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The Power of Pink: Laila Leigh’s Journey to Streamer University

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE – THE MAROON TIGER — Laila Leigh, also known as “LailaSimoneTV” on Twitch, is preparing to attend Streamer University as part of the Class of 2026. This intensive week-long bootcamp, hosted by Twitch star Kai Cenat, aims to help emerging creators enhance their platforms, master streaming techniques, and monetize their content.

Published

3 months ago

July 18, 2026

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The Power of Pink: Laila Leigh’s Journey to Streamer University

Laila Leigh’s Streamer University journey started on cardboard in a pink room in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. From a young age, her family has taught her to speak things into existence: grades, internship opportunities and now the chance to build her brand as a social media influencer.

Streamer University, for those unfamiliar, is a week-long intensive bootcamp held on a U.S. college campus hosted by content creator and Twitch superstar Kai Cenat. The bootcamp focuses on helping rising creators elevate their platforms, master the art of streaming, and monetize their content. Leigh is set to join the Class of 2026 for the bootcamp.

“[Laila’s father] believes in speaking things into existence. I believe in writing it down and making it plain. Laila’s been around all these concepts,” said Mai Leigh, Laila’s mother. “She has books about manifestation.”

Laila Leigh, who goes by “LailaSimoneTV” on Twitch, hopes that Streamer University is just one step in a path that leads to a career as an entertainment correspondent. She has memories of watching “Good Morning America” and “106 and Park,” respectively. The show’s hosts, Robin Roberts and Rocsi Diaz, were her role models. Watching them helped Leigh realize she wanted a life in front of the camera.

“Robin Roberts introduced a professional side and being a student of the game and real journalism,” said Leigh, a 2026 Clark Atlanta University (CAU) graduate.

Shifting her goals

Initially, Leigh thought she wanted to be a newscaster, like Roberts. As she got older, she watched YouTubers like Queen Naija and Jordyn Lucas. She also went to events like the Black Sports Business Symposium. She learned how to network, but she also realized that she would rather interview celebrities instead of learning about male athletes.

“I want to do something more fun…let me see what entertainment is like,” she said.

From that day, she never looked back.

She started interviewing celebrities like Luhh Dyl, India Love and Latto. She also began posting videos of herself talking about celebrities. Her Instagram video covering celebrity couple Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson’s split has more than 170,000 views.

A relationship made through time

Mai Leigh and her daughter have built a special relationship. One that has roots in respect.

“My mom is like my best friend,” said Laila Leigh.

“I think I was meant to be her mom. We have a relationship that’s really unique. I respect Laila,” said Mai Leigh.

When the duo traveled to Atlanta to film Laila’s Streamer University application, Mai didn’t know much about streaming. She questioned how people even got picked to attend Streamer University. She watched DDG’s content to learn how he became rich from streaming.

“If kids are retiring their parents through streaming… go for it,” Laila remembers her mother telling her.

Finding her way

For Leigh, “find a way or make one” is more than a motto. It’s a way of life. At CAU, she founded “Meet a Panther,” a platform designed to highlight students from the school’s community. She also interned with the school’s social media. She was also the Vice President of The Culture Collective. The organization refers to itself as a creative outlet that connects brands and students through culture.

She also interned as a podcast editor at TMZ, participated in the 2025 CNN Academy and worked as a BET Next Gen Ambassador at this year’s BET awards. These programs taught her how to prepare for big moments, how to communicate with others and how to make a way past obstacles.

**“As a freshman, it sounded like a struggle… I quickly learned finding your way is super important because it could end up with you landing your opportunity,” said Leigh.**

“Everything she’s talked about, she’s gotten done,” said Kaden Lymon, a 2026 CAU graduate who worked with Leigh at The Culture Collective (TCC).

The duo have been friends since 2022, their freshman year of college. Across the last four years, Lymon has seen Leigh’s positive attitude, curiosity and persistence take shape.

“That’s really my dawg,” said Lymon, a smile forming on his face. “It’s really been a joy to watch her grow.”

Her mother, Mai, believes that her daughter can achieve anything she wants because of her curiosity.

“The curiosity that children have, the wonder, it’s beautiful. If you allow them to explore they can become whatever they want,” said Mai Leigh, Laila’s mother.

Professional practice

Lymon, who filmed Leigh’s application to Streamer University, also touts the professionalism that Leigh has shown throughout their time working together. One month before filming the video, Leigh reached out to Lymon for help. She already had a plan, even flying back to Atlanta with her mother from Maryland to make sure her vision came to life.

