Raven in Real Life
A place where we discuss anything that is important to anyone…. in Real Life
Raven in Real Life
Episode 5 - A beauty queen and a runway empire
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What's up everybody? Welcome back to Raven in Real Life. And today, sitting with me is a real life princess or beauty queen. What should we go with? We'll go with queen. We have real life queen, Miss Quedacia Love. Hey everybody. Hey, so you are about to be going far, far away from home to battle for Ms. What helped me fill it all the way in. World Universal. World Universal. Yeah. So, but you're from right here in Columbus, Georgia, right?
SPEAKER_08I am, born and raised right here, Columbus, Georgia, all the local eateries, all the old shops that used to be here, and now there's something else.
SPEAKER_07You know it all. Right. So tell me a little bit about it. Tell me about where you grew up, what you did, what you like to do.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, so I grew up um around Ukraine Drive, and then sometime like in my childhood, we moved around River Road. Um I went to St. Mary's school before you know it closed down years ago. But at St. Mary's school, I went to Hannon. I was at St. Elmo for the gifted program. Um went to Richards for a little while, then I transferred to Midland and then Hartaway and ended up in Glenwood. So I kind of moved around a little bit. Like pretty rounded in the Columbus area. I knew a lot of people.
SPEAKER_07You know, I did um a uh I wrote down all the addresses that I could remember. And by the time I was 18, I think I lived in like almost 30 different houses. Wow. Even some of them for a short period of time. And my parents divorced when we moved and all the things. But so okay, girl, I understand that we're moving. Yes. So we understand new student syndrome, huh?
SPEAKER_08Yes, new student. But you know what? You get to reinvent yourself. Every school that you went to, you're like, oh, I'm gonna be this person this time.
SPEAKER_07That's true. That's true. So what were you like? Were you always into just what you're doing now?
SPEAKER_08No. Um, I was a nerd. Uh it was real bad. And I was one of those weird nerds that you know, it's just whatever just came out, it's kind of what came out. Um, and I didn't have like a best friend group or click. I just kind of moved from click to click, and I was just a social light type of person. And I never could really pinpoint, like, oh, I just want to be with these type of people. I just loved people, I loved hearing people's stories, and that's just always been my thing.
SPEAKER_07That's awesome. So part of the gifted program. A little bit weird, a little bit strange, but you jumped around.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, yeah. Um, so for the gifted program at first, um, going to St. Elmo's on Fridays with St. Mary's, and then uh Hannon had their own gifted program. So you were in a classroom all day full of people who kind of thought similar to you but on a different scale.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_08Um, so we're gifted people we we come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and it's so funny. I see most of us either either go into power in politics or theater and entertainment. And then so it's kind of funny that I'm in a role that kind of does a little bit of both. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So explain to me how how that is, um, because some people think that it's just a beauty pageant. Right. But it that could not be farther from the truth, right?
SPEAKER_08Right, right. And each system is different, I will say that. So I'm a part of the USA world system, um, where they crown multiple queens to go to different uh parts of the world. Yeah, and so for mine, I'm in the world universal system, and that system is mainly about empowering women and community service. Okay. Because sometimes we find title holders, they'll come and they'll do the pageant, and that's kind of it. We don't see them in the community, and that's my heart is community engagement and seeing what we can do to partner, especially in Columbus, because some people kind of think, oh, Atlanta, Georgia, and then that's it. But Columbus is such a rich hub of culture, and um we have you know military families that come in and cycle through, and people are like, you know, what's here? We have so much here, and to make a world spotlight with um World Universal that Columbus has something to offer, is you know, really cool to see.
SPEAKER_07So of like community-related um charities, events, things like that, where where does your heart really lie?
SPEAKER_08Hmm, let's see. I am really for let's see, young adults on one side and then veterans on another, because I think, of course, everybody says, you know, we're for the vets, we're for the vets, but really when you're trying to put boots to the ground and really just relating to them on their day-to-day, sometimes that can be tough because going from um you know, being a soldier full-time and then having that PTSD and trying to carry out civilian life with those struggles, it's you know, it's just a an awkward niche for people to, you know, relate to. And I think that anything that can do for our vets is that's kind of my heart.
