Meet Larea Kwakye

We were lucky to catch up with Larea Kwakye recently and have shared our conversation below.

Larea , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My Grandmother was born in 1933 and was married at 15 years old. She gave birth to 10 children with my Mother being number 5. My Grandfather, her husband for over 30 years, had passed away by the time I was born. She was only 40 yrs old and had never worked. She and my parents decided she would live with us. My Grandmother and I shared a birthday. There was a lot to her birth because she was a product of rape, but not the kind you could make a claim about. We celebrated every birthday together.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started a non- profit, The OMS Foundation, in my grandmothers honor. Her name was Ollie Mae Smith. She always wanted us to get an education because she didn’t feel like she had that opportunity. She was a brilliant home maker: cleaning, sewing clothes for her 10 children, running the family store, selling baked goods, and gardening. She would tell us to go as far as we could in school. Our foundation provides college preparation, career counseling, life coaching and we provide a $500 scholarship for multiple eligible applicants.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think that integrity is key to making an impact by becoming both influential and inspirational. Competence builds confidence and being creative develops capacity. You should focus on the areas you value so that you can be true to you and not be afraid to walk away when you don’t see the things you value being honored. You should know what you do well and study it often. You should think of ways to grow what you do without being caught up in false formulas. Run your own race at your own pace.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I recently read a book by Dr. Dharius Daniels titled Relational Intelligence. This book teaches you how to define relationships and place them in their proper category. As you grow this skill is essential because it can prevent you from heart break and false expectations. When you are clear it helps others be clear around you and you will value people for who they are in your life without trying to force them to be what they are not. We all need somebody and we can never get around relationships. Make sure you know who is who. This book can help you with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.omsfoundation1933.org
• Instagram: @oms1933
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16RpPn3PSx/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-oms-foundation/

Image Credits

JC Penny, Canva Collages Valencia Carlton