We have seen that if script beta a collection of subsets of x that is script beta is a subset of power set of x, where capital X is any set satisfying the condition that give any x in x that imply there exist a member b from script beta such that x is in b that is we take union of all the members of script beta that is the whole space second b 1, b 2 belongs to script beta and suppose b 1 intersection b 2 is non-empty then for each x in b 1 intersection b 2 that is we have b 1 in our collection script beta, b 2 is in script beta and we x is in the intersection then we can find a b 3 from then for each x in the intersection there exist b 3 from script beta such that x belongs to b 3 which is contained in the intersection. Then we say that such a collection script beta is a basis for a topology on x then using this we define the topology as a subset of x is a member of tau suffix script beta if and only if I mean in case if it is non-empty x is in a implies there exist a member b from script beta such that x belongs to b contained in a that is for a belongs tau beta that is a is open for each x in a will get a basic open set so having this property. So note that script beta itself is a sub collection of tau suffix script beta because x in a we can take b itself equal to a then this condition is satisfied as a trivial example consider x any non-empty set script beta the collection of all singletons x in capital X the question is whether this sub collection this is sub collection of power set of x whether this collection satisfy these two condition namely first condition is yes x take any x in x then that imply there exist a member b which is same as singleton x such that x belongs to b is first condition is satisfied what about the second you take b1 b2 belongs to script beta second b1 intersection b2 should be non-empty only in this case we will have to check whether we can find here b3. So take b1 b2 belongs to script beta and x belongs to b1 intersection b2 then what does it mean because b1 belongs to b1 intersection b2 that means b1 is non-empty b2 is non-empty but all the members of script beta are singletons each member here is singletons hence in this case this would imply b1 hence b1 is singleton x b2 equal to singleton x and in this case b3 and this implies hence this imply there exist b3 which is again the same singleton x such that yes x belongs to b3 which is contained in b1 intersection b2. So hence this collection namely the collection of all singleton set will it is a basis for a topology on x. So what is the topology generated by this collection is nothing but easy to verify this power set of x that is the discrete topology that is you take any a subset of x and x belongs to a then there exist b which is singleton x such that x belongs to b which is contained in a this implies a belongs to our tau suffix script beta hence every set is open. So we get the discrete topology this collection will generate the discrete topology. So these are all trivial examples so one and we already seen that or it is easy to check this collection that is called topology on x induced by script beta is a induced by script beta is in fact a topology on x. This is called topology on x induced by script beta and it is easy to prove that tau is prove that this collection tau prove that tau suffix script beta is a topology on x that is easy to verify. Then now let us see how to as we told in the end how to define how to define interior point of a subset a of x where x is given with a topology where x tau is a topological space. Similarly we define what is a limit point closer of a set boundary point and other related concepts in fact this is one of the basic concept in topology what is called an interior point. So we have a given x tau a topological space so that is given a topological space capital A a subset of x then a point x in a is said to be on is said to be on interior point if as if and only if meaning is under this condition if and only if there exist this meaning there exist at least one open set meaning there exist u belongs to tau psi that x belongs to u in such a case we say that u is a neighbor root of x it is in fact what we say open neighbor root so just we call it neighbor root. So in other words there is a neighbor root u of x such that x belongs to u and that u is contained in a it is not just x is in a is an given subset x is an interior point in there should exist some u which should be an open set containing x that is completely contained in a then we say that x is on interior point then we define interior of a set what do you mean by interior of a in short we just write interior a or a standard notation a circle. So we read as a interior this is defined as the collection of all interior points of a. So a interior equal to set of all x in a that is a mean necessary condition such that just x is an interior point of interior point of a that is for each x is in a interior means we know that there exist u containing open set containing x contained in a we collect the collection of all interior point that is a subset of a by definition seconds by definition a interior is a subset of a well it is prove that in fact a interior is an open set. So you start with any set then collect all the interior points of that set then that set which is a interior is in fact an open set and will prove that it is not only it is an open set it is the largest open set contained inside contained in a. So yeah quickly let us prove this statement so we call it as a theorem we are given a topological space let x, tau be a topological space and capital A be a subset of x then interior will assume that if this interior is either empty that case it is open then even if it is non-empty will prove that it is first then one a interior is an open set first it is an open set second suppose capital B is an open set such that this way such that this open set is contained in a then then our interior is largest open set contained in a then what we have to prove is then this open set is contained in a interior yeah it is in fact it is almost a straight forward result first let us prove that and by definition will assume that if a interior is empty I mean there is no elements there is no interior point then a interior we take it empty which is an open set so let us assume that a interior is non-empty. So take see by the definition it is clear take x is in a interior then there exist an open set so that is u belongs to tau that u depends upon x so we call it then there exist u say suffix x belongs to tau this is just to say that is an open set containing x and that depends upon x there exist ux belongs to tau say that our definition of interior point says there is an open set containing x and completely contained in a correct so in fact we see that now ux is non-empty not only x is in ux then for y belongs to ux for any y in ux y this ux is already contained in a and y is in ux hence there exist an open set ux containing y and contained in a this implies this proves that y is also an interior point of a that means what you take every element of this open set is also on interior point that is we have proved that this open set containing x is contained in a interior that is now take any x then we will get an open set ux then take the union of all those open sets then that gives hence we have we have the following namely a interior itself equal to union of such ux a interior because we have proved that each ux for each x in a interior there exist ux which is