about athletics,” she recalls. She says that as an adolescent, she was the fastest runner in her neighborhood. Nikkita is only 4 feet, 11 inches tall, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in speed. “I could run faster than the adults and all of the kids, including the boys,” she exclaims. In the seventh grade, Nikkita decided to put her natural gifts for running to work, and she joined her middle school track team. By the time she was a student at Albany High School, Nikkita found she had ability in both the shorter, faster races, such as the 100-meter, 200-meter and the 4 X 100-meter relays, and in the endurance events. She often competed in the 4 X 400-meter relay, the 800-meter, the long jump and cross country. A born leader, Nikkita was named captain of her track and crosscountry teams. “In high school, I always loved art and made my highest grades in art classes," she says. "I wanted to study art in college. I thought track would be what got me into college, but my classes would focus on art.” She originally considered attending SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, but the high tuition prices of a private college would have meant she would have much higher student loans. “I have always worked to support myself," she says. "In Albany, I was a waitress and a cook at a local restaurant, so I could save money for school." After researching the Georgia university system, various track prospects and approximate tuition requirements, Nikkita fell in love with the opportunities offered at the University of West Georgia (UWG). Sometimes, when life doesn’t go exactly according to plan, it is often how the experience is dealt with that matters. “I originally came to UWG with the goal of being on the track team and maybe getting a scholarship,” she explains. “But when I tried out for track my freshman year, I was told I did not make the team. I couldn’t believe I didn’t make the cut. But after that happened, I decided to really focus my time and energy on my education and to create some goals for the future. I also decided to study business rather than art.” Determined to keep on running, Nikkita made the track team as a walk-on her sophomore year and completed a season running in the West Georgia Wolves uniform. But during that time, a passion for academics was ignited. “After I had decided on working toward a general business degree, my sister, Shandreel, told me I should get a solid, targeted degree." Nikkita ultimately received an undergraduate
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degree in marketing, with a certificate in advertising from UWG. She also received a certificate in entrepreneurship from the UGA Small Business Development Center (SBDC). With classroom experiences highlighting entrepreneurial and business endeavors, Nikkita began to develop a personal drive for starting a business of her own.
A Frightening Experience “I had enjoyed working at a local chain restaurant when our family lived in Albany so, to continue making money to pay for school, I got hired on at one of their sister stores in Carrollton,” she says. She generally worked the 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, and one morning, something happened to her that eventually led to a business idea. After her shift, Nikkita got ready to leave and noticed a lone man, smoking a cigarette, standing right outside the restaurant door. Earlier, he had been inside the restaurant for several hours. While it wasn't unusual for people to stay inside the restaurant for long stretches at a time, something about this man made Nikkita pay closer attention. “After I clocked out, I walked by him as I left work and kind of looked at him from the side of my eye,"
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