Man Of the Month: July

The first non-Nigerian to be featured so far (this is only by pure coincidence that all the rest have been Nigerian). The amazingly gorgeous Deon Harrell is a Senior Economics major at Texas Tech University, with a minor in  American Sign Language. He will be walking across the stage with me in December. The only sad thing about that is, he recently received a promotion and will be spending his last semester in his home town Dallas (Oak Cliff), Texas. I'm sad to see him go, but we have quite a few good memories together, dating all the way back to my freshman year of college. Staying up late, laughing hysterically over lunch, and always screaming each others name across campus when we see each other. But he is moving on to greatness. Take a look for yourself.


KA: Who is Deon?
DH: Deon is... how do you define yourself in one word? I am a very optimistic, and open minded individual. I'm goal orientated, hard working, stubborn... I do my best to stay level headed in any situation. I try to be relate-able.  I'm confident in who I am.
KA: You would have to be in order to interpret the amazing people you have. Is that what made you interested in ASL?
DH: No. My mom has a strong personality, and I couldn't imagine talking back to her. So my sister and I decided to learn sign language so we could talk to each other without her understanding what we were saying. Then I got really into it. I don't have any def people in my family.
KA: Who have you interpreted for?
DH: Keith Wann, Hill Harper, Taraji P. Henson, T.D. Jakes, and the National Alliance Of Black Interpreters. Less than 30% of all interpreters are black males.
KA: What do you see yourself doing in the next 5 years?
DH: I plan on finishing my MBA, traveling, and just making my way up in the company that I work for. I have been in the banking and financial services industry 4 years now, since I was 18. I recently earned a promotion with Well Fargo
KA: How would you describe you personal style? 
DH: If i had to describe it in one word: Professional. I am a brand. My uncle taught me that if you want to make $100, 000, you have to dress like you have $100,000. While I obviously don't have $100,000, I still want to represent myself and my brand well.
KA: Is there any special lady that you would spend that $100, 000 on, if you had it?
DH: Yes, there is. My beautiful, amazing girlfriend Abree. We've been dating for 4 years now. We both ran track in middle school, so we met in the 7th grade. I always had a crush on her. When I finally had the courage to ask her out, we went on a date 5 years later. I was just shy I guess. Sorry ladies...

Twitter: @kingdharrell
IG: kingdharrell
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30 Day Challenge: Day 30...

As we come to the end of the 30 day challenge, I hope you have enjoyed learning random facts about me and the things I enjoy. I guess it's almost time to get back to our regularly scheduled program (what ever that is). I really enjoyed doing it. And I didn't miss any days. Be proud of me.

My biggest dream is to one day be linked through my fathers arm, wear a gorgeous white dress, with the person that is delusional enough to decide they want to spend the rest of their life with me, waiting wait at the alter. Yes, I am one of those girls who have been dreaming about my wedding since I was 5, with the pillow case on my head and everything. You should just check out my Pinterest board (here).

Haha I don't mean to scare anyone, but that is my biggest dream. What's even better than having someone to spend the rest of my life with, I get to fulfill half of my religion. In Islam, we believe that marriage is half of your faith. So getting married isn't just about falling in love and having children. It's also an act of worship. But I guess until then...

30 Day Challenge: Day 28 and 29...

I missed 2 days. Sue me.

30 Day Challenge: Day 27...

My favorite thing to do is sleep. YES, sleep. I love sleep. Any chance I can get, I go to sleep. If you've taken a class with me, you know I fall asleep. In high school, I use to have a blanket in my locker and I would take it to class with me and go to sleep. I have issues, don't mind me.

But I have realized that I am extremely active which requires a lot of energy, and since I am anemic, I don't have much of. So I am always tired. Getting enough sleep at night is very crucial, as well as eating healthy. All my friends make fun of me for going to bed at 9 and 10 at night, but if they only know the struggle I have on a daily basis.

30 Day Challenge: Day 26...

My favorite skincare product is Mary Kay's tinted moisturizer. It's a sunscreen, moisturizer, and foundation. I love it, i kill 4 birds with one stone because I can skip over a primer as well. So when I don't feel like getting all dolled up, I can put this on with eyeliner and mascara and it looks as though I tried a little harder than I actually did. This thing is magical. I'm not one who really needs foundation and I surely do not wear it every day, let alone every week. But it does feel quite nice and makes me feel like I did a little something extra.

Other than my retarded eyebrows, I think it does a good job.  No need for foundation anymore.

30 Day Challenge: Day 25...

I think everyone has dreamed about owning this Chanel bag. And you're lying if you say you haven't. I have wanted this bag since I was a little girl. This is the first item that I'm going to purchase for myself when I start making the big bucks. I don't want it as a gift. I want to be able to tell myself, "This is it. You've finally arrived." Haha InshaAllah (God willing), one day. And it has to be black and gold. For some reason, I've recently become obsessed with that combination.

30 Day Challenge: Day 24...

My favorite song is Signal Fire by Snow Patrol. It was been my favorite song since my freshman year in high school. This song really got me through some tough times. I fell in love with this song when I started expanding my horizons. I called it my enlightening phase of my life. I chopped all my hair off, started listening to different kinds of music, made all types of friends, and I dove head first into exploring who I was. It was a beautiful point in my life. I was more sure of who I was at that time compared to any other point in my life. And this song helped navigate me through it.

The lyrics are so simple and the words are so clear, yet so complex and applicable to any part of your life. It made me value honesty, transparency, and life itself.

30 Day Challenge: Day 23...

I have been natural for a little over 3 years, and I have gone through my fair share of products. I have some ups and downs, and 2 cabinets full of products that will never see the light of day until I decide to throw them away. So many brands can be deceiving with their false advertising.

I have learned to start reading the ingredients. That is the biggest thing for me. At one point in time, I went all natural, using only things made from the earth on my hair but it became expensive on my Ramen twice a week budget, and hard to find in West Texas. Until one day I stumbled up Carols Daughter. I have been using Lisa's brand ever since. I have deviated to see if I could find something cheaper, but nothing works as well. And trust when I say, a little goes a long way with her products.

My only issue with them is that they have started cutting corners. When I first started using them, they used rich ingredients like coconut oil or jojoba oil. Now they use corn oil or sunflower seed oil which doesn't do as much for your hair. But I still love their products. I just stopped using the products that they have cut corners on.

My hair just feels different with this on it. And it seals in moisture really well.

I hate how thick it is, but it works to keep my twists for over 2 weeks if
I need it, combined with the hair balm.

This is a must for a roller set, twist out, or a blow out.  

I'm not a fan of the smell, but it works well when braiding my hair.

This is my favorite deep conditioner. Mixed with honey and olive oil,
 it leaves my hair shinny and smelling amazing.