Aamira Garba, Fox '07, found purpose and passion by ignoring the "box checker" lifestyle, investing in herself and encouraging others to do the same.
After graduating, Aamira Garba checked off all the boxes she thought she was supposed to: get married (✓), buy a home (✓), have children (✓) and find a successful career in Corporate America (✓). But when she reached the end of the list, she hadn't found complete fulfillment. During her journey of self-discovery, she found herself reflecting on who she wanted to be as a college student and what she learned at Temple University.
Originally from New Jersey, Garba chose the university after visiting a friend and becoming inspired by the campus, student diversity and urban cityscape. "I went to a predominantly white high school and loved the people there, but I appreciated the large minority population at Temple. I appreciated even more that they were heard and seen. I felt comfortable at Temple," says Garba. After hearing about the impressive reputation of the Fox School of Business program, she knew she wanted to pursue business, but she didn't know which aspect. While she went on to become a business owner, Garba only spent her first week at Temple as an entrepreneurship major before switching to marketing.
While at Temple, Garba took every opportunity to immerse herself in work-study, study-abroad programs and student activities. She even co-founded a modeling and fashion association called Dynasty and started a role recruiting for the real estate property behind The Edge Student Village. She credits these experiences for changing her life and unlocking her full potential.
"While working at the SAC (now Howard Gittis Student Center), I was recruited by a campus property group. The role was a great learning experience in sales, but being recruited for my excellent customer service helped me realize that being my best in everything I do will always attract opportunities. Temple also empowered me to start Dynasty, learn to manage the funding, members, events, audiences and marketing, and take the chance to study abroad in both Japan and India despite it being my first time out of the country and on my own."
"For me, Temple was a place of opportunity, to learn from real-life experience, travel and become independent, and even start a whole new organization. I soaked up every part of the experience I could, which made me who I am today," explains Garba.
One month after graduating cum laude, Garba started her career in the business development program at Macy's. Continuing to check off those life boxes, she quickly found herself getting married, starting a family, buying a house and climbing the corporate ladder, until one day she realized something was missing, something that was purely for her. So she started therapy, focusing on her faith and reading self-help books like The Alchemist. Her newfound humility and openness led her to reconnect with a college version of herself and forge a path to entrepreneurship and independence as a single mother.
"When I hit 30, I realized I had checked all the boxes I thought I needed to, but it wasn't enough. I was in such a rush to be an adult that I planned out my life and didn't take chances or allow myself room to fail. The woman who was so programmed and robotic in achieving everyone else's checkboxes wasn't who I was. The fun and joy came outside of those boxes. The entrepreneur in me had to reflect on who I was at Temple: meeting new people, trying new things and working hard to build her own opportunities and turn her ideas into reality," says Garba.
While considering what type of business to create, Garba reflected on a passage from The Alchemist stating not to overlook the signs and passions in your life. At the time, one of her favorite hobbies was reading about wine and going to wine tastings, which led her to realize that her passion was in a glass right under her nose.
"I got the idea to start my own business after I connected the dots from my industriousness at Temple to my current passions, and the challenge excited me. While I'm not the first Black or woman winemaker, I didn't know any winemakers that looked like me. Now I'm part of a wave of more marginalized groups entering this wine space. It filled me with excitement as I thought, 'I'm going to open a wine business.' I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur, I like to drink wine, and the world of wine is so intriguing because there's so much to learn. I knew it was the industry for me," notes Garba.
When Garba first uttered that she would be a winemaker out loud, she took the first step to entrepreneurship. She then found a vineyard to partner with in California and visited the vineyard to make her first wine. From there, she tested the market, set up an LLC and a website and used her business knowledge to grow Lovelee Wine. Her road to success wasn't always smooth, however. When she initially set out, she ran into obstacles such as time management and doubters.
"None of my other hats, such as my career and children, got taken off. But I had this business that I wanted to thrive just as much, so I had to balance my time by reminding myself that I was not in a race. The barriers to the wine industry were also an obstacle, from fees, shipping and distribution laws in different states to dealing with people not taking me seriously or stereotyping me by assuming that I would only make sweet wine rather than more complex, mature or dry wine. But I've planned for that, so I focused on what I could control while growing my business," explains Garba.
Today, Lovelee Wine is an award-winning brand headquartered in Orange, New Jersey, which can be purchased direct-to-consumer in 34 states, with hopefully more to come in the future. Garba enjoys teaching wine lovers about her craft while sharing her story and inspiring others to "fill their own cup" first to better fill the cups of others.
"People connect with the story of a woman who achieved everything she was supposed to do to prove that she was a good daughter, employee, wife and mother and still didn't feel fulfilled. Even though I loved my career and especially my family, they had their own lives, and what was my life outside of that? Now that I'm single and successful, I let women know that they get to live a life of joy. And I know I'm a better woman and mother because I found my own joy," says Garba.
Garba is also proud to serve as representation for Black women in the wine space and a reminder to her community and the Temple community everywhere of what is possible. "Being Temple Made means you took the lessons you learned in the classroom and real-life experience in the middle of the city and exuded possibilities. Take that and live purposefully, be creative, make mistakes and learn continuously. If you have a passion or an idea you're hesitating to pursue, just go for it!" states Garba.
Temple alumni bravely pursue their biggest ideas and transform them into Temple Made businesses that defy expectations and shake up the rules of the game. To learn more about Temple Made businesses or list your own business visit the Alumni Owned Business Directory today!