GEORGIA ON HER MIND: Houston High’s Symiah JeAnna Saulsberry destined to become a fashion designer as Graduation Day awaits
Andre Johnson 
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)
OWNING THE MOMENT
Nearly two weeks ago, Candis Freeman hastened to social media, where she flooded her Facebook timeline with images of her daughter, Symiah JeAnna Saulsberry, just as she was preparing to head off to her school’s senior prom.
This week, Freeman once again will be blanketing her social media page with a gallery of memorable photos.
Only this time, she’ll likely do so while simultaneously wiping away tears.
“It seems like just yesterday I was taking her to preschool,” Freeman, during an interview this week with Making Headline News, said, reminiscing about how quickly has daughter has grown up from an innocent preschooler to high school senior who’s best and brightest days are well ahead of her. “Time has gone by so fast and seeing my little girl blossom into this beautiful young lady is nothing short of amazing.”
Come Friday night, Freeman, along with a few family members and host of well-wishers, will be on hand to witness her middle child — and only daughter — acquire her diploma during Houston High School’s commencement exercises at 7 p.m. CST.
For Saulsberry, who’s bringing a 3.6 cumulative grade point average into Friday’s ceremony, her latest accomplishment to date is something by which her mother will cherish for the rest of her life.
“I am a proud mom and (will be) excited to see her walk across the stage with honors as she closes this chapter of her life and begins a new journey,” Freeman said. “I hope that she will enjoy the moment, because it is a memory you will not forget. Symiah will be my second child that has graduated from high school so being an empty nester in two years is closer than I think.”
Indeed, it is.
That’s because in the coming months, Saulsberry will bid farewell to Memphis in what figures to be yet another memorable moment for her family when she heads off to the Savannah College of Art and Design (or SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia, where she will major in Fashion Design.
MORE ON SCAD: https://www.scad.edu/
For a while, it appeared Saulsberry was bound for New York City to further her education.
According to Freeman, Saulsberry had strongly considered the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) — a public college in NYC that is a part of the State University of New York system — and the Parsons School of Design, which is located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan and is one of the five colleges of what is known as The New School.
Interestingly, the unprecedented global pandemic postponed a scheduled visit to New York, thus giving way to the Savannah College of Art and Design emerging as the presumptive frontrunner to lure Saulsberry to its campus, a nearly 9 ½ half hour, one-way commute from Memphis.
“We were scheduled to go and visit FIT on March 13, 2019, but the COVID pandemic hit and the trip was cancelled as the nation was put on lockdown,” Freeman said of her daughter’s plans for selecting a school. “The representative from SCAD was persistent and personable as she introduced Symiah to the college by scheduling zoom calls and answering any questions she had. We took a tour of SCAD last year in October, and we both were very impressed with the opportunities and notable alumni.”
Much to her delight, Saulsberry has become the beneficiary of an academic scholarship to attend SCAD, a private nonprofit art school that also has campuses in nearby Atlanta and Lacoste, France.
“I will miss our girl talks and girl time- shopping and watching movies together,” Freeman, a Tennessee-Martin graduate, said her daughter’s forthcoming departure from the Bluff City. “I look forward to visiting her in Savannah as it is a beautiful city. I look forward to sharing in this next milestone moment in her life as she begins life as a college student.”
While compiling an impressive academic resume at Houston, Saulsberry was involved in what is known as Beautiful Unique, the school’s girl club that is centered largely on empowering young ladies, particularly by promoting sisterhood. In addition, she had become a fixture as a member of the Spanish Club and DECA, and she served as a Mustang Mentor.
“Symiah is loving, passionate, hardworking, and determined,” said Freeman, assessing her daughter’s continuous progress throughout the years, which included her starting a business at the tender age of 11 as the mastermind behind what is known as Bows and Beads Boutique.
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Interestingly, Freeman explained, her daughter is a “self-taught” seamstress who began sewing when she was 14. Two years later, she enhanced to her immeasurable entrepreneurial repertoire when she started Signature Struts, a credible evening and formal wear venture, and Signature Sports, a rising athletic apparel company.
“Her dream is to be a designer for entertainers, actors, and actresses for formal events,” Freeman said. “As a parent, it’s important to have a relationship with your children that encompasses respect, love, and discipline. I have watched her grow and learn from mistakes and, most importantly, she listens to sound advice.”
Freeman said she’s especially appreciative of the solid support system that was at Saulsberry’s disposal, one that steadfastly aided her daughter in diligently pursuing dreams.
“It takes a village to raise children and our village has been solid,” Freeman said. “I appreciate my family, friends, and my children’s godparents for being an intricate part of their lives. I parented with the end in mind — how I want my children to look as adults. I have raised and trained my children up in the Lord, and I believe nothing but great things are in store for their future.”
So far, so good.
With their best and brightest days ahead of them.
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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.
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