How to Achieve Excellence
“I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of Black women’s struggles and successes.
By Hadiatou Wann | 06/26/20
A recent graduate of Howard school of Business, Bailaou Diallo shares her journey of achieving academic success and becoming an entrepreneur.
Bailaou was always the brightest in school. In 2016, she graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School with a full-ride scholarship to Howard University, which is considered “the Black Ivy League.”
When she began her studies at Howard, she quickly realized that there were so many smart, Black people. As someone who was used to being the smartest in the room, being at Howard, she says, “raised the bar.” Even though Howard was flooded with smart people, they built a culture of always looking out for one another. Their mantra was, “As you work your way up, make sure to bring the elevator back down.”
At first, Bailaou majored in Biology. But after the first semester, she had a change of mind. As the oldest of four, everyone expected the best from her. Though her family wanted her to go into medicine, she decided to follow her instincts especially since business is embedded within her family. Bilaou says business runs through her blood.
The first step she took was to enroll at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), where over the summer she took Calculus (between freshman and Sophomore year) in order to transition into her Finance concentration.
Though she was a full-time student, she found a way to start a makeup business,Beat by Bai, which amassed over 400 clients. Bailaou also modeled for some time, but she realized it wasn’t serving her. She stopped modeling and committed to wearing the hijab.
While at Howard, she maintained a 4.0 GPA, Founded “Black Muslimahs United,” and did community service (e.g., she gave out food and hygiene kits to 150 people in Harlem and has done similar projects while on her trip in Guinea.) She also has ties to “Generosity Global,” which is a nonprofit organization located in Baltimore that gives out food to hundreds of unfortunate people every month, and drills wells for water in Kenya and Cameroon. She plans to invest more time in giving back to others now that she is done with school.
One tip Bailaou has when it comes to achieving academic success is one must learn to read the summary on the back of a textbook to get a brief understanding of what is covered inside, take good notes, be organized and know how to prioritize.
In the process of finding an internship, Bailaou did many interviews but did not get replies at first. However, she persisted until she found an internship on Indeed and worked for a nonprofit organization, and later some startup companies. In addition, she interned at the Department of Treasury at DC, where she was a Data Analyst. She also had the opportunity to intern at a financial consulting company in Guinea. As opposed to the business environment in the United States, she noticed that there was a lack of infrastructure, and people in Guinea were not in a hurry. However, the lifestyle, cost of living, closeness and quality time between family caught her eye and moving back home is definitely a future goal for her.
She also interned at Ernst and Young as a business advisor. Although at the time she was pregnant, Black and Muslim in a predominantly white workplace, they welcomed her. Her experience sparked her interest in technology which led her to Accenture—where she will begin working as a technology consultant this summer.
With a plethora of internships on her resume, Bailaou advises job or internship seekers to build their network, dress properly, show up to the interview, and send a follow up email within 24 hours.
Although Bailaou secured a job, she and her husband are focused on building financial freedom. This year, Bailaou launched a hair and skin care line for her daughter. She says that If her daughter doesn’t want to go to college, she has the option of continuing to build her brand (Zahra’s Orchard).
“You don’t have power over stocks, you have control over where you reap the fruits of your labor,” Bailaou explained. Recently, she and her husband began their own real estate investment company (Walker & Diallo Group) where they will focus on rehabilitation or “flips,” property management and rentals. The pandemic has slowed down many business owners. But Bailaou says, “any entrepreneur needs to know how to be flexible.”
Aïsha Thermidor expressed, “I first met Bailaou when we served on an Alternative Spring Break Service Trip together in Flint, Michigan as Howard University students: From there, we became friends. Within Bailaou, I see a dynamic young woman who I can’t help but love. Her kindness, genuineness, ambition, and intellect goes beyond her years.”
“Bailaou is who one would call an old soul. Her emotional intelligence and emotional stability has pushed her to conquer so many obstacles in her path that many would crumble under. Despite obstacles that she may face, Bailaou still remains an incredibly kind person who’s always looking to mentor and improve the community around her. That’s how I first met her, at a community service trip that she took to mentor young black students even though she had the opportunity to spend Spring Break elsewhere, “Aïsha added.
Aïsha says, “She’s a wonderful woman because she has a genuine, and kind spirit about her. You know that she’ll always tell you the truth, non-sugar coated, but you also know it comes from a good place because she has a very good heart. I look forward to seeing her take the world by storm, and continuing to have a positive impact in her communities.“
As a Fulani woman who is married to an African American, Bailaou wants to break down tribalism and toxic cultural norms by encouraging people to be more open to other cultures. “You can preserve your culture and share with others.” Bailaou says. Her goal is to go back to Africa in the near future, live a simple lifestyle with her family, build a consulting agency around tech and agriculture, as well create ways to welcome African American back to the motherland.
The color of her skin, her gender, a hijab, marriage, nor a baby did not stop Bailaou from excelling in every area of her life. Her success story proves that there is absolutely nothing you can’t do if you are determined to achieve excellence.
Welcome to Bailaou’s World
“We have great chemistry and are always together which works out for us very well. We both have worked in very professional settings which helps a lot when dealing with outside parties.”
“I’m very analytical and focus on day to day tasks while my husband is more focused on the big picture and is very motivational and encouraging.”
Bailaou’s family is from Guinea. She was born in France. She enjoys nature, painting, and spending time by the water. She is a strong believer that everyone should travel outside of the country, especially to Africa. She says that traveling, interacting with the native people is one of the best types of education one can get.
“Work smart and don’t let anyone silence you.”
“Motherhood has taught me to be very vulnerable, patient, enjoy every moment of life and timekeeping because the baby grows so quickly, remain calm through every storm.”
“Motherhood has motivated me to consistently show the world my best self and be the best role model possible, and to change diapers, blow out boogers of course. ”
“I want my daughter to always persevere, follow her dreams and not be afraid to be and think differently from the majority.”
Bailaou’s daughter’s hair and skin care brand
“Be your biggest fan, always keep a positive mindset and stay close to Allah.”
In the video below, Bailaou shares how to get a 4.0 GPA.
Watch it and subscribe to her channel!
Connect with Bailaou:
Facebook: Bailaou Diallo
Personal Instagram: @bailaouofficial
Makeup business IG: @beat.by.bai
Real Estate business IG: @walkerdiallogroup
Email: bailaou52@gmail.com
Read other success stories here: www.iamafricanandican.info/blog
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