The Team

Founder/CEO
Natasha Benjamin is a recent cum laude graduate of Syracuse University where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and African American Studies with a minor in Public Communications. Throughout her life and her time at Syracuse University she embodied Muhammad Ali's quote, "service to others is the rent you pay while on earth" through her passions for music/hip hop, public relations, social media and community development. While at Syracuse University, she participated in community service projects like Say Yes to Education and C.H.O.I.C.E.S. She became co-founder of H.A.I.T.I. Now, an initiative created to help rebuild the Good Shepherd Love Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As a scholar & visionary, she has done extensive research in Hip Hop, a culture she fell in love with at a very young age. 

Currently, Natasha Benjamin has much contributed entertainment journalism work via Charged.fm, profiled entrepreneurs via Miss Millennia Magazine and is Director of Public Relations for the Ethline Fosters Scholar Program. Dr. King eloquently said, "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy". Through challenges and obstacles, Natasha is tirelessly building her empire within the music industry and Beyond the Lyrics is just the very beginning. 

Awards/Recognition: 
  • WellsLink Leadership Program Scholar
  • Ronald E. McNair Scholar
  • Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society Member 
  • Syracuse University Presenter at 6th UPRH McNair Research Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Young Gifted & PRecise Spotlight
Research/Case Studies:
  • Contemporary & Sociological Research - Massive Attack: Nicki Minaj and her Paramount Influence in the Male-Dominated World of Hip Hop, May 2011.
  • Dunbar Association, Inc. Case Study - U-N-I-T-Y:  The Powerful Fusion of Hip Hop and Secondary Education, May 2011.
  • Literary Case Study - Out of the Sounds of Toni Morrison: Threading Her Lyric Based Words, May 2010.
  • Paris Noir Independent Research - Presence Africaine: The Presence and Relevance of African Dance Within the City of Lights, September 2009 

Director of Finances and Scholarship
Ashley Stephens is currently a senior at Syracuse University enrolled in the Martin J. Whitman, School of Management. At the culmination of her senior year, she will have obtained her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting. Her love for finance and accounting has extended to many experiences and opportunities. This past summer she spent three months in China under the Study Abroad program Ascents of the Chinese Economy where she took courses analyzing emerging and foreign markets. While taking courses, she served as the Financial and Accounting Intern for Mary Ching- Eminent Luxury. She also has served as Fiscal Agent of the National Association of Black Journalists, Syracuse University Chapter, President and Treasurer of the Kappa Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and presented financial literacy courses for students in the Syracuse public school district.


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, "Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody". Ashley Stephens has lived by this quote and is diligently knocking until she has her own financial consulting firm working with start-ups and corporations.

Awards/Recognition:
  • Our Time Has Come Scholarship - Harrison Scholar
  • Whitman Undergraduate Scholar
  • Joseph Taubler Scholar 
Research/Case Studies:
  • Global Financial Industry Research - PPP: Purchasing Power Parity Analysis of United States and China, Aug 2011.  
  • Case Study - Industry Analyst of Burger King and McDonalds, December 2009. 

Director of Legal Affairs

Nadia-Elysse Harris is a member of the class of 2012 at New York Law School where she is an Associate in the Program in Law and Journalism and a fellow at the Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute.  She is a 2008 cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Media and Professional Communications. 

Most recently Nadia penned an informational book entitled Criminalizing Hate: America's Legislative Response to Bias Crimes as part of a series of monographs intended to provide those who regularly report on law and the legal profession with clear, readable information on legal topics. She contributed four scholarly articles to Volume 13, Issue 2 of The International Review, the only academic newsletter published by an ABA-accredited law school, reporting on contemporary international and comparative issues. Nadia also contributes written content to CNN iReport, Broadband Expanded, Legal As She Is Spoke, and Charged.fm.

In her free time, Nadia is a pop culture enthusiast and current events aficionado.  She strives to live her life fearlessly and often quotes Ambrose Redmoon who said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.  The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all."

Awards/Recognition:

  • University of Pittsburgh Full Tuition Academic Scholarship, Recipient
  • Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, Member

Service and Affiliations:
  • Media For Humanity, Volunteer
  •  Street Law Project, Mentor
  • NY County Lawyers' Assoc., Student Member
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