The Yodhhewawhe sisters are the definition of ‘Black girl magic’ with their amazing accomplishments that started from the life lessons handed down from their parents.
Kebar, Yehuwdiyth and Beyth-Shan Yodhhewawhe sat down in an exclusive interview with Atlanta Black Star to discuss how they were determined to carry out their mother’s legacy. The three sisters all earned their doctorate degrees by the age of 30.
Their story starts with humble beginnings in Miami, Florida. Their parents believed in hard work, entrepreneurship and ownership, but lacked the educational foundation to have continued success in being small business owners. The sisters’ father, a native of the Republic of Panama, ran a gift shop and their mother, a native of Miami, Florida, started her own line of hair-care products. Both businesses failed, and the sisters saw their parents lose everything, including their family home.
“We saw our parents lose everything trying to run their small business,” said Kebar Yodhhewawhe. “It wasn’t because they weren’t hard workers, but they both lacked the knowledge needed to run a successful small business. Their biggest problem was managing the finances. They didn’t create a financial plan, but would just see an empty building or an opportunity and acted on it.”
The sisters seeing their family businesses fail, helped fuel them to learn the foundations of owning and operating a small business. This turned into them using that passion to gain more through education. All three sisters graduated high school early after being homeschooled by their mother and started college before they were old enough to drive. They all received their bachelor’s degrees through an online program with Grantham University in Lenexa, Kansas, and doctorate degrees from Northcentral University in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Kebar, 27, is the youngest of the trio. She graduated high school at the age of 14, and by the age of 16, she had already earned an associate’s degree in business administration with a minor in marketing from Grantham University in 2012. In 2014, she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Grantham as well.
She went on to earn her master’s degree in internet marketing and doctorate degree in marketing from Northcentral University earlier this year. Now Kebar has started her own small business called Reimagine Digital Marketing, which aims to help creatives and small businesses build their brands on social media.
Yehuwdiyth, the middle sister, started her own business as a content consultant and manager. She provides an initial analysis and consultation to customers on their financial plan to help get them on the right track with whatever financial goals they are aiming to meet. The 28-year-old received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance in 2014. She then earned a master’s degree from the former online Kaplan University in financial planning and earned her doctorate in financial planning last year.
In addition to her financial work, she also has a background in teaching. Yehuwdiyth taught English online to foreign students and served as a tutor for Language Development System LLC.
Beyth-Shan, 31, received her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2013. The eldest sister then went on to earn a master’s degree in accounting and taxes in 2013 and her doctorate degree in advanced accounting earlier this year.
The educated accountant is more than what meets the eye though. When she is not earning degrees, she is traveling the world to compete in Jiu-Jitsu competitions. Beyth-Shan recently returned from the Asian Open, where the purple belt placed second.
The Yodhhewawhe sisters worked hard to earn their doctorates but gave all the credit to their mother.
“We wanted to get our doctorate degrees because this was our mother’s dream. Unfortunately, she passed away before completing her degree, but that was always a dream of hers,” said Kebar.
Beyth-Shan now lives in the California, and the other two sisters live together in Orlando. Despite living in different locations, the oldest of the Yodhhewawhe clan makes sure she keeps in constant contact with her two younger sisters.
The sisters grew up not having a lot of money but found ways to push through college and achieve their dreams.
“A lot of Black people don’t know that there are scholarships and programs out there that are willing to help you pay for college,” said Yehuwdiyth. “They also don’t know that they can pursue any degree that they want. There are endless opportunities if you put your mind to it and work hard.”
The other two sisters echoed those same words.
“Black people, especially Black women, have amazing capabilities but just need the opportunities. Black excellence is something you do every day. The biggest thing I want people to take from my story, our story, is no matter what you’re going through, you can overcome it,” said Kebar.