Lymon and his creative team met with Leigh to work on details. The script was finalized. Choreography and props were discussed. When filming started, though, not everything went to plan.

Instead of giving up, the duo made the necessary adjustments. Just like Lymon, she wanted the video to be perfect. The final sentence of the video, “what we doing, Kai?” took 22 takes to perfect. The video was complete before Kai Cenat announced that Streamer University would be accepting applications.

This type of discipline is not only reserved for her application, which was one out of more than a million. When Laila was in sixth grade, her parents challenged her: stay on her school’s honor roll for the whole school year, and they would reward her with a puppy. Laila took on the challenge. The puppy turned out to be a shih tzu named Cody, who is now 12 years old.

According to Lymon, the two would call weekly and talk about how to make TCC and “Meet a Panther” content better.

“I’m around a lot of people that do big things… It feels good knowing that I was able to help her get to [Streamer University],” said Lymon.

What’s next?

Streamer University is only one part of Laila Leigh’s plan. On her vision board, Leigh lives her dream life. Working at Complex. Interviewing celebrities. Maybe even a life as a TV host like her role model, Rocsi Diaz.

Laila Leigh lays her future in front of her. She prints out her goals, dreams and aspirations, pastes them onto a piece of cardboard and posts the vision board on a pink wall in her family’s house. Then, she turns the vision into a reality.

Based on reporting by Morehouse College – The Maroon Tiger.

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Trader Vic’s Returns to Its Oakland Roots

Trader Vic’s, the internationally recognized brand and birthplace of the original Mai Tai, has officially returned to its roots in Oakland. Originally founded in 1934 on San Pablo Avenue before moving to Emeryville, the hospitality giant has launched Trader Vic’s Outpost at Oakland International Airport’s Terminal 2. The new full-service location offers travelers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails in a 108-seat space designed to celebrate the city’s status as a top national food destination. Visit the website to read more.

Published

1 day ago

October 19, 2026

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Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee cuts the ribbon at the official opening of Trader Vic’s Outpost and Plum Market at Oakland International Airport. She is assisted by U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon as Port of Oakland Board President Stephanie Dominguez Walton, left, and representatives from Trader Vic's, Plum Market, look on. Photo courtesy of the mayor’s office.

By Special to The Post

Oakland has always been a city of innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and world-class hospitality. Trader Vic’s—the birthplace of the original Mai Tai – first opened in Oakland back in 1934 on San Pablo Avenue, long before becoming an internationally recognized global brand.

More than 50 years after it moved to Emeryville, Trader Vic’s is returning to its roots. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee touts the return as another victory for Oakland.

“My administration is deeply committed to backing businesses like Trader Vic’s and Plum Market—partners who invest in our city, uplift our local workforce, and support thousands of local jobs,” Lee said.

The latest Trader Vic’s – called Trader Vic’s Outpost – is located at the Oakland International Airport in Terminal 2 near Gate 25 and had a soft opening in August.

With 108 dining seats, 28 bar seats and a counter for standing-room customers, travelers from around the world can have a full-service restaurant and bar experience or take-out for those with planes to catch.

Open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails will be served.

Trader Vic’s returning to its roots confirms Condé Nast’s decision to name Oakland the #1 Food City in America two years in a row, and just earlier this month, ranked Oakland #6 on their list of Best Cities in the U.S.!

“The opening at OAK is incredibly meaningful for us,” said Rhett Rosen, CEO of Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group, according to the company website. “Trader Vic’s was born in the Bay Area, and this new location gives us the chance to welcome travelers with a taste of that original spirit before they take off. It brings together everything people love about Trader Vic’s — great cocktails, flavorful food, warm hospitality and a little sense of escape — in a place that connects Oakland to the world.”

Trader Vic’s is an Oakland institution and one of the region’s most recognizable hospitality brands, said Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon on the web site.

“Travelers are increasingly seeking dining options that are memorable, locally rooted, and uniquely representative of the communities they are visiting. Trader Vic’s delivers all of that while providing a high-quality food and beverage experience for our guests. We are proud to welcome this hometown favorite to Terminal 2,”

The original Trader Vic’s in Oakland:

In 1934, with an investment of $500, Bergeron opened his initially small restaurant at 65th Avenue and San Pablo, serving comfort foods for lunch and dinner and beers and whiskeys. As his clientele grew, so did his restaurant, expanding space and menu options. After visiting this establishment, famed San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen proclaimed that the “best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland.”

