What Madame Marjorie Taught Me (Part 1)

Marjorie and I at the Girls Who Rule the World Weekend Retreat in Oct 2012.

Marjorie Harvey, the legend herself. Lori Harvey’s mother, the socialite, has taken the Black community (Black Twitter) storm. Before Lori Harvey was a topic of Black Twitter’s eye, I was educated through Marjorie’s ideas and strategies as a young tween. How? Where is the class?

Let me tell you…

My mother was (and still is) one of the prominent supporters of my training. From socializing, etiquette, debutante prep, and college preparation, my mother taught me the motto, “Whatever I have, I give to my children and more.” I call my mother the Connector because she always has someone in her network to help me. One of those pieces of training includes Marjorie’s non-profit, Girls Who Rule the World.

Girls Who Rule the World

The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation started this program in two sections, girls and boys, to educate the next generation in their vision.

Girls Who Rule the World (GWRTW) is designed to enhance the development of young girls and provide a forum to expose them to the benefits and importance of positive self-image, responsible conduct and respect for self & others via educational achievement, cultural enrichment and mentoring. — The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation

I grew up in Atlanta, GA. The Black Mecca, according to those from Old Atlanta. Old Atlanta is where the connections are as sweet as our sweet tea. As my mother says, “I always know someone who knows somebody.” That’s Old Atlanta for you. It is a place of Black Excellence through its growing industry of professionals and entertainment industry connections. A perfect place for the Harveys to host a non-profit event is a prime target of young black girls & boys to teach.

My experience with this program was eye-opening. Let me explain how…

Out of the many applications sent in, I was one of the 100 girls chosen in 2012 to join the program.

I learned self-development skills, public speaking, proper ways to exercise, sex education, and dining etiquette. The initial program set the tone of what my future was going to be like and was my introduction to several key ideas that shaped me today.

Self Assurance

Definition of Self Assurance

noun. confidence in one’s abilities and character

Confidence is a crucial factor in a young girl’s life. How you build her up when she begins her journey to womanhood can give her advantages or disadvantages in life. From how to confidently stand out among your peers to something as monumental as having your first physical relationship with someone, self-assurance is needed for young girls.

One of the ‘revolutionary acts’ of this program that Marjorie and her team placed into our young minds are that we are in charge of our future. We are in charge of how we position ourselves in everyday life, from high school to our future workplace. All of this is the only potential.

As women, we focus too much on potential even at a young age. “But if I do this, I won’t get the grade I want. But if I ignore him, he won’t ask me to dance. Etc, etc.” But, how we use the tools they have given us is the true advantage of choice.

Marjorie and her team taught us the game, but how we use it is up to us. How are you using it?

I worked out with the Marine Corps at Stone Mountain in 2012.

Lead through Every Moment

To connect, I was assigned a teen mentor to help me through the program. My mentor’s name was G (hidden for safety reasons). She was sweet, always cracked jokes to make me feel at ease with the others, and was always available to chat about my (minor) problems via Snapchat back in the day.

One of the best things was G went through the program herself. It was an instant bonding that you experienced that someone was at that exact moment just like you. I made sure to keep in contact with her until my mid-high school years. But that’s for another post.

It was one of the fantastic ways the program showed you how girls can help other girls. From encouragement to tell everyone your story (to over 100 girls in the room) to building new friendships, I felt like I was in a place where I belonged. I didn’t feel the need to put this mask on that I am the strongest girl in the world. I could be me, Sterling.

Are you leading your own story in your life? If you are, are you helping someone like a young girl in your life as a mentor?

Knowledge is Power

One of the goals of this program is to teach young girls. You do that by openly sharing knowledge with these blooming women searching for a purpose. I was in search of a drive. My tweens were a life of confusion with my constant school exchanges, fitting into the school cultural crowd, and making sure I stood out enough to be chosen & to succeed.

Knowledge is power is one of my favorite mantras because the start of this program was the beginning of my path to becoming a debutante and a highly successful woman at a young age. But with power, you must take action on it. If you sit on this information, the world will continue to spin and pass over you.

You are not the exception.

You need to be the expectation when you walk into the room.

Me at the Girls Who Rule the World Weekend Retreat in Oct 2012.

Your Future

As this series continues, I will continue to dive into what I did in this program in 2012 while giving you current resources on your journey. Learn from me what I learned from Madame Marjorie. I take my Pearls of Wisdom from her and her team for the great good of my life.

The benefit that you have today is access. You have access to me to help you on your path to success. You also have access to more resources on the internet than when I began my journey as a young tween.

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