Young Leaders Series: Taking an ordinary career and making it extraordinary.

This summer we will be focusing on three amazing young leaders andwhat they have done to make this a better world. We are excited to startthis series with one of our STAR leaders, who is GradiehWreh. She wears many hats with Uniting Distant Stars by serving as afounding board member, donor and volunteer along with bringing themillennial perspective to our organization. She was an instrumentalmember of our project team forthe 2013 Youth Leadership Workshop in Liberia both as a planner andpresenter, which she shared her expertise as an entrepreneur. 

Gradieh--whose name means surprise--is a very focused and self-determined young women who has built hersuccessful cosmetology business--Hair by Gradieh--from the ground up.She has unleashed her passion to promote healthy natural hair throughher work as a stylist and teacher. She offers several types of styles along with her own design of "U Part" wigs. Her most recent endeavor waslaunching her own product line for hair and skin using naturalingredients that are abundant in her native home of Liberia. Shenamed her product line--Bindu's Organics--after her Mom, who has been a huge help with this venture.

Gradieh with her Mom Bindu selling Bindu's Organics and U Part wigs at a show. Photo courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

I met Gradieh shortly before she married herhusband Elijah in August2010. Elijah and I connected two months earlier about our sharedpassion in helping the young Liberian people access resources toimprove their quality of education. It has been an honor to be immersedin the lives of this enterprising young couple that forged a lastingrelationship that is both personal and professional.

Gradieh with Elijah. Photos courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

During that same year in 2010, I became a client of Gradieh's and reallyappreciate the personalized service she delivers. Most importantly as Ihave sat in her chair the last four years, I have been able to witnesshow she has realized her dreams one bold initiative at a time. She hasgrown her thriving business by taking some risks and mixing her talentsas an artist and scientist. One moment she is sculpting an UpDo that ismore of a work of art than a simple hairstyle. The next moment she issharing her next chemistry experiment on Facebook that she is conjuring up in herbrother's kitchen for her ever growing product line.

On the left is one of Gradieh's UpDo's and on the right is a new batch of body butter being whipped up.                          Photos courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

It is her strong faith in God as a Christian that has guided her intaking this "ordinary career and making it extraordinary"--somethingcoined by my own Mom in describing her entrepreneurship. It is excitingto watch her excel in her passion-aligned-profession along with beingone of the first to try out her products.

Bindu's Organics Body Butter. Photo courtesy of Gradieh Wreh.

Gradieh follows in the footsteps of many in hergeneration that havecreated businesses that value both profit and people which is oftenreferred as a social enterprise. In providing a social benefit, shestarted offering free workshops this year toboth her clients and general public about understanding the science ofhair and how to protect it from the harsh elements. In attending two ofher workshops, I can say she is a subject matter expert on hair from theinside out.

While building her brand in Minnesota, she is also introducing it in theNew Jersey and New York markets. She and Elijah moved out east in 2013when he landed a job in his field of regulatory science. Whileestablishing herself at a salon in Newark, New Jersey, she returns to Minnesotaabout every six weeks to serve her long-term clients. As one of them,I'm grateful for her making this possible.

Follow Hair by Gradieh on Facebook and Instagram. 

In addition to her a role has an entrepreneur, she is a studentcompleting her bachelor's on entrepreneurship and a writer for variouspublications for black women. She is definitely dedicated in changingthe paradigm for businesses owned by women and people of color.

Gradieh is an example of someone that pushedpast the expectations ofothers to follow her own ideals in living her purpose. Though she hasbeen challenged by her age and race, she does not let either one hinder her from achieving her goals. Much of this could be attributed to moving to Minnesota fromLiberia at age 9 while it was embroiled in a civil war.This caused her to be separated from her parents, but she was fortunateto have relatives in Minnesota to live with during this transition. Thiswas not easy juncture in her life, because she went through herformative years trying to preserve one culturalwhile adapting to another. I believe this experience helped her gainwisdom and strength to persevere through many trying times thus leadingto her success today.

Uniting Distant Stars is honored to have Gradieh on our team. She is arole model for the young people we are serving in Liberia and elsewhere in the world. We wanted to ask herfour questions that would encourage young people to pursue their dreams bysharing her experience and insight that has shaped her own.

1) When did you first discover your talents and knew this was a path you wanted to take and why?

I discovered my talent of doing hair when I was in the eighthgrade. I needed my hair done and a friend of mine stood me up. I took on thetask and I kept on going from there. I would practice on myself, friends andfamily members. I started helping my cousin’s wife in her salon during herpregnancy when I was in the ninth grade. I loved the salon experienceand I never stop going; it became my after school job.

I love interacting, educating and touching people’s lives.These are the three things that pushed me to continue my path of doing hair and so much more.

2) What were the top three influences that supported your can-do spirit and why?

First is My faith:  Understanding that I can do all things throughHim (God) who strengthens me.

Second is Helping people: There is always a way to help someone andthere are so many rewards you get from doing so. From what I experienced, I can say the disappointmentcaused by not helping others is far greater. I love being among people who are realizingtheir potential while they are watching me do the same. That is why I love toshare my journey, because I just never know who I’m influencing.

Third is Modesty: I can be painfully modest at times about what Ido and how far I have come, but that pushes me to always want to do more. I havemany little notebooks and planners lying around that have goals and financialrecords in them. They go back as far as 2007 (when I was in cosmetology school)and every time I come across one of them, its an opportunity to see how farI have come and this is followed with a few minutes of celebration. After that, Irealize how much more I have to do and how “far behind” I am.  Bottom line is that there is more to do andregardless of how much I accomplished, I have committed my life to continue with thework that has been driven by my passion and desire to pursue my dreams.

3) In dealing with the barriers of age and race, what are some strategies you have applied to overcome them?

Number 1 is Educate myself: Educationbrings on a whole new level of confidence. I don’t believe in hanging a degreeon my wall and calling it an education. That was the example of education thatI saw growing up, so the idea of going to college was never attractive to meuntil 2011. Education to me is not just formal education, but seeking new experiences and new and innovative ways to do things. It’s finding how many different ways I can part your hair and how manydifferent styles I can create and why. By educating yourself, you are equippingyourself with something that can never be taken away.

Number 2 is Humble yourself: It allows you to grow, gain trust andbuild strong relationships.

4) As someone who has found success as a young entrepreneur, what wouldbe your five top recommendations that you would give a risingstar that may feel hindered by any social biases?

1. Follow your heart.
2. Always be good to people.
3. Educate yourself.
4. Invest in yourself beforeexpecting anyone else to.
5. Be confident/cautious: Taketime out to understand each step you take and why. Take time out tounderstand where you are and why you’re there. What decisions orcircumstances are responsible for where you are and just because you comeacross a good opportunity doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of it.

We want to Thank Gradieh for allowing us to share her story to inspireothers to discover and embrace their authentic self. Also, we wish her all the best as shecontinues to expand her brand as one of the top haircare specialists in the nation!!!