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| Eunice Cofie President and Chief Cosmetic Chemist |
Growing up, I was made to feel like I was not beautiful because of my dark skin color and tightly coiled hair. I was often picked on by my peers. I remember crying endlessly as I was being called names like "black", "African booty scratcher", or "nappy head". The bullying did not just stop at words but it became physical. Girls would take turns pulling on my hair. I even remember one guy spitting on my hair. The constant teasing and bullying damaged my self-esteem.
My saving grace was my father’s encouragement for me to pursue an understanding of science which shifted my focus. In the first grade, my father entered me into my first school science fair. My father would spend countless hours teaching me how to develop my science fair project. The hard work that I put into my science fair project paid off when I won first place in the school science fair. From that moment, I began to gain confidence in myself. What I understood from that experience was that I may not have been viewed as the prettiest girl in the room but I knew that I could be the smartest girl in the room. Science had become my oasis and my strength. It became my love.
