December 16, 2008 News & Views » Cover

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South by South America 

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click to flip through (2) MOYE - GOING FOR THE GOAL: South Carolina native Qiana Martin
  • Moye

  • GOING FOR THE GOAL: South Carolina native Qiana Martin

 

Page 3 of 8

After high school, naysayers abounded. Family and friends alike challenged Qiana's dreams and questioned her logic in choosing a college so far away and so expensive. Qiana took their criticism in stride. The fall following graduation, she entered top-ranked Rice University in Houston as a political science major.

She hit the ground running. Literally. Having trained as an athlete most of her life, she regularly released stress by bolting at a powerful, purposeful pace. As she sped through the maze of city streets, she fantasized about playing soccer but resigned herself to the reality that it was pointless to pursue a passion that had no future. She had physically escaped Seneca, but her young mind was still bound by the vestiges of a small-town mentality; a mentality that said her only career options were to become a doctor, teacher or lawyer.

Good grades got her out of Seneca. Rice's reputation and a solid resume would get her to law school. That was the belief Qiana clung to as she matriculated through some of the most daunting years of her life, encountering unexpected curves on her career map. She'd arrived in Houston knowing she'd have to work. What she hadn't anticipated was how much.

Six days a week, she divided her time between two jobs. At night, she confirmed deals on an electricity trading room floor. During the day, she punched in at a law firm and worked in attorney recruiting. School was seemingly extracurricular. She carried a full course load and spent two eight-hour days a week in class.

As time passed and Qiana became more familiar with her job at the law firm, she found out about the behind-the-scenes politics of getting into the "right" law school in order to get the "right" job. The revelations were unexpected and disappointing. She learned that if she wanted to move from state to state as a practicing lawyer, she'd have to keep taking the bar. Her days would be spent in the office working -- her evenings, wining and dining clients in order to drum up business. But, after a childhood working around her grandparents' home as though there were no child labor laws and spending her college years laboring like a Hebrew slave -- Qiana decided that becoming a lawyer would not be the profession that would make her happy. She also decided that she would only settle for something that would.

So, after graduation, she made the discordant decision to enroll in the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising based in Los Angeles. She'd always possessed a creative energy and a flair for clothes, and she decided that FIDM would give her a chance to manifest and monetize the power of her right-brain fancies. Selecting a two-year apparel-manufacturing program at the school, Qiana set her sights on building a career as a clothing designer.

A week and a half after starting at FIDM, Qiana met her business partner. A few months later, they introduced AdiaRana, an edgy clothing line that catered to the high-end market.

But between Qiana's political science degree and her business partner's engineering degree, the AdiaRana designers were at a disadvantage. There was simply too much the budding entrepreneurs didn't know about building a successful business. Sponsorships were hard to come by, and potential investors were quick to point out that their business plan wasn't as developed as it needed to be. And unfortunately, neither of them knew anyone who could offer advice or counsel. After a couple of years, the financial stresses were too much and the dynamics between the fast friends had changed. They decided to close the doors.

At this point, she'd gone all-in on the fashion venture. She'd quit her job and moved in with a friend. She'd dropped out of FIDM after only two months to put the time into her first clothing line. Qiana couldn't avoid facing the undeniable reality that she'd hit rock bottom.

It was under these circumstances, however, that she realized she was pursuing her hobbies and not her dream. Qiana made herself a promise. Her vow was that if she was ever to find herself in this position again, it was going to be for something she would do or die for. And, within a couple of months, she realized that the only thing she could connect that feeling with was soccer.

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