Hello! My name is Gabrielle Machen, and I am a junior Marketing major at Georgia State University. I created my platform, Built Different, Not Broken, to center one powerful truth: resilience.

Too often, Black women are reduced to statistics numbers that place us at the bottom in business, healthcare, and professional spaces without context, compassion, or humanity. Those statistics ignore the intelligence, adaptability, and strength it takes to succeed in systems that were never designed with us in mind.

Built Different, Not Broken exists to challenge that narrative. Being a Black woman is not a weakness it is a source of power. This platform is about confidence, accurate representation, and creating space for Black women to be seen as capable, valuable, and deserving of opportunity. It is about choosing resilience over stereotypes and redefining what success looks like on our own terms.

This semester, I have the opportunity to advocate for this initiative and represent my platform at the Miss Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship Pageant at Georgia Tech University. I am raising $800 to support the growth and visibility of this platform as I continue this work.

Any contribution big or small helps amplify this message. If donating isn’t possible, simply sharing this platform with family or friends means just as much. Every gesture of support matters.

Thank you for believing in this platform, this mission, and the power of Black women.