Inspiring Woman - Terrai Runnels, MBA

I still remember one of the first days that I ever met Terrai in high school...I don't think that we initially hit it off, but it didn't last long. Matter of fact, the first day that I came back to school after having my ACL surgery senior year, Terrai was the one that wheeled me around all day, and made sure that I got to where I needed to be, and no-one bothered me!!! She was like my bodyguard...even though she was shorter and smaller than me. However, not a single person messed with me, because they knew Terrai don't play!! It has been such an incredible honor and joy to develop the friendship that we have with one another now. We don't talk every day nor see each other all the time, but when we do, it's like we pick up right where we left off. To say that the journey that Terrai has taken and the mountains she has climbed is inspiring, is actually not doing it enough justice. I am so thankful that Terrai agreed to be apart of this feature!! 

I introduce you to the beautiful, Terrai Runnels, MBA

Generally speaking, what was your childhood like?

I am the 2^nd born child/only daughter to a teenage single mom. I would describe my childhood life as nomadic.  We moved around quite a bit that I ended up attending 5 different elementary schools. I just remember always being the new kid in class. I don’t have any lifelong friends from my elementary years. 

The crazy thing about attending so many schools, is I left my mark on all of them. I have been in talented and gifted and numerous honor programs from 1^st grade on forward at every campus. My mom still has certificates, ribbons, trophies, etc. to prove it. My mom did the best she could raising me and my siblings. By the time I was a teen, my mom was settled in her career and we finally had that stability.

What have you learned over your lifetime that you’d like to share with the younger generation?

You can do whatever you put your mind to. Never give up regardless of what society standards are. Write your own story. No one person’s life is the same. 

What has the journey/process been like for you to get to where you are today?

The journey I’ve been on is pretty crazy! I talked about how I have always been so “smart”. Many would say, “she so intelligent, she’ll graduate top of her class, go off to college, and make hundreds of thousands of dollars by the age of 22.” At 22, I was laid off and became an on/off again community college student, unemployed, living with my parents. My journey has been far from traditional. The intelligence I have has now come with time. 

What sacrifices have you had to endure to get to where you are today?

After being laid off, I was feeling down because I was supposed to be “somebody”, or more than what I had become. I used all of my unemployment to become a consistent on again community college student. I knew I didn’t want to take out any student loans, so I got a job working overnight at a bank. During these 18 months, I had no social life. I clocked in at 10pm, did homework on my lunch break at 4am, got off 8am, slept about 6 hours some days, and on campus by 3pm just to be back at work the next night. 

Fast forward to 25 years old, I finally had my 1^st associates degree and thought now I’m going to go make $100,000! 👩🏾‍🎓 I got my first corporate job as an entry-level finance analyst. Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. Everyone around me had BS/BBA, MBA, and CPAs. I wanted to be like them so I went back to school again while working full-time. I had the recipe down on how to be successful at both. I got my bachelors and in the midst of all the school and work, I managed to get engaged, win Wheel of Fortune, and plan a whole wedding! I thought to myself that’s not enough, so I got my masters too while taking my mom to chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.  That CPA is still on my to-do list, and I’m taking donations to help fund it!

 

What do you do for a living?

I’ve been in my career for 9 years and my title is currently Vice President for a major asset management firm. I work within the tax compliance division which entails managing a complex portfolio of about 400 clients amongst several employees. It is my responsibility to provide a service that maintains standards set by US treasury regulations and the internal revenue code. 

What motivates you the most?

I always want to make my mom proud, because she never got the chance to go to college. She sacrificed so much of her early adult years to raise me and my siblings. She is the epitome of a strong black woman who continues to defy the odds. My siblings have given me a plethora of nieces and nephews that I am a role model for. 

You are a complete BOSS…as a woman, why do you feel like creating this path for yourself was/is necessary?

I was determined to be a 1^st generation college graduate so the next generation can see a successful minority black woman in a management position who never gave up. My story is far from society’s vision of perfect, but it’s mine. I am no longer that person who wants to be something. I am somebody! I am a BOSS!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Believe it not; I wanted to be a rapper! Since we moved around so much as a child, I am a self-proclaimed introvert. My mom had 3 children and I’m the only girl, so I would sit in my room listening to music and writing songs. The irony of it all, is I hate being the center of attention. I quickly realized that it wasn’t my path! LOL

Anything you would like to say about your “platform” “area of expertise” “business” or anything at all?

Financial literacy is a subject that needs to be discussed more in African American families. We have got to get more knowledgeable in order to have generational wealth. I am working with a nonprofit group that mentors young black girls and teens on basic financial needs. In the future, I’d like to fund a grant to help with college for minority women.

What is your greatest hope?

My greatest hope is the wage gap for women and minorities will cease to exist. I will end with a quote from former president Barack Obama “Now women, I just want you to know; you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you're better than us [men].”

I hope you all enjoyed learning more about this complete BOSS and incredibly INSPIRATIONAL and BEAUTIFUL BLACK WOMAN that I get to call my FRIEND, Terrai Runnels, MBA!!

Lots of Love 💙

Rebekah