Feature: Faith Clemons, student and entrepreneur

“Entrepreneurship is in my blood,” said Faith Clemons, entrepreneur and a senior Exercise and Sports Science major.

Her business and major are closely intertwined — Clemons, 22, is the owner of Fench Fitness, a business that specializes in “group fitness and inclusive fitness for individuals with disabilities and health conditions,” she described.

Clemons is also the founder of the Unique Students Council Association. The organization was created “to educate USCA’s students about the students on campus who face discrimination based on their disabilities,” Clemons wrote in an Facebook post introducing the organization.

Clemons noted that she felt she has “accomplished something” in life as the founder of the organization.

“Personally having a disability and designing an organization that supports and advocates for students on campus with disabilities is a very big deal to me,” she wrote.

“I feel it gives a sense of freedom to the students on campus that face discrimination based on there disabilities and gives more support than just the disabilities services legally provided that colleges are suppose to have.”

Clemons wrote that her biggest inspiration was her mother, who “pushed me to do everything I could do in life despite my disability.”

Owning a business runs in the Clemons’ family, according to Faith. “I always had a business mindset because my parents own their own businesses,” she said.

With the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the nation, Clemons prepared her business to function virtually.

She wrote, “During the outbreak, my fitness sessions are being held virtually so my clients can still have a platform to workout and ask me questions if they aren’t doing something right.”

Initially, there were hardships in starting Fench Fitness, specifically finding clientele, Clemons described.

“I had trouble gaining clientele because I was trying to service everyone and I didn’t stick to my niche. I just knew I wanted to be in the fitness industry but didn’t know where I would fit in,” she said.

“I now know that my niche is working with the disabled community.”

She related her involvement in the disabled community back to her major and personal experience.

“Having a disability made me realize that I needed to use my education as an exercise science major to benefit the community,” wrote Clemons. “My passion for fitness and helping the disabled community and my will to give back made me want to start my own business.”

Clemons emphasized the importance of educating individuals on disabilities and raising awareness. This effort is in part to the “cruel and ignorant” words used against the disabled community, Clemons described.
”Individuals who have such [disabilities] should not be put aside just because they are seen different in the eyes of the majority,” she finished.

Clemons wrote that her goal is to “ … gain the respect being a disabled individual in the fitness industry,” and for others to “ … gain insight to how a person with a disability functions while running a business” and “motivation to do something that they thought they couldn’t do.”

To her younger self, Clemons said she would tell her to “research,” “never give up” and “ if you have someone in your corner willing to help and give advice to take it and not try to do everything on your own.”