Labels

"BRAND OF THE WEEK" - Trojah Irby-Morgan @ElitePlusInc


 

“I am…what God says I am”
Open. Honest. Outspoken.  And Respectful .  TroJah Irby-Morgan learned the importance of possessing these characteristics at an early age. She can recall her mom always encouraging her to “say whats on your mind, but do it respectfully. “ The ability to stand up for herself and what she believed in is what has catapulted her into an abundance of success and accomplishments at such an early age. 
A star was born March 18, 1987 to two of the most hard working people on this Earth, Marcus Irby and Felecia Crute. TroJah Irby was surrounded by examples of what can happen when you work hard as well as the repercussions of making the wrong choices.  Her early years provided a glimpse of struggles being raised in a Newark, NJ Housing Project by her mother.  Growing up her father was in and out of penitentiaries but his presence was always known.

At the tender age of two TroJah's mother discovered her belting out  R&B sensation Karyn Whyte’s “Superwoman”. At that moment her mother knew she had a gift from God. Raised in the church TroJah began singing in the choir. Often she was pressured to impromptu performances at family functions and TroJah couldn’t stand it. But she knew you had to be ready because you never know who’s watching and listening.  Always the biggest student in class and the biggest kid in the family Trojah was a victim of bullying. Not just in school but within her extended family. For years TroJah struggled with confidence and self-esteem issues due to her weight.  But she never allowed it to stop her from pursuing her dreams.

“I am…what God says I am” became her mantra. Even during her bullying years some of her peers and authoritative figures would see she had the natural ability to lead. It all started after being elected student council president in middle school, a leader on the basketball team, cheerleading, and the pep squad during her high school years.  Not only did she excel in her talent she excelled academically as well. She was accepted into the gifted and talented program in the 7th grade at University High school. She went on to audition and be accepted into the famed Arts High School in Newark, NJ.  During those years she broke barriers by being the ONLY plus sized girl in several pageants and took home the titles “Miss Essex County Talented Teen” and “Miss Christian Teen”.  She’s also won the title of “Newark Idol”.  TroJah went on to become a contestant at the Showtime At the Apollo, McDonald’s Gospel Fest, BET’s Sunday Best, The Voice, and even American Idol. During those years personal struggles reared its ugly head within her home. TroJahs mom became addicted to drugs leaving TroJah to fend for herself at the tender age of 15.

 After graduating from Arts High School Trojah began her academic journey to several colleges and her mother went away into a rehabilitation program (who is now 7 years clean & sober). While education has been and will always be important she decided to take another route after having her first child and meeting the love of her life, her now husband Shameek Morgan. Music has always and will always be her passion. She's had the honor of performing with amazing artist like Rah Digga, Nuahgty by Nature, Leela James, Freddie Jackson, Melba Moore,  Natalie Wilson, Cissy Houston, Vicki Winans, Hezekiah Walker, Trinity 5:7 and others. 

After constantly being judged by her weight and not her talent in the music industry TroJahs confidence slipped from little to none.  During her school years she realized that there was nothing out there for her outside of musical school activities. TroJah always admired her mothers business sense and her fathers hustlers mentality and knew one day she would also be a business woman. She didn't know what, when, or how...but she knew the why. She wanted to create a space for women and teen girls of size who did not have a performing talent. She realized that demographic did not have an outlet. During a conversation with her husband in April of 2009 Elite Plus Inc. was born. Elite Plus Inc. is a collective of plus size women who all share the common goal of empowering and encouraging full figured women and teen girls of the community. They celebrate their curves by hosting and attending different social and educational events. Since the launch in 2009 and the relaunch in July 2011 (after having her second child)Elite Plus has had several successful events focusing on beauty from the inside out. Elite Plus has also had amazing supporters and have worked side by side with esteemed women in the plus industry such as Gwen DeVoe (the creator of full figured fashion week). Shanda Freeman (fashion designer, co-star of MTV show Man&Wife alongside her husband Fatman Scoop, fashion designer, advice columnist, and fashionista) And Famous Plus Model Jeannie Ferguson seen on BETs rip the runway and a host of publications, television and fashion shows.(just to name a few)  Even with the success of events this is only the beginning for the 25 year old Entrepreneur. In 2012 she has also launched “Diva Enterprise LLC”-a community incubator for outreach organizations and media that empower and unite the plus community through events and social media. Diva Enterprise LLC has several entities including “Diva+ Event Management”, “Young BossLady Society”, Elite Plus, and her first written work the book “My fat is not a Flaw” published by her very own publishing company "Diva Enterprise Books".
As you can see this young woman is helping empower, unite, and transform women. Her goal is to be a mogul for Generation Y (the Millennial Generation) and she is well on her way all because
 “she is....what God says she is”.  

Links:
Organization website: http://www.ElitePlusInc.org

ADVANCE YOUR BRAND! 
http://www.prosperunlimited.com
Email Post
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment