October 18, 2023
Dreaming big
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A Hazelwood West High School student is a blossoming entrepreneur with two successful business ventures already under her belt
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Features (FLIP)
By Wendy Todd Tamia Coleman-Hawkins would be your typical high school junior at Hazelwood West High School, except that she’s an entrepreneur with at least two business ventures and is continuing to grow her brand. Her latest project is a children’s book, “Mia Dreams Bigger”, which she co-authored with her mother, Tamishio Hawkins, that encourages children to follow their dreams. The book was released last month. Coleman-Hawkins’ first venture, when she was eight years old, was Mia’s Treats Delights, a bakery business selling brownies, cookie cakes and gourmet cookies. She was encouraged to pursue her own business by her mother, who still runs the bakery. “My mom always encouraged me to be my own boss,” Coleman-Hawking said. “In third grade, I took an economics class and was so inspired after it was over that I walked up to her and told her I didn’t want to wait until I was an adult to start my own business. I wanted to start it then.” The ambitious teen has had her foot on the gas of entrepreneurship ever since. As a result of being asked by so many about her journey as a young business owner, Coleman-Hawkins decided to write a book with her mother that answers some of those questions. She wanted to provide support to other young people who want to pursue their passion, as a way
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Submitted photos Tamia Coleman-Hawkins children’s book, “Mia Dreams Bigger,” encourages children to follow their dreams.
of giving back to the community, something she and her mother have consistently done. Coleman-Hawkins remembers going downtown with her mother to pass out clothes, toiletries and food to the unhoused. That experience inspired her to find ways to be beneficial to the community whether on her own or through her businesses.
The entrepreneurial road isn’t always smooth, but with the support of her mother, who Coleman-Hawkins calls her “bestie,” she has weathered the storms. She’s also been influenced by the success of other young entrepreneurs to keep going and pursue her own ventures. “Jaylen Bledsoe was the first entrepreSee ‘DREAMING’ page 2
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