KJ Smith Talks PepsiCo’s ‘Taste of Tomorrow’ Initiative [Exclusive]
Source: Quintin McRea
KJ Smith and her fellow FAMUans painted Orlando orange and green for a football rivalry, and the actress shone a spotlight on an HBCU-celebrating initiative.
Before the Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats during the Florida Blue Classic, Smith continued her work as social media ambassador for Pepsico’s Taste of Tomorrow initiative.
Source: Quintin McRea
Designed to increase Black representation in STEM careers, Taste of Tomorrow tackles the fact that Black professionals currently make up only 9% of the STEM workforce. PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation are addressing this disparity through a $350,000 investment in scholarships and resources for HBCU students pursuing STEM at nine HBCUs, including FAMU, Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, and Howard, with a particular focus on food science and technology.
For Smith, who was joined by her husband Skyh Black at the Classic, her involvement in Taste of Tomorrow resonates deeply.
Source: Quintin McRea
The Tallahassee native pursued her graduate degree at FAMU after growing up in a Rattler-celebrating household, so it’s special to see Pepsico take a particular interest in her alma mater.
“My interntion in going to FAMU was to pursue and even higher education, and in doing that, they were all about Black excellence,” said Smith. “FAMU provided an incubator for me to prepare for the world. It changed my life forever. I wouldn’t be an actress had it not been for FAMU.”
She also scoffed at the idea that HBCUs don’t prepare graduates for success, something Taste of Tomorrow aims to debunk.
“The woman in the highest position in the United States went to an HBCU,” said Smith. “And being at the Florida Classic, you see all of the excellence ascend in one place and that’s what Pepsi is really here for as well, they’ve always been a part of that journey, they’ve always been proactive in recruiting, getting everyone involved. And right now with Taste of Tomorrow, they’re doing even more, they are getting more specific.”
Source: Quintin McRea
She continued,
“It’s like, ‘Not only do we want the black community to excel and suceed’, we are going to get to the specific area in which we don’t see the black community; STEM; science, technology, engineering and math, and we’re going to encourage them to go into those areas because we need more Black people in those areas. We want to change the world and what changes the world is science, technology, engineering and math.”
KJ Smith Talks The Future Of HBCUs With Pepsico’s Taste of Tomorrow
Elsewhere in the interview, Smith reflected on the broader vision of Taste of Tomorrow and the transformative potential for HBCU students in the future.
Source: Quintin McRea / Quintin McRea
“Tomorrow looks very hopeful,” she told BOSSIP. “We’re seeing more of us entering positions of influence—disruptors, inventors, creators. That’s what’s exciting about this initiative. Pepsi is empowering students to focus on their education and mental space, freeing them to innovate and dream big.”
With Taste of Tomorrow, PepsiCo is ensuring that HBCU students not only see the possibilities but have the resources to seize them.
As Smith put it,
“Pepsi is helping us shape a future where we’re not just present in the room but leading the conversation.”
Source: Quintin McRea
Part of that conversation has been on social media, where Smith spreads the word about Taste of Tomorrow, something she’s privileged to undertake.
“I feel personally honored to be part of this because I have accomplished a goal of, what I’m saying to people matters, my influence matters,” said Smith. “It lets me know that Pepsi has a pulse on the culture; I’m on a very influential show, and it lets me know that they’re not just picking anybody; they could’ve picked anybody, anybody with millions and millions of followers; they picked someone they know cares.”
Ultimately, at the root of Taste of Tomorrow is Black excellence, and the stunning star told BOSSIP she’ll never lose sight of its importance.
“Black excellence is being authentically you and what that version of Blackness looks like,” said Smith. “Oftentimes we’re like, Black excellence is wearing a suit and being behind a pulpit, or a pedestal or the White House, but Black excellence is showing up as you, your authentic self—whether that means having tattoos, being colorful, having a bald head. It’s whatever you want it to look like, whatever feels authentic to you.”
She continued,
“We can’t put it in a box or put pressure on ourselves to think, ‘I don’t look like that, so I must not be excellent.’ Black excellence is about being authentically you.”
Source: Quintin McRea