dual enrollment student @ Wayne State University studying college level Business, Sociology, and Creative Writing + being a part of TEDxWayneStateU)
Outside of school and my projects, I enjoy photography, filmmaking, writing, traveling, sports, technology, investing, graphic design, and simply learning about things I’ve never encountered before. I’m especially interested in the relationship between art, business, and technology. I like being able to move between creative and analytical thinking, and I hope to keep developing both sides of myself as I grow. In the future, I plan to study Economics with a minor in Computer Science at a four-year university and eventually become an entrepreneur and CEO of my own brand. I want to continue expanding MAKE, create opportunities for other artists and entrepreneurs, and build projects that can reach people far beyond Detroit.
Ultimately, I want my work to prove that creativity and technology can be used not only to create something new, but also to give other people access to opportunities they might not have known existed. If you have a inquiry, or a story to tell me, reach out!
Jaedun Ward
313 349-6823