SPEAKER_07So, how has this opened the door for you to get closer to those organizations?
SPEAKER_08Well, uh one fun thing, um, our uh veterans of uh veterans of foreign affairs uh foreign wars, excuse me, um on uh Victory Drive. So they host a karaoke night and they host different things. And sometimes I'll come with my like Sasha and Crown, they're like, oh my gosh, come join us, and I'll do karaoke. I'm not the best singer in the world, but I I can carry a tune every once in a while. So you know I get to experience them, I get to experience their life, they get to tell me stories um about you know things that people just wouldn't normally listen to. And I I'm a storyteller myself, and so to hear people's stories and to just engraft that into my own is like, you know, what if? And then you can reach in that empathetic way and touch someone and figure out how to connect with other people because networking is also my thing. So um just connecting those veterans to where they need to go.
SPEAKER_07I definitely know that to be true because I consider myself someone who's really out there in our community. Right. And I see you everywhere I go. No, no, no, and then I see the pictures of the other things you're doing, so I have no clue how you're holding all this together right now. It's great.
SPEAKER_08It's by the grace of God because I'm just like, you know, we're trucking, and people say, Oh, could you come here? Could you come here? I'm like, okay, yeah, sure. Yeah, sure, here we'll do it.
SPEAKER_07Well well, you're doing a great job. Um, so you said you're a storyteller. What's your absolute favorite story right now?
SPEAKER_08Ooh.
SPEAKER_07Share something with me that has just tugged at your heartstrings or made you really happy for either what's happening for you or with somebody else in the community.
SPEAKER_08Okay, so um you may or may not know this. I'm an actress. And so one of my favorite things is um someone I partnered with. Uh, she's a director, her name is uh Jasmine Seward. Um, and I starred in her short film as the lead actress. Um her name is Nia Carter. And I can't give it away too much because the coming premiere is coming up, but it's something about that story where you see the main character conflicted with their morals, conflicted with the way that they have carried out life, you know, and I those are the type of stories that truly get me when when you are in a crunch or you're under pressure, do you shake? Do what or is your life built on what's your foundation? Yeah. And those are the type of stories that um people kind of make, oh, you're the bad guy in this, or you're the good guy. And sometimes you can be the anti-hero. You can be the, you know, I don't want to rise to this occasion, yeah, but I have to, or else, you know, everything perishes around me. And so those are the type of stories that I really relate to.
SPEAKER_07That is good. That's I feel like I'm the anti-hero in my own story, guys. Well, I don't even get to talk to you about like what you have going on now. So can you hang out for a bit and be here after the break? Oh. Okay. All right, you guys, we're gonna go pay some bills. We'll be back in just a few.
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SPEAKER_07All right, you guys, welcome back. We're still sitting here with Miss Cordesia, aka Daisy. Yeah. So tell me all about what's going on now and what this whole past year, what brought you to this right here, and what's taken you to Cambodia?
SPEAKER_08Okay, so look, you guys, I just said, hey, I'm gonna try it. That's literally what happened. I am not a traditional pageant girl. I just I it just never was really my thing. I loved it. And then um when I hit the over 30 mark, I I thought I aged out, right? I thought I aged out of it, but then I found um USA World, and they have a Miss Um, you know, 19 to 29, then they had a 30 plus Ms. And they had a Miz's. And I was like, oh, well, maybe. And so I was like, you know what, I'm gonna try it. And I didn't even tell my friends, family, or anybody, and I became Ms. Georgia USA World, and my friends like you didn't say anything, and I was like, yeah, because if I didn't get it, it didn't matter. Yeah. But I got it. And then I went to New Orleans to compete um for one of the titles to go to a world pageant, and I won. Yeah. Ms. USA World Universal. I was the top scorer in my division. And now we get to go to Cambodia to compete for Ms. World. So this is surreal for me. Like if a year ago at this time, you would have said I would have done that. There would be no way that I would have believed you.
