Young Lady You Are 2018
More information on the individuals involved in the event held on March 31st.
Florenza Denise Lee
Keynote Speaker
Florenza Denise Lee is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. However, as a military spouse (of over 30 years), she has had the privilege of living in Hawaii, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and nearly 12 years in Germany; she has travelled extensively. Florenza is a Radio Talk Show Host, Published Author, Publisher, Transformational Speaker, Certified Life Coach, Freelance Writer, and Children’s Mindfulness Coach. Florenza facilitates a purpose discovery workshop entitled, “Material Matters” which guides participants through a three-hour conference, allowing them to discover their true purpose and calling. Florenza’s energetic personality, candor, and ability to draw the audience in with her vivid storytelling, and applicable life lessons has made her highly sought out as a keynote speaker.
Her Children’s Books: Welcome Home Daddy, Love Lexi; The Tail of Max the Mindless Dog – A Children’s Book on Mindfulness; Barry Bear’s Very Best – Learning to Say No to Negative Influences (available in English and Spanish) are published by her company, Words to Ponder Publishing Company, LLC and are available on Amazon.com and her website, www.florenza.org. The Tail of Max the Mindless Dog - A Children's Book on Mindfulness is the first of her books to be released in print and in less than 10 months sold in 48 US States and 30 countries. Barry and Lexi will be available in print, April 2018.
Her latest projects: Oh My, Goodness, Look at this Big Mess! - A Book on Obedience Based on Matthew 21: 28 – 32; Acornsville - Land of the Secret Keepers - A Book Based on The Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30; Micah and Malik’s Super, Awesome, Excellent Adventure, Learning to Find the Here in There; and O’Kapi are currently in illustration; they will be released Fall 2018. In total, she has written 35 books and continues to write daily.
Florenza and her husband, Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Trefus Lee currently reside in Hampton Roads Virginia. Her daughters, Jessica and Melissa Lee reside in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Erika Randolph
Fashion Workshop Instructor
Erika Randolph is a fashion designer. She picked up the needle and thread around the age of 9 and she began her career professionally in 2011 when she featured in her first fashion show. When she isn’t sewing or designing, you can find her goofing around with her son Brandon Jr.
She has attended the Art Institute of Virginia Beach as well as the Academy of Art University.
Erika is a Hampton Roads native.
Liza Infanzon-Smith
Dance Workshop Instructor
Liza was born and raised in New York, where she started dancing at age 5. She studied ballet, jazz, and modern dance before attending college and beginning a professional career. Her résumè includes commercial work and dancing in theatrical productions, both on and off Broadway. Liza moved to Hampton Roads in 2006, where she was a classroom teacher at An Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News. During her time at Achievable Dream, she sponsored the En Pointe Dancers — a club instructing students in various forms of dance. In 2014, along with Ms. Janneice Haughton, she opened Dreams In Motion dance studio in Newport News where she is an instructor and choreographer. Liza hopes to instill in her dancers a desire to have a positive influence on their community through the arts.
Marquisha Daniels
Panelist
As a young lady I’ve always had a strong interest in fashion. I’ve always had a unique sense of style. Through the years I majored in Fashion Design at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, where I mastered how to style for my body type. At that point, I discovered thrifting, which would later influence the mission behind my brand.
In college I learned fashion history as well as fashion marketing techniques. The most exciting part of my major was gaining an understanding on pattern making and learning how to sew on an industrial machine. After school, I worked as a visual merchandiser, sales lead and manager. Shortly following, I decided to go into business for myself.
I am Marquisha Daniels, Owner of Francheska Louies, LLC. The brand specializes in trendy vintage plus size clothing for sizes (12-24), offering online as well as pop-up shop vending. We shop all over the world pulling pieces from consignments, thrifts and small boutiques. We strive to provide fashion for plus size woman who dare to be different.
Terri Ballinger
Panelist
Born in Detroit, Michigan
Growing up with a mother who is a self-taught seamstress, her passion for details in fabric prints became the center of her paintings.
