Born in a quaint Pennsylvania town, Felicia Webb, a non-native Washingtonian, embarked on a journey that wove together the landscapes of Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. during her formative years. The ebb and flow of her elementary education saw her alternating between the two locales, until she ultimately planted roots in the nation’s capital with her mother and younger brothers in 2004. Her middle and early high school years unfolded against the backdrop of physical altercations, grappling with the pervasive challenges posed by girl gangs and teen-on-teen violence in the city.
However, Felicia’s narrative took a transformative turn when she enrolled in Friendship Collegiate Academy in late 2006. Despite facing the city’s escalating challenges, she laid the foundation for her future by embracing education. In the midst of shaping her academic path, she confronted an unexpected twist in her personal journey – becoming a mother during her sophomore year of high school and welcoming her son into the world over the summer.
Endowed with the responsibility of being her mother’s eldest and only daughter, Felicia found herself at a crucial crossroads. Refusing to succumb to assumptions of failure, she graduated with honors in 2008, breaking stereotypes associated with young motherhood. Her enrollment at Howard University that August marked the beginning of a relentless pursuit to balance motherhood, work, and academics.
Yet, her resilience faced an unparalleled test in 2011 when her 16-year-old middle brother fell victim to gun violence, succumbing to his injuries at Howard University Hospital. The collision of personal tragedy and academic pursuits shattered the refuge she once found in her college environment. Returning to Washington, D.C. in 2012, a year after her brother’s tragic death, Felicia grappled with the challenges that defined her college experience in the subsequent years.
Amidst the struggles of juggling work and academics, Felicia’s vision of entrepreneurship began to crystallize. In 2016, she boldly founded Young Black Female Entrepreneurs, Incorporated (YBFE), driven by the foundational goal of nurturing a sisterhood among youth to foster both individual and communal advocacy. As the only girl among her mother’s four children, Felicia sought a sisterhood that would contribute to her character, confidence, entrepreneurial skills, and sense of community. Collaborating with her trusted friends, who shared her dream and vision, they collectively established the guiding principles that would govern Young Black Female Entrepreneurs, Inc.
