Creativity and education are the focus for an up-and-coming organization called MindKandi. The organization, ran by a young entrepreneur, hopes to gain 3000 members through an innovative website: www.mindkandi.net.

Sacramento State student and rapper, La’Candus “Karasi” Morrow plans on helping students get the resources they need to pay for college through her MindKandi website.

MindKandi is planned to launch Oct. 31. The website with the slogan, “candy for college minds,” will focus on getting students scholarships and creating an environment where students can communicate and support each other.

Morrow said she wants to use hip-hop as a platform to expand MindKandi and to use its influence to make college a place kids want to go.

With so many fans of the hip-hop genre, especially the youth, it seems fitting to use it as a means of communicating with young people.

When Morrow met with a counselor in the ninth grade, she was told that college probably was not an option for her. Morrow has since vowed to not let other people feel that kind of disappointment.

Morrow said she is not a social activist, rather she is just a person who cares.

Through her pursuit of higher education and love for music, Morrow has created a place where she can reach out to young people and assure them that someone believes in them even if their high school counselors do not.

“Me doing music and this website kind of go hand in hand because the more music I do, the more I can reach students. The more students I can reach, the more I can help,” said Morrow.

Each person who visits the website will have the chance to join the organization. Membership means access to the online community and opportunities to apply for scholarships and other resources to be put toward a higher education.

“People want to go somewhere, where other people that look like them and talk like them and think like them, are there to express themselves,” said Morrow.

MindKandi’s ideals include promoting diversity, supporting students’ educational goals, and encouraging and inspiring the youth.

“I feel the MindKandi project is an excellent resource for students and others to obtain positive information regarding school and their outside life,” said business major, Rhenisa Morrow.

Morrow, a psychology major, has already begun to create a network of support and enthusiast for her MindKandi project.

“I think [MindKandi] is pretty innovative and creative on [Morrow’s] part,” said friend and colleague Corinthian “C.I. Bang” Criner, a San Francisco State graduate. “I think it will be beneficial to a lot of people.”

Morrow hopes to use her creativity as well as her education to propel other students to success.

Criner said that MindKandi will put Morrow in the forefront as one of Sac State’s rising young-black female entrepreneurs.

Morrow is more than willing to do what is needed to help others, especially those who have been told they could not or should not aspire to get a higher education and those that were told that their dreams did not matter.

“I’m certain that MindKandi cannot change the entire world, however I’m just as certain that MindKandi can change the entire world for each individual we help,” said Morrow.