Meet the 2026 Next Level Cohort!
We’re proud to introduce our 2026 Next Level cohort – a talented team of early-career creative professionals taking the next steps to further their career interests in marketing, media and communications, audience engagement, community outreach and brand representation.
Returning for its second year, The Next Level Employability programme continues to uplift and empower individuals through its hybrid approach, combining practical workplace experience with structured training and mentorship tailored to support our new cohort’s professional growth and confidence.
As part of the programme, the cohort act as Brand Ambassadors for Be United, playing an integral role in connecting Be United with audiences, artists and stakeholders across Scotland. Their presence strengthens relationships, increases visibility, and ensures that Be United’s mission is impactful and far-reaching.
Alongside this, our Next Level cohort are also engaged in placements with organisations across the cultural and creative sectors and beyond, gaining valuable hands-on experience while contributing their skills, ideas and perspectives to their host organisations.
Together, we’re building stronger creative communities, amplifying Black creative voices, and celebrating the performing arts, screen, and cultural events sectors. Our cohort embodies the values of empowerment, excellence, and equity, bringing energy and insight to every event, initiative, and campaign they support.
Monika Navickaitė, Marketing, Media, and Communications Lead at Be United, who oversees the Next Level Employability programme and leads on participant training, shared:
I believe what truly sets this programme apart is that it provides real, paid experience within a cultural organisation. They’ve participated in training across branding, social media and communications, safeguarding, events reporting, administrative work and more. This hands-on involvement allows them to hone their skills, build confidence, and feel prepared to take the next steps in their career journey.
We’re thrilled to see the positive impact our cohort has already made within the first month of the programme. From attending one of this year’s Fringe of Colour coffee hours to running the Brand Ambassador table and engaging with audience members at our recent Rhythm & Bass Fringe show. We look forward to sharing more of their stories and achievements as they continue to contribute to Scotland’s vibrant cultural landscape.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to the Edinburgh Regenerative Futures Fund for their support, which has helped make the Next Level programme and these opportunities possible.
Introducing the Next Level 2026 Cohort
We are thrilled to introduce the incredible individuals who make up this year’s Next Level cohort.
Christabel Enabulele Odeh
Christabel is a poet, organiser and aspiring solicitor. Her writing touches on both the personal and political, ranging from the themes of love to liberation. When organising, she focuses on platforming underrepresented voices and creating spaces for audiences to connect and reflect.
Elizabeth Hernandez Moliko
Elizabeth is a sound designer, composer, singer and songwriter based in Edinburgh. With an MSc in Sound Design, she is passionate about creating immersive audio experiences for music, film and interactive media, particularly video games. As an artist performing under the name Eli HM, she blends cinematic storytelling with alternative pop while developing her creative career through the Next Level Programme.
Jachine Oguta
Jachine is a 24-year-old aspiring creative who has knowledge of music, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She has been watching, learning, and creating content since she was 14, and decided to pursue social media marketing and creation as a career during university. From creating content for a small brand to influencing prospective students, she understands what makes content stand out and capture people’s attention, turning them into prospects for the brands and organisations she’s worked with. As for her MSc in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, she hopes to use her degree to create a way for independent music artists to find the resources they need to succeed in their careers, an idea she’s had since age 16 and developed through her analysis of the music industry as an aspiring future artist.
Matilda Igathe
Matilda is a creative strategist working at the intersection of business strategy and storytelling. Everything she does stems from a love of people — whether that’s helping someone understand themselves, grow their business, connect with others, or bring their vision to life. With an MSc in Management, Strategy and Leadership, a background in theatre production, and a Genos International Emotional Intelligence certification, she brings both rigour and heart to her work. Currently a Brand Ambassador on Be United’s Next Level Programme, she’s building a career around one belief: a story worth telling deserves a strong strategy to support it.
Rumbidzai Njodzi
She is completing an MSc in Environment and Development at the University of Edinburgh as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and holds a BSc in Geographical Information Science and Earth Observation. Her work has spanned programme coordination, community development, spatial analysis and field research with organisations including TSURO Trust, Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust, the FeME Network and Pegara Japan, much of it rooted in Zimbabwe. She is drawn to work that keeps communities at the centre of decisions made about them, whether that is climate justice or the creative sector. At Be United she is focused on partnership research, programme support and helping build the connections that make opportunity easier to reach.
Suzanne Olivo
Suzanne is an emerging creative shaped by interwoven Filipino roots, a Montreal upbringing, and a UK‑based life. Her work blends observational clarity with refined visual narrative, speaking to the nuances of diaspora experience. She contributes to the communities that keep her challenged, supported, and accountable.
Tobi Olaifa
Tobi is a 4th-year Media and Communications student at Queen Margaret University with a creative mindset and a passion for bringing new ideas to life. She enjoys turning ideas into reality and values collaborating with people who share similar interests, believing that the best outcomes are achieved through teamwork. She has demonstrated strong communication and collaboration skills and enjoys contributing to projects by developing creative, solution-focused approaches to challenges. Having lived on two different continents, Tobi brings a diverse cultural perspective and a wealth of life experiences that shape her approach to communication and collaboration. She is passionate about the media industry and is committed to making meaningful contributions while continuously developing her professional skills.
WU Tong
WU Tong is a freelance sound designer, sound engineer, recording and mixing engineer in theatre and music. Currently based in Edinburgh, she is an arts and community-focused event organizer and project coordinator with experience in cultural programming, artist collaboration, and community engagement. She is also the founder of Mujian, an organization committed to amplifying Asian voices in cross-cultural collaborations.
To find out more about the Regenerative Futures Fund, visit the Regenerative Futures Fund website or click the button below.