SPEAKER_07This is so wild. So, what has this been like emotionally, or just like the amount of things that you're going out to? Like, yeah, how are you holding it all together?
SPEAKER_08I mean, it's kind of interesting because it's like you become almost an overnight celebrity as soon as your press leak release is out. Yeah, everybody's like, mm-hmm, it's you. And then like sometimes I'll get people recognizing me, even when I'm looking like a, you know, going to Walmart. And so they're just like, oh, it's it's it's the Miss Lady. I was like, they're like, can we get a picture? I was like, please, not right now. Please don't post it. I bet you do it anyway, so don't you? Of course. Of course. Of course. I do. I do it. And so yeah, it's just been pretty surreal. And I just enjoy that I now have a platform to help others. That's just my heart. It's just helping people and loving on people. If there's a way that I can do that more efficiently, you know hey.
SPEAKER_07I love that. Do you run into mean girls on the pageant circuit at all? Okay, we're not gonna say that. I'm taking that one back, you guys. But if you're a mean girl out there, shame on you. Because I know I've seen you and you're kind to everyone. I love it. I try to be, yeah. All right. Yeah. So what is your goal with this? Where do you hope this leads you to in the future once you've put away the crayon or passed it on or whatever the right terminology is?
SPEAKER_08Well, I hope to, you know, become more of a motivation for other women who think that, you know, things are over, you have children, you have this, you have that. Like in my pageant system, it doesn't matter if you're married, you're divorced, you have four kids, 24 kids. I don't know, you got that hundredth counting type of thing. But but it it it doesn't matter. You like there's no way that you're washed up or you're used or you don't feel like you're valuable. Like this was my first time entering, and I won. So, you know, possibilities are endless. And where will this take me? I don't exactly know. I didn't even know I was gonna get this far. So, but it has opened up a lot of doors and opportunities.
SPEAKER_07So well, what would you say right now to the 10-year-old girl that's out there ungifted, feeling a little bit different than the other girls, a little strange, a little weird. What would you tell her?
SPEAKER_08I would tell her, girl, your weird is cool. Your weird is gonna take you places because the word of God says, like, our gifts make room for us. And so the weirdness that I have, the way that I just was uncompromising and unchanging in who I am, it opened the door for me to not just win something, but to be something for someone else. And so your weirdness has a place, and no, there's no one like you. So you gotta be it.
SPEAKER_07Well, Daisy, look straight at me. What would you say to 42-year-old Raven who's a little weird, a little different?
SPEAKER_08What would you say to her? Girl, if you don't stop, I would say keep doing what you're doing. I absolutely love the energy that you bring into every room. You know how to make someone smile just by looking at them. And so, yeah, it's you you have a real gift of just making people feel welcome. And that is something that you should continue to cultivate because you know, don't shrink yourself because of you know what room or you know, the different people that come. That's what I would say to you. Because sometimes I see you and I'm like, ooh, she's just can I she's bright.
SPEAKER_07Can I give you one more what would you say to? Okay. Okay. What would you say to all the individuals or business owners out there that would want to help a local girl on her journey to Cambodia or through this entire process? How can they help you?
SPEAKER_08Well, uh, there are so many sponsorship opportunities. Um, bartering services and monetary sponsorships help so much because we are trying to tell everyone in the world this is not just national anymore. I'm already a national queen. So people who get to partner with me, businesses, um, alliances, and things like that, they get not only to be on my banner, but they get to have endorsements through the world universal pageant system. It is completely revolutionary, especially to this area, not just putting Columbus on the map nationally, but internationally. Like, what could that do for revenue here? What could that do for, you know, the businesses here to be bustling like that's what we're wanting? We want sustainability. And sometimes, yes, sustainability, of course, shop local, but there's also sustainability in just having the world be poured into Columbus because we have so much here that we have to offer.
SPEAKER_07Thank you for doing that. Thank you for bringing that. Can I do some rapid fire questions for you? Bam, bam, let's go. Okay. Here's a here are my favorite ones. Okay. What's your favorite breakfast cereal? Ooh, frost flakes. Oh, ooh.
SPEAKER_08First of all, they're great.
