Meet Vonnie Ricks

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vonnie Ricks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vonnie below.

Vonnie , thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

I’ve been in plenty of rooms where people didn’t look like me, not just rooms but environments, friendships, etc. Growing up in an African-American household, I was the one who stood out and I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way. As a child, I always had this great desire to be different from my family because I had this feeling deep down inside that there was more to just my family and the culture of the way we live and do things. I gravitated to different crowds. I didn’t just wanna hang out with the black kids because I’m black and I just didn’t wanna hang out with the white kids or the Asian kids or the Spanish kids just because they’re another race. I wanted to hang out with those kids so I could understand the differences of who they are and our similarities regardless of our culture and race and I believe having that mindset as a child has made me wise today. Being in those rooms where people don’t look like me has truly blessed me because I am able to be vulnerable, open and transparent. I want them to see me not just on the outside of me but the real me on the inside.

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

I am currently a full-time actor. I graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a bachelors in Forensic Psychology and I have my masters in Human Rights. My grandmother passed away in November 2016 and she pretty much raised me and my other siblings and when she passed away everything inside me passed away. My grandmother was my motivation. I wouldn’t say she’s responsible for my success, but she’s responsible for my drive. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have it. So anyways, when she died I decided to create a brand more of a movement in her memory. A lot of people gravitated towards my grandma and her and I have that in common. SomeSay we have similar ways. The brand is called Bump and my grandmother’s name is Carolyn, but her nickname was Bump funny I know. I made this acronym for BUMP which stands for, BLESSINGS UPON MORE PEOPLE. Blessings Upon More People is a message that speaks to the person that I am. When you have a gift or talent or even wisdom, I believe you’re supposed to share that because that is your blessing and I believe your blessing is not just for you. It’s for you to share it with other people and I wanna see more of that in our world today. I have sample T-shirts, but BUMP is still under construction. It’s currently being written, but for future updates you can follow @thebumpministry on instagram.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say integrity, self-awareness and confidence. The advice I would give is to try not to be “so perfect” because having that mindset can cause a mental conflict between you and yourself. Life is a journey and you must fail sometimes in order to get it right.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The number one challenge that I am currently facing right now is having Housing in New York. I’ve been living from Airbnb to hotel sleeping in my car, etc. I’m practically homeless right now. This has been extremely challenging for me because I am the one that got myself in this situation and I believe I am the one that can get myself out. Solving this challenge is to not focus on how I got here but to focus on what it is that I need to learn and I’m a believer so I put all my faith in the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we want to get out of a situation instead of growing through the situation and this might sound crazy, but I don’t wanna get out of this situation until I learn whatever it is that I need to learn from it.Then greatness will happen.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: amazzingvonnie
• Youtube: amazzingvonnie