An artist all her life, she received her under graduate and Master of Fine Arts and Visual Studies at Norfolk State University. Her storytelling exhibitions have been featured at Thomas Nelson Community College, Norfolk State University, Slover library, Selden Offsite Gallery World Trade Center, and guest speaker for women in art. Her artwork is influenced by two renowned artists, Faith Ringgold and Betye Saar. The intent of her artwork is to illustrate the elegance of African American women and highlight her beauty through color, texture, and symbolism. Her choice of medium for storytelling is presented in assemblage collages, stretched canvas, and utilitarian items. Her artwork continues a storytelling aspect of the woman by painting styles of high heel shoes. The fashion of shoe portrays the femininity and an expression of her soul.
Her eclectic artwork continues to expand by introducing her hand painted “Terri Bears”. Personalized wood characters featuring various attire as keepsakes.
Alexandra Whiteside
Panelist
Alexandra Whiteside is an adjunct professor in the Interior Design BFA program at the Art Institute of Virginia Beach. She also teaches art workshops through the Downing Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News, Creative Music & Entertainment in Chesapeake, and Art Central Phoebus in Hampton. Her formal education combines photography, theatrical arts, graphic arts and interior design.
With the philosophy that exceptional artists should constantly nurture and enhance their skills, Alexandra has attended as well as taught hundreds of hours of workshops, programs and mentoring sessions spanning three decades of her art and design career.
Alexandra Whiteside’s abstract artwork explores story-telling through the manipulation of color and texture, usually without incorporating familiar imagery. Alexandra typically works on large-scale canvas with acrylics, oils and modeling compound to construct artwork that elicits a unique emotional response from each viewer. Alexandra is also an avid photographer, creating fine art pieces using her original photography and digital post-processing techniques.
Since the mid-1980’s, Alexandra’s large scale abstracts have been commissioned by interior design clients across the United States. Alexandra also exhibits in galleries and public venues, including Art Central Phoebus, Cobalt, the Hampton Convention Center Halls of Art XII juried show and the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center First Regional Juried Show. In 2016, Alexandra's painting "Shore" was awarded Honorable Mention in the Artists Who Teach exhibit at the Charles H. Taylor Arts Center in Hampton, VA.
In 2017, Alexandra was one of the artists invited to participate in the “Ella 100” exhibit at the Downing Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News, celebrating Ella Fitzgerald's 100th birthday. Alexandra’s painting for that show is also part of the exhibit sent to Newport News' sister city in China in the fall of 2017. Looking to the future, Alexandra and her husband Jimi are delighted to have been invited to exhibit as a husband and wife joint show at Downing-Gross in August 2018.
Karm La'Quinn
Panelist
Felecia Mobley
Panelist
Crystal Sessoms
Panelist
Sirron Ware
Panelist
Owner - Atmosphere Hair Salon & Hair Replacement Center
Sirron Ware is a Virginia native that is no stranger to the world of beauty, she has been a licensed stylist for over 30 years and has a love for the beauty industry. She is a firm believer that good custom service and atmosphere is everything. Her core values consist of being on time, being informed and proficient in and about the latest beauty trends. Since 2007, Sirron has also been a National Educator for Influance Hair Care located in Chesapeake, Virginia where she educates stylist across the nation in the fundamentals of color, cutting, styling techniques as well as the latest hair trends. Currently, she is a board-certified Hair Loss Specialist and is in the process of working on her certification as an Associate Trichologist. Sirron wholeheartedly believes that
staying relevant begins and ends with education.
In 2006, realizing the affect that hair loss can have on as person’s overall well-being caused her to seek additional education in the area of non-surgical hair replacement. This along with her enthusiasm and dedication, allowed her to
better serve her clients that suffer from hair loss due to medical reasons as well as neglect. This passion has led her to specialize in hair replacement working with clients who suffer from Alopecia.
In 2014, Sirron became a certified class
facilitator for the American Cancer Society's "Look Good, Feel Better" Program. Although, the Look Good, Feel Better makeup and wig program is wonderful, Sirron saw the opportunity to provide more fashionable wigs for African American females and younger more trendy females. This sparked a desire for Sirron to meet the need of those female causing her the create the not for profit side of Atmosphere Hair Salon and Hair Replacement Center “A Beautiful Coif”. A Beautiful Coif supplies women who are experiencing hair
loss due to cancer wigs at no cost to them. Women receive a wig and are educated on how to care for their skin and scalp during this traumatic time in their life.
What started as a simple journey behind the chair has now fully blossomed into a passion and mission to assist and empower women to be the best versions of themselves no matter their circumstance and help them come out of their trials as beautiful as they want to be.