Briana came to Scotland in 2010 to study International Development at The University of Edinburgh. She soon realised however, that she was most passionate about the environment, sustainability, social justice and ethics and so changed her degree to Sustainable Development.

Heavily involved in student politics, in 2014 Briana was elected Edinburgh University Students Association’s first ever black woman president in its 130-year history. Being President of the first UK Students Association was no easy feat; at 21 Briana was directing a company with a 10 million pound turnover whilst actively working to impact the lives of 35,000 students and young people. Her presidency marked a big change in the way things were run at EUSA, as a young black woman, a boss woman and an American she faced a lot of kickback and censorship from student press and media.  She dealt with a lot of covert racism and abuse from her fellow officers, she was 21 and managing someone who was twice her age, but it was her Presidency at EUSA that gave Briana the confidence to start her own social enterprise after her Presidency and so the Edinburgh Student Arts Festival (ESAF) was born.

In 2016 Briana was named one of ‘Scotland’s Top Ten Social Innovators’. In 2017 she received the only full Sundstrom Scholarship for Women Leaders to study an MBA in Social and Ethical business at the University of the Arts London.

She is setting up a consultancy, Povo, to look at using design thinking methods to unpack social issues, ESAF is launching a new and exciting project in the new year – stay tuned – and Briana is also one of  The Young Women’s Movement’s new trustees.