SPEAKER_07Okay. What's your favorite road snack?
SPEAKER_08Ooh, um, mmm. Um maybe a wild berry pop-tart. Oh, okay. I know it's so super specific. Another breakfast food.
SPEAKER_07Okay. Will we see you out dressed cute? Who usually dresses you?
SPEAKER_08Essence and Solomon from Peachtree Mall, she is actually my clothing sponsor. And she has been actually getting tons of like the women who are in my pageant system have been buying from her internationally. So I'm trying to tell you, it works.
SPEAKER_07Okay. And 10 more seconds. What defines your value or your worth?
SPEAKER_08Knowing who I am in Christ, like my faith is everything to me. Um, and I don't judge myself or compete with other women, even in the pageant system. I am competing to be the best me and the best representation of Christ that I possibly can.
SPEAKER_07That was a good way to end it, girl. Thank you so much for being here.
SPEAKER_08I loved it. Thank you everybody for listening and tuning in.
SPEAKER_07And you guys, we will be right back after a couple more commercials, and we will have another firehouse woman that is in fashion in Columbus. See you in a minute.
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SPEAKER_07All right, everybody. Welcome back. I told you we'd be back with another Powerhouse of a Woman. And sitting next to me is Miss Keita Ash. So you are the owner of a whole fashion brand, right?
SPEAKER_06Yes.
SPEAKER_07Tell me something about it.
SPEAKER_06Yes, just mine is my fashion brand. I'm the um creative behind it, the creative director, the CEO, you know, although I do have a team now. Um I everything created through just mine.
SPEAKER_07The brand is now we were talking before the camera started rolling, so you're not originally from here. You're from Panama City. Yes. The Redneck Riviera, if you will.
SPEAKER_06That's what they said.
SPEAKER_07It used to be. It's so different now that's. But yeah, so because I'm a Florida girl also, so Florida girls unite. Yes. But we are our hearts are here now. It is. So when did this brand kick off? And how is it that you are taking people from here to stages like Milan and LA, New York, Mike, everywhere?
SPEAKER_06Yes, definitely. It it really it kicked off in my heart, in my spirit, and my soul way when I was a little girl, when I used to take my mom sheets and cut them up, and the curtains you would find them as a dress or whatever. You know. Yeah, so it really started at a young age. Um, I originally started started with my sewing journey back in Home Mac in junior high.
SPEAKER_07Really?
SPEAKER_06Yes, we had a home at class and they taught us how to sew my first pair of Bermuda shorts. And I'm no I'm telling my age. Nobody calls them Bermuda shorts anymore.
SPEAKER_07I would rock some Bermuda's right now.
SPEAKER_06Yes, me too. I'm gonna bring them back. Okay, do it. Yes, it started back then at a very young age, but um, and it it's always been a love. But just when I started, I guess, crafting and creating for others, it really was a change around. My daughter was born in 2004. Yeah. And it was like I wanted something different. You couldn't go into the stores and just find something for her that wasn't back then it was a Daisy Duke style. And I'm like, she's not yeah, she's not wearing that stuff. You know, I'm not my little girl. So I started creating for her originally. Um, so I'm gonna say about 2004, and I branched out in 2006 with just mine.
SPEAKER_07Okay. So what it how would you and we'll pop some pictures up if you send me some on the screen. What is your style like that you really are geared to?
SPEAKER_06Um, I love couture. I love unique. Anything, anything unique, anything different. Um, before I was all black and white person, I love colors. Yeah I anything bright, anything bold. So if it don't match, I like it.
SPEAKER_07Really? Yes. Okay, well then I'm you would like how I dress um I can do some work you could help me out.
SPEAKER_06Look, we'll we'll work on it together. Yes.
SPEAKER_07So how did you start finding different stages to put your clothes on?
SPEAKER_06True story. New York called me.
SPEAKER_07Really?
