Wilglory Tanjong ’18, owner and founder of luxury handbag company Anima Iris, sat down for a Q&A on Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Understanding with Max Jakobsen ’24, president of the Princeton African Students Association (PASA). 

The event was co-hosted by the Black Business Association (BBA), PASA, and the Princeton Association of Black Women (PABW). 

Victoria Agwam ’23, co-founder and co-president of BBA, and Elizabeth Poku ’24, external relations officer of BBA, introduced Tanjong, who entered the room to applause from the audience.

Jakobsen then called for a moment of silence to honor PASA member Misrach Ewunetie ’24, who passed away last month. Following the pause, Jakobsen thanked the crowd, and Tanjong encouraged audience members to reach out for support. 

“Definitely do know that myself and other Black alumni are thinking about you guys, are standing alongside you, ready to support [you] in any ways that you guys might need from us,” she said. 

When she was an undergraduate at the University, Tanjong majored in African American Studies. After graduating, she went directly into the corporate world — but found that it wasn’t the right fit. “I understood what kind of car I could have, maybe what kind of home I could have,” she said. “I just wasn’t excited by that.”

Tanjong took a leave of absence from her…