Brittany Powell
Delaware State University has many upcoming young black business owners and entrepreneurs. When on an HBCU campus, you will run into many students who have been able to start their own businesses from the ground up and make a name for themselves. Besides the student leaders on campus, we have students who want to make a name for themselves. Scekiya Billups, a black-owned business owner of SymoneLux, is one of those students. She hopes to attract more students to her business and connect more with other DSU businesses.
Below is the text interview with DSU Business Owner Scekiya Billups:
Q- Where were born and what was your upbringing like?
My name is Scekiya Billups. I was born in Brooklyn, NY. My upbringing was really fun & I grew up with both my parents and my sister.
Q- Who has been the greatest influence in your life that has impacted the woman you are today?
I have been the greatest influence to impact the women I am today because I have used that as a way to make myself better and be better than what my family may see me as.
Q- Can you tell us of your education history and what your goals or life ambition were when you were a student in High School/College?
My education history is that I passed all classes and remained on the Honor Roll. I made sure to remain with a passing grade because I did not want to fail. My lifelong ambition is to be a lawyer and be successful.
Q- Can you tell us of your job experience prior to what you’re doing now?
I have been working at Tropical Smoothie and it has taught me to be a manager of other people. As well as, this has taught me that I can be my own boss and regulate what I want to do as my own business.
Q- What was the most memorable point at that job?
The most memorable point at this job would be the point at which they made me a manager and I was not even in college which made me feel like I was more appreciated by my job.
Q- Is this where you thought you’d be 5 or so years ago?
No, but I knew that I would be in college and that I would be able to make a name for myself. However, I did not know what I would be majoring in college or if I really wanted to be a lawyer and has this kind of future for myself.
Q- What informed your decision on doing what you’re doing now?
The information that helped my decision for starting my own business is that I knew I wanted to be my own boss and not listen to anyone’s rules of who is above me. This one of the best decisions of my life because I know I will have a successful business that will support my future career of being a lawyer.
Q- What are your plans for the future?
My plan for the future is to have my own black-owned law firm and still have my SymoneLux business. As well as, still live the lavish lifestyle that I feel I have earned since I go after what I want.
Q- What kind of advice would you offer a student, who is undecided on his or her career path?
The advice that I would offer to a student that is undecided on his or her career path would be that time is limited, so you should figure out what you want to do as a career really soon.
Q- How would you describe the state of higher education in America today?
I would describe the state of higher education in America today as unfair because the education system places schools in rough areas to make it harder for students to get to their schools depending on their neighborhoods that they in.
Q- Have you ever traveled outside of the United States? Where, and how does life outside compare to that in the US?
No, but I would love to go outside of the United States.
Q- What does the future hold for America?
America is going to have a horrible upcoming generation because they are not able to be accepted by anything in society. Society has made this future generation messed up because they do not know how to fend for themselves.
Q- Are you interested in politics? If no, why not? What is your take on the state of politics and the future of American democracy?
No, I am not interested in politics because society is messed up anyway and it is too stressful, but eventually I will have to understand and be more involved with politics due to my wanting to become a lawyer in my near future.
Q- How are you responding to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus? How are you handling this stay-at-home order? What about virtual learning? What keeps you going during these trying times? How can the government better handle the situation?
I am responding to the outbreak of the Covid-19 by following the protocols given by the government. The things that keep me going would be the fact that I have been working this entire quarantine. My opinion on the virtual learning would be that I am truly not learning much, and they believe that assigning us more work would help us learn better, but is not and is actually making more students stressed. The way the government could have better handled this situation is by doing the shut down sooner.
Q- What are your hobbies or extracurricular activities?
My hobbies and extracurricular activities are working on my business and setting goals for myself that could help me achieve my goal of being a lawyer.
Q- How would you describe your philosophy of life? That is, how do you see this life, and what principles get you grounded and moving forward?
I would describe my philosophy of life as using education to motivate myself because I know I do not want to be 30 years old still working for someone else with no goals or aspirations in life.
Q- Let us end this interview with a memorable quote from you. How would you describe yourself to the world?
I am hardworking, determined, ambitious, and fearless. To the world, I am bigger and better at everything and people will know my name in the future.
DSU students be on the look out for the rise and come up for the young business owner Scekiya Billups. She is going to take the business world by a storm, and we can’t wait to see what more she has in store for us.