Cedric Bobo, founder and CEO of Project Destined, sat down for a video interview during Nareit’s REITworld: 2024 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on Nov. 18-21.
Project Destined received an inaugural grant from the Nareit Foundation’s Dividends Through Diversity Giving Campaign. Bobo described the grant as “transformative” and noted that it has enabled the development of a REIT-focused program for 50 students at 20-plus universities.
Bobo added that the response to Project Destined’s REIT Bridge program has been “powerful,” with more than 400 applications received. “That just shows you the demand for REIT-based education.” More than 20 students are now working at REITs since launching the program, he noted.
Meanwhile, Bobo noted that Project Destined’s goal is to train 5,000 students a year for a career in real estate generally. The Nareit grant now makes sure that many of those students get exposure to the REIT industry, he added. “My hope is that we'll be able to expand the program both across the country and to a range of different schools and demographics.”