The glow of the bathroom lights reflects off the glitter shining in the eye shadow palettes, like the sun reflecting off of the water. Like some little girls, Gaelle Jean-Pierre loved make-up. So much so that she pursued it as a career.

A senior at RCHS Jean-Pierer is a young entrepreneur with a passion for learning and activism. Staring her cosmetic business; Gaele Cosmetics at the age of 12, Jean-Pierre has since grown her company. Jean-Pierre and her mother Safyie Reid Jean-Pierre started Gaelle Cosmetics back in 2017.

With the initial launch of her company, Jean-Pierre hadn’t taken much responsibility, especially considering her age.

“My responsibilities were naming products,” Jean-Pierre said. “And the more I grew, the more my responsibilities did as well.”

Now she has taken on bigger roles in the company such as marketing and selling products.

Jean-Pierre’s mother is a spa director, so getting into the cosmetic business was an easy feat, having already had experience in marketing and working with people and skin. The rise of makeup influencers like James Charles and Kylie Jenner in 2017 also contributed to their success.

“Makeup is just something a lot of little girls love,” Jean-Pierre said. “And makeup is just an easier thing to market. So that’s what we decided.”

It was no surprise to Jean-Pierre or her mother that the business took off, especially considering that entrepreneurship runs in the family. Jean-Pierre’s father Hummils Jean-Pierre is an entrepreneur as well. Even before starting her company, Jean-Pierre had experience with helping her father run his marketing company. This has become a source of inspiration and motivation for Jean-Pierre as a young businesswoman.

“I’ve always helped him with that, with sales and stuff like that,” Jean-Pierre said. “So I’ve always looked up to him when it came to business.”

In addition to running a business, Jean-Pierre is a part of many clubs around the RCHS campus. She serves as the Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion of ASB, BSU Secretary, Black Girl Society Secretary, Amnesty Club Treasurer, and Speech and Debate Treasurer. Her various leadership roles on campus illustrate just how involved Jean-Pierre is at RCHS.

“She has always been a devoted member of our club, giving up her time to contribute to helping in any way we need it,” Ms. Jenna Jemison, an English teacher, and the BSU advisor said. “That includes participating and helping coordinate our events, attending meetings, mentoring students, volunteering and so much more. I would describe her as devoted, reliable, and a go-getter.”

Her most recent accomplishment has been creating a club on campus to unite young entrepreneurs: the RCHS Entrepreneurs Club. As founder and president of the newly-created club, she has taken to guide the minds of the young businessmen and women around campus.

As a leader on campus, Jean-Pierre serves as a role model for other students and aspiring entrepreneurs. Some of her best advice for teenagers looking to start their own companies is to just start.

“Have courage,” Jean-Pierre said. “If you don’t have confidence and courage it’s never gonna go anywhere.”

In addition to being involved on campus and with her business, Jean-Pierre said that writing is also a big part of her life. She even volunteered as an intern for a nonprofit organization called Pasquines. This organization is a news outlet created to bring to light any issues going on in US territories.

Having lived in some of those territories herself, Jean-Pierre is a big advocate for the people there. In addition to living in the United States, Jean-Piere has lived in five other countries: Trinidad, St. Lucia, and the British Virgin Islands to name a few. She even finished her sophomore year, during remote learning, while living in Jamaica.

With access to so many broad cultures and environments, Jean-Pierre said being exposed to different countries and cultures affected her by causing her to develop a holistic view of the world. This is a direct result of her parent’s choice to expose her to a variety of people and cultures.

“We decide to move Gaelle to so many different countries because I kept getting different business opportunities in different islands,” said Jean-Pierre’s mother.

With so much to juggle at a young age, most people would be struggling, but Jean-Pierre handles it with grace. Holding onto her faith and having her mother and father who continuously motivate her, Jean-Pierre said her mother is her rock and motivates her every day. But there are still days when she said the stress gets the better of her. When that occurs, Jean-Piere said she turns to God.

“It’s a lot to balance, but for me personally, God,” Jean-Pierre said. “I’ll take a break, pray, and thank God.”

Jean-Pierre is a businesswoman, an activist, and an academic, and according to her loved ones and peers, she is hard-working and full of light. She can be a great inspiration for not only young entrepreneurs but anyone who comes around her.