Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Roy.
Elizabeth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I knew I wanted to create something to empower women to break the cycle, express their self-worth, inspire them to use their voices & wardrobe for advocacy. As an educator, I’ve seen firsthand the power of words and how wardrobe can impact confidence and the mindset. When I started Elizabeth Roy Collection in November of 2019, I had already been working on the project for a long time. I decided to use my name for the brand because the collection of unapologetic slogans was also a way to tell my own story. This brand is a combination of my passion for speaking, motivating others, and my love for fashion. It is a collection of motivational slogans that are part of an inspiring story of resilience, determination, perseverance and authenticity.
I was born in Monterrey, N.L. MX. I am the oldest of five, and I learned my entrepreneur skills and independence at a very young age. I used to help my parents earn a living by selling gum, food and toys on the streets as a child. My family was extremely poor and both my parents dropped out of school to financially help their own families. My grandmother also dropped out of school in second grade. Do you see the cycle?
We moved to the U.S when I was ten years old and my whole life perspective changed. Earning an education was my key to a brighter future-the opportunity to make my dreams come true. I grew up in Mission,Texas and struggled with self-esteem, the language barrier and poverty. As an immigrant, migrant and Spanish speaker, I carried the “at risk” label my whole life as a student. I had everything against me. It was a challenge to perform academically as if I was an English native speaker, write in a foreign language and learn to focus when I was hungry. I carried two dictionaries daily (Spanish & English) to translate everything and do my school work. I was expected to drop out of school and go back to my country. Instead, I enrolled in Pre-Ap classes, worked harder and did the school news every morning with my broken English. I took the opportunities given to me, decided to break the cycle and excelled in education. I attended school and worked part time babysitting and cleaning houses. Every weekend and Summers, you would find me working on the fields picking crops. Mondays were a struggle, not because I did not look forward to attending classes, but because it was difficult to write with blistered and achy hands. I worked as a migrant every summer throughout high school.
I did Math tutoring for students in the GED program after school as a way to earn a scholarship through community service. After high school, I worked two jobs and paid my way through college. I was determined to be the first one in my family to get a college degree. I graduated high school with honors, graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Houston and earned US citizenship around the same time. I got a bachelor in Interdisciplinary Studies and taught elementary Bilingual and Middle School Math for 12+ years. I was always offered the teaching positions at the end of each of my teaching interviews. I decided to teach and make a greater difference in Title 1 schools. Although I knew teaching would not be my long term career, I used the platform as an educator to motivate and encourage young girls on the importance of education, self- respect, building self-esteem and authenticity. Teaching was very fulfilling and rewarding for me.
I resigned from education about three years ago and joined the family business. I learned new skills, had to adjust and worked a completely different schedule. I self motivated to continue to generate and supplement my income. There was no paycheck guarantee anymore, days off or holidays. I took the opportunity to begin connecting with other women in my own family, entrepreneurs and business minded women like me. This helped me to network and figured out the details of my project. I knew my goal and purpose but did not have a name for it.
The name for the brand was decided after I committed to participate as a vendor for the Latina Power Event. Attaching my personal name to the brand would allow me to create ownership of my story. Launching my brand in a community that empowers and supports other women was the best place to start.
Today, I have an online store that is appealing to those that can relate to my story and are trying to break the cycle. I am currently working on new designs,creating projects to empower the women in my family, participating as a speaker, vendor, and sharing my story on podcasts that are creating platforms for empowering other women.
Like Maya Angelou would say, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My path has been filled with challenges, adversities and rewarding moments. Changing careers is not an easy decision to make. It took sweat, countless sleepless nights, many tears to complete my college degree and now I would start all over again. College tuition was not free and I still had to continue to pay my student loans no matter what career path I chose after. Most people I know are excited to make a life career on teaching until they retire. They do this even if they have to work several jobs to subsidize their income. I applaud and respect that because I know they are doing what makes them happy. I was teaching and selling beauty products on the side, tutoring after school and working at our family business. I loved teaching, but I really found joy motivating others. I want to speak to women and young girls about going after their dreams no matter their circumstances and inspire them to have the courage to break generational curses. My teaching schedule limited me on who I could reach. I was a fantastic teacher. I can finally say that because I know my worth. My students were excited to come to class every day. They loved my stories of perseverance. My teaching style was teaching Math through real life situations, not book written lessons. I found myself constantly motivating students and other colleagues and loved doing it. I struggled with the transition. I have always worked and now I have made a timeline for myself to figure out what I would do next. I had saved some money to cover my expenses as I figured out my new path in life. I struggled but learned new software to make designs, printing, embroidery, and continued to make sales to help out financially. I was forcing myself to be successful because I was worried about what others would think of me. I experienced horrible anxiety and depression that was hard to shake. My life became more powerful and clear when I no longer cared what others would consider being my success.
Please tell us about your work.
Elizabeth Roy Collection was launched in November 2019. I am very hands on and involved in my business. I design my own apparel, create my own designs, print my apparel, do self marketing on social media, I did my own online website and manage my own social media. I learned these new skills when I started working for the family business. I am currently working on doing public motivational speaking and tell my story. I am a true believer that God put the right people and circumstances in our lives so we can find our path and explore our given talents.
I am most proud of having the courage to take a leap of faith, go after my dreams even when I had to let go of the guaranteed paycheck and reinvent myself. I am new as a company in a very saturated industry, but my collection is more than a cute shirt with unapologetic and strong messages. My collection tells a story- my story. The story of an insecure young girl with dreams that didn’t let her past, traumatic events, limited resources, and language barrier hold her back. I am a woman that discovered her worth and uses her talents and experiences to motivate and inspire other women.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The qualities and characteristics most relevant to my success would have to be integrity, authenticity, passion, perseverance, resilience and a good work ethic.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
elizabethroycollection.com - Email: Elizabethroycollection@
gmail.com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ elizabethroycollection & https ://www.instagram.com/ elizabeth.roy_official - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ elizabethroycollection/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
CollectionRoy
Image Credit:
Jill Garrett Photography
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