There were as many as 25 franchises worldwide, including the U.S. Trader Vic’s is now headquartered in Martinez.

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Oakland Coal Terminal Backed by Trump Would Be Bigger, Dirtier Than Promised, Says Report

A recent feasibility study commissioned by potential investors says an Oakland coal terminal backed by President Donald Trump could export 13 million tons a year — three times the amount estimated in an earlier environmental review. Surprisingly, the report also contradicts devel

Published

1 day ago

October 19, 2026

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East Bay residents have been fighting alongside No Coal in Oakland for more than a decade. Photo courtesy of No Coal in Oakland.

By Post Staff

Surprisingly, the report also contradicts developers’ and project advocates’ repeated pledges that the coal would be stored in a covered terminal. Instead, the millions of tons of coal shipped annually from inland states to the West Gateway terminal in Oakland would be stored in “two open-air bunkers,” with about 150,000 tons of coal per stockpile, before being sent overseas, according to the recent report cited by the L.A. Times. (https://ruic.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Port-Study-RUIC-Bulk-Commodity-Ocean-Terminals-Study.pdf)

Residents and clean air advocates have long expressed concerns that coal dust would worsen pollution in West Oakland and throughout the East Bay.

The proposed site of the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) is located at the former Army base near the Port of Oakland, which developer Phil Tagami has been trying for years to turn into a shipping terminal despite determined community opposition.

Trump announced a $75-million investment in the project in June, about a third of its estimated cost. The new terminal would be the largest coal export site on the West Coast, transporting coal to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, according to the Trump administration.

Opponents say a new terminal would undermine years of progress cleaning up the air in West Oakland, which has a history of disproportionate pollution and high asthma rates due to its proximity to the port and other industry.

According to No Coal in Oakland organizer Ted Franklin, who has been active for 11 years in the fight to stop the coal terminal, the report indicates that investors may be looking for a cheaper way to build the terminal.

“We were shocked but not surprised” by the report, Franklin said. “Basically, it seems that the plan now is to store open piles of coal, which is a less expensive project than creating a completely enclosed facility.”

The threats that the project poses are real, but it faces a lot of economic and legal hurdles, he said.

Coal production is in permanent decline worldwide, he said, wondering who was going to “invest money in an industry that has no future.”

Further, the project has not yet attracted big investors. “There’s no bank, no financing, no financial institution backing this,” he continued.

A major legal hurdle facing the project is the passage of Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s bill, AB 40, the Community-First Coal Review Act, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30.

The law requires developers of large-volume bulk coal facilities to complete a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before they can operate.

The law was specifically designed to block or delay the coal terminal project.

The report to potential developers was produced by consulting groups Norda Stelo and Wood Mackenzie in July and released this month. It was commissioned by the Rural Utah Infrastructure Coalition, made up of eight Utah counties that are considering investing about $43 million into the terminal to receive Utah coal.

The consultants produced their findings after visiting Oakland, examining engineering documents and holding discussions with Savage Cos., a Utah-based transport and logistics company selected to operate the facility

Research has shown that coal terminal operations can be dangerous to public health. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach moved away from open-air coal and petroleum coke storage three decades ago.

The report says that the site could process 12 million metric tons, or 13.2 million tons, of coal each year, three times more than the terminal’s approved environmental impact report from 2002 and its 2012 addendum. Neither document mentions coal specifically, but rather bulk commodities.

The coal arriving in Oakland could also be dirtier then had been previously stated, according to the report. Project officials previously said the terminal would handle only high-grade western bituminous coal from Utah, but the recent report says it will also handle Powder River Basin coal from Wyoming and Montana, known to be much dustier.

Nor does the report mention plans to cover the rail cars to prevent pollution, though project officials previously promised they would only utilize coal transported in covered rail cars.

“It appears the developers want to build something much bigger and more polluting than anything they previously revealed, either in court or to the West Oakland community,” said Colin O’Brien, deputy managing attorney at the nonprofit Earthjustice, speaking to the L.A. Times.

The report indicates that the project may be much more expensive and take longer to complete than anticipated. The Energy Department estimates the terminal will cost about $231 million, but the report places the price at between $430 million and $625 million.

The terminal will take 53 months to complete according to the report, significantly longer than Trump’s promise of exports beginning in 2028.

Ted Franklin’s column, “Utah Study Blesses Investment in Oakland Coal Terminal but Leaves Key Questions Unanswered” is available at https://nocoalinoakland.info/utah-study-blesses-investment-in-oakland/