Name: Elise-Christelle Woappi (prefers Elise)
In Elise’s shoes : Becoming Confident, Bold, and Successful (previously published June 2018)
What have you been up to since your blog post with WIOPS?
I’ve grown tremendously in my personal life and professional career, relocated to a different city, and grew closer to my family. It’s been an intense self-growth and self-development journey. I’ve also experienced different successes and failures. My startup, Tchuento, finished building its prototype and completed a startup accelerator – but the company ultimately had a lot of red flags and ended up needing to pivot.
Has your voice changed? If yes, what led to the change?
My voice has gotten stronger. I feel confident in who I am, my values, and the vision for my life. My voice has been strengthened by a strong renewal in my faith in God.
What is your proudest moment in using your voice?
There have been many small proud moments since I’ve started to really use my voice. My most notable has been my decision to relocate to a new city for my mental stability, letting go of friendships that were no longer serving me for my greater good, and rekindling my relationship with God by attending church again and living in faith.
What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for God, my family, my past mistakes, my successes, the lessons I’ve learned throughout the years, my work. I’m thankful that I’m healthy and still alive.
Elise Woappi was born in Cameroon and moved to the United States at the age of ten with her family. She grew up in Hanover, Pennsylvania and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations at Penn State. She’s worked at nonprofits and corporations in fundraising, data research, and marketing. Elise founded Tchuento in August 2017, a creative design and marketing company, to help entrepreneurs and business growth. Elise hopes to create a legacy that embodies her journey as a young immigrant, a black female, and entrepreneurs.