Denmark, S.C. – Solanges Vivens, a nursing professional, entrepreneur and educator, told the audience that to be successful in life, one has to take calculated risks like the turtle, rather than uncalculated risks like the deer. Vivens spoke at the Voorhees College Black History Convocation Feb. 17 in Massachusetts Hall.
She likened her career path to that of a turtle because the turtle is deliberate, thoughtful and calculated, unlike the deer who leaps and darts about. She encouraged the audience of faculty, staff and students to be like the turtle.
“In your professional and family life, you can be like the turtle and encourage the deer in your life to become turtles,” she said.
Vivens, a visionary business leader, talked about her career in healthcare administration and the road to entrepreneurship. She is CEO of Vivens Media Group, a multimedia company that takes her talents beyond the healthcare profession to generating entertainment content through books, short films, podcasts and feature films. However, her first entrepreneurial experience was owning a nursing home.
“I founded a company with two white men and eventually bought them out and became 100 percent owner of the business,” she said.
Vivens, originally from Haiti, said that when she came to the US at a young age, she worked in the home of a white family, where she came to understand the concept of the “haves and have-nots” and decided she wanted to be among the “haves.”
“I felt like a princess working for that family. I had my own suite in their large home, which was far better than my room at my sister’s home,” she said.
Vivens enrolled in nursing school, achieved several degrees and enjoyed a 40-year career in healthcare.
She is the author of two books: “A Revelation: Walking Backwards into the Footsteps of St. Solange” and “Girls Can Move Mountains: Rewriting the Rules of Female Entrepreneurship.”
After her speech, Vivens was presented the Voorhees College Presidential Citation by Damara Hightower Mitchell, vice president for academic affairs and provost.
An image of Hightower Mitchell (left) presenting the citation to Vivens can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/2vkc24t8.
