Huge shout out to one of our role models, Nisha! You’re a huge inspiration to us all at Connecting Champions, especially Chyna! Chyna, age 15, was already an incredible artist and the best dressed person at Children’s hospital. At any given moment, you could find Chyna painting, drawing, or sketching. We were lucky enough to find two role models who could match Chyna’s artistic ability and energetic personality! Nisha Blackwell is a Pittsburgh native, and the owner of Knotzland, a company that makes hand-crafted artisan bowties out of recycled material. Nisha and Chyna discovered they had both grown up in the same part of Pittsburgh and they immediately became fast friends. More impressive than Nisha’s Pittsburgh roots, however, were the bowties she had designed! Chyna was instantly impressed by the creativity and artistic talent that went into the designs. The best part, however, was when Nisha invited Chyna to her studio, to design bowties together! Nisha and Chyna had a blast designing together, and as expected, the designs were incredible! We also matched Chyna with Sandra Reiman, a Pittsburgh based handbag and jewelry designer. Sandra and Chyna had a great time talking about fashion and designing together, but they also bonded over their personal stories and high school experiences. We can’t wait to see what Chyna does next – we wouldn’t be surprised if she starts her own fashion line down the road! |