Juste-Coeur Beaubrun

Economics ‘24

Juste-Coeur Beaubrun is a natural entrepreneur. He grew up in Mare-Rouge, a small northwestern town known for being the landing site of Christopher Columbus. Juste-Coeur’s parents never completed high school, but they believed in education and encouraged their son’s studies. Frequently at the top of his class, Juste-Coeur received merit scholarships, allowing him to stay in school despite his family’s financial hardships. When HELP recruiting staff visited his high school, Juste-Coeur saw a pathway to university that further strengthened his motivation to succeed.

Juste-Coeur’s success wasn’t limited to the classroom. At age 13 he volunteered for the local sports radio program as an assistant host. He impressed the staff, and two years later he was hired as sports director. Juste-Coeur was able to use this position to organize an inter-school soccer championship, creating a venue to showcase the best local talent.

Now finishing his second year as a HELP student, Juste-Coeur says that his experiences here have reinforced his own goals: working for a fairer Haiti and reducing the stigma surrounding poverty. In collaboration with young people in his hometown, Juste-Coeur created the School of Leadership & Entrepreneurship Program (PLES) for local school children. He also helped coordinate the first Mole St. Nicolas youth project competition in July 2020. With fellow HELP students, Juste-Coeur recently created MyKolleg: an online portal for job postings, a marketplace, and a fundraising tool. The MyKolleg app is live in the Google Play Store and already has nearly 2,000 users.

Looking back on the past year, Juste-Coeur says, “With the extraordinary support of HELP -- my dorm, stipend, advisor, and the counseling sessions -- my worries were reduced. Although I struggled with the many changes during the pandemic, the support of my advisor and the HELP network allowed me to adapt and find the courage to persevere. In my free time, I was able to do constructive things for my community, including a radio broadcast to educate others about Covid-19 and share my knowledge about economics and leadership.”