SPEAKER_06Yes, they reached out to me. I don't know if somebody normally with these productions and everything, I guess you have to submit an application. I don't know if somebody did that on my behalf. I remember speaking in and saying, hey, I'm gonna it wasn't even a matter of wanting to be on a New York stage. I just wanted to be inside Sonny Hall and just sit. And they kept trying to reach me. They were sending me emails and reaching out, and I was like, that's spam.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. And then the lady called, um, one of the producers called and said, Hey, you know, we've done this and this and this, so we just wanted to make one final attempt to. I was like, I thought that was spam all this while. So it it was true. So um that was my first experience back in 2021. And that was my first time going to New York Fashion Week.
SPEAKER_07So wait, all these things that I've heard about that you've done and seen, but that's all happened over the span of five years.
SPEAKER_06Absolutely. It's just it's taken off over the course of the last five years. Right after the pandemic, it's like I I I can't even explain it. Wow, I can't even explain it.
SPEAKER_07And now your boots on the ground part of the grassroots effort to bring fashion to Columbus with the Columbus Fashion Council.
SPEAKER_06Absolutely. Looking forward to it. I'm excited about it because it's here.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06It's so many creatives, especially in the arena of fashion right here, that they just we we just need that exposure. We just need that, you know, someone to know. And then once we come out, it's others out there that are like us, just like, hey, we got a gift. It it's here.
SPEAKER_07Well, what is your advice to those out there that they know they have a talent and they have a passion, but they haven't gotten that exciting new thing that might be a spam?
SPEAKER_06What do you say to them? Don't stop. Believe it, keep going, keep pushing. Um, all those things that you typically hear and you just like it won't happen to me.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06It'll happen. It'll definitely happen. Just stay focused, stay at it, keep believing. It's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. Have you had any um any heartbreak in this or any days where you thought it wasn't gonna come to fruition the way you wanted it to?
SPEAKER_06Yes, you you do. You do, and that's those are those times that make you stronger and make you want to just, hey, I gotta keep going. Because you like you were just saying, speaking to somebody out there that might have this same vision, you never know also who's watching you.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06I had, you know, people come up to me and say, Hey, you never met me, but I was watching you win.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_06So it's things like that that encourages you to keep going because you never know who's watching you and who's trying to get to where you are. I will never arrive in this thing. It's someone out there always that's gonna be doing something different or something greater that you know I'm trying to get to. You know, I struggled years with just zippers. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So you are speaking directly to my heart right now. I'm telling you, this is this is something that I needed to hear myself as well.
SPEAKER_06Awesome.
SPEAKER_07So, what about okay? Last question. What about not those that design the clothes, but somebody that might want to get into modeling? If they wanted to reach out to you, is that something that you're looking for? And is there a certain type that you look for in that?
SPEAKER_06Absolutely. We look for all types, all shapes, all sizes, age, whatever. Only thing I a lot of children I don't deal with. Yeah, a lot of children. I love the babies, but don't really deal with the um children models because there's so much other issues with the industry that you have to go with. Yeah, but absolutely, I don't discriminate, and that's the type of arena that I would love to, or that I have created. I had the first opportunity before anybody even heard about it, taking models with me to New York to grace a you know a prominent New York stage. Yeah. So I'm always looking for models, and one thing about it is not just modeling, it's more of speaking to their heart. This is a building confidence, it's restoring identities. You never know what who might be going through. Yeah. We've had um women dealing with domestic violence, we have women dealing with so many, women deal with issues in itself, men, men as well. Yeah, but you know, we all have those life, life is life, and is what they say. So this is a way out, yeah, and it's a restoration. And I never forget my first time taking models to New York, it was dreams made true, dreams coming true, and that became the overall theme for that year because they felt like so many dreams, childhood dreams came true. Yeah. When people have been denied four times of more to get on a New York stage and to be able to walk on a stage, and even now how they're flourishing and you know, in their res um what word am I trying to say? Respective ways. Yes, they're they're flourishing as a model or as whatever they desire to do. So it's yes.
SPEAKER_07Well, congratulations and thank you. Thank you so much for bringing this to Columbus and offering this to people. We'll have your information on the screen so people can reach out to you. Yes, and you guys, until next time, this was Raven in Real Life.
SPEAKER_06Yes, thank you, Raven. Thank you. That was so nice.