SAN ANTONIO – From the classroom to the basketball court and track field, Emani Gibbs, 13 years old, is taking on her busy schedule with an “elevate” mindset.
“I never thought it would be a little bit stressful but it’s okay, we all go through tough times in life we just have to get over the obstacle,” Gibbs said
Inspired yet?
Gibbs has a passion for sports but she also loves to shop for shoes, so her mother, Shakkera Santiago, posed a question to her one day.
“We had just came back from one of my exposure camps andI had did a really good job, I had made it to the all-star finals and I wanted to treat myself to a pair of shoes and at the time all I had was cash, so I asked mom, ‘mom do you mind buying me these shoes?’ and she’s like ‘again? another pair of shoes?’ and I was like ‘yes ma’am’ she was just like ‘you’re always buying shoes, you’re always investing in Nike, Jordan, why don’t you invest in yourself? Why don’t you make something that is you, basically?’ ” Gibbs said. “I just got to thinking, that’s not a bad idea...I do love shoes and it just became something, we started thinking about getting ideas, coming up with names and just finding the right people to work with.”
Move forward to present day, her business, Elevate by Emani, is up and running (and so is she!).
“Since she does play sports, I was was like , yeah, let’s do an athletic line that’s kind of how this kicked off, I encouraged her to invest in herself, make her own money, instead of investing in other people,” mom Shakerra Santiago said.
The business world has been an eye-opening experience for the family.
“Just being able to manage everything because she does play sports and she’s also in school, so the time management piece, just to know hard work definitely pays off,” Santiago said. “She works hard in sports so we want to translate that into everything she does.”
Elevate By Emani clothing line includes sizes from infants to adult men. Already, she is receiving positive feedback and learning that it’s a balancing act to “invest in yourself.”
“I learn it’s a lot to manage time,” Gibbs said. “It’s gym, school work, business and then if I have time later, then I can talk to my friends.”
If you would like to order from Elevate by Emani, click here.