a subset of a interior and this imply union of such ux x is in a interior is subset of a interior and conversely if we take any x in a interior that x will belongs to that ux for each x we have at least one open set ux that is contained in ux hence the other way a interior is subset of this union so hence we will have this we will not write everything so that is now a interior is nothing but union of ux where each ux is an open set that is a interior can be written as arbitrary union of numbers of tau our here our index this this a interior is a I mean for each x our index set varies from I mean this is a collection ux x in a interior this is a sub collection of tau that implies this union ux x belongs to a interior is also belongs to tau but that is same as a interior hence a interior is in fact an open set now the second part let us see that suppose capital B is an open set such that it is contained in a interior suppose B is an open set here so already we have we have second part we have capital B an open set and it is a subset of a so what we want to claim prove that capital B is subset of a interior that mean taken so to prove capital B is subset of a interior so take x if B is empty then it is subset of a interior so take if it is non-empty take x is in B but what is B itself a open set so now B is an open set means instead of our u x belongs to B B open B is an open set B is an open set so that B is contained in a that is we got an open set B so that x is in B and contained in a that imply by our definition x belongs to a interior in this case for each x there is an open set that open set is capital B itself so hence we have proved that that is x belongs to B imply x belongs to a interior hence we have this imply capital B is a subset of a interior that is a interior is an open set and it is the largest open set contained in a in fact we can other thing is we can easy to prove that a is if a is an open set open set then a interior equal to a for an open set I mean a interior is a itself in fact a interior already a interior subset of a take x is in a again the u there x is an open set x is in a contained in a so that will give us each point of a is an interior point now we will introduce the other concept then we will come back and see example see what is called a we will define the next concept called limit point or another we also call it or accumulation accumulation point of a subset capital E of a topological space x tau I mean sometimes we just say x it is understood that there is a topology on x here what is the how we define a point or say element x it need not be in a x is in our topological space x a point x in x is said to be a limit point is said to be a limit point of a if and only if it satisfies the following condition namely you give any open set containing x see here like it may be like x need not be in a even it may be x may be in a or x may be the complement say x is here take any open set containing x then that will contain some points of a different from x then we say that that point x is a limit point of a that is if and only if for each here for every open set for each open set you containing x for each open set containing x you intersection from a remove the set x a difference x this set should be non-empty then we say that x is a limit point of the set a like the collection of all interior point there we want at least one open set is completely inside a here for every open set because it is like boundary point mean yeah this we do not say it is boundary point the point may be on the boundary of see like if you say a close interval 0 1 if you take any point either 0 take any neighbor root open set containing mean again we will get a basic open set containing that point open set containing 0 mean it is an interval it will contain points from right side similarly 1 we will get some 1-epsilon 1-epsilon that is a basic open set containing this point which is which is as non-empty intersection with the given set. So, if you collect all the limit points that set we call it derived set of a so for a subset of x we define the set a dash this is our notation for the collection of all limit points of a for a in x we define the a dash or a prime as this a prime equal to all those points in x such that x is a limit point of a then we say that it is a limit point of a this is known as derived set of a then we define we define the closer the closer of whatever inditially we feel closer mean all the points of a and there are points which may not be a but they are limit points under any condition that mean you give any neighbor root of that x that neighbor root will contain some point of a different from x. So, we define the closer of a denoted by closer a or a bar as we write a closer equal to a union all the limit points now let us see that first in fact a closer is a close set like a interior is an open set closer is a close set what is a close set the compliment if we take the compliment that should belongs to tau. So, it is a compliment is an open set and will prove that it is a close set and it is the smallest closed set containing a mean will just indicate the proof okay we will call it again theorem for any a for a subset of x is understood there is a topology on x for a in x first a closer is a closed subset of x thus will prove this so what is here to prove is that is to prove to prove the compliment that we call it from x difference a closer we call it a closer compliment to prove this is an open set such is open set mean like each point should be take a point in that set you will have to prove that that is an interior point so take let x belongs to a closer compliment that is then x is not in a closer then x is not in a closer so x is not in a closer implies this condition mean for x belongs to a closer for every open set in fact we can see that either it is in a then or it is a limit point in either case you take any open set containing x u intersection a is non empty note that is x belongs to an element or say y belongs to a closer if and only if for each open set u containing y u intersection a is non empty what is a closer a closer equal to a union the set of limit point if y is in a already u is also open set containing y so y is in a as well as u so is non empty if y is suppose not in a but still in a closer that mean it is a limit point of a then by the definition limit point mean not only u intersection a is non empty u intersection the smaller set a difference y is non empty in particular this condition is satisfied in fact it is if and only if so now here x is not in a closer so now we will remove this so now x is not in a closer implies there exist on open set say u containing x that is it is a neighbor root of x u containing x such that u intersection a is that condition is not satisfied so u intersection a is empty that is u intersection a is empty this proves the hence u is completely I mean the compliment is contained in a compliment so where we started we started with x is in a closer compliment so but this is not what we have to prove is it is an interior point we have to get an open set containing x yes we have got there exist an open set containing x such that here we have got u intersection a is empty hence u is subset of a compliment but that is not sufficient we have to get an open set in fact the same open set you can see that this is contained in a closer compliment see if we take any x so what we that is to prove that this open set is completely contained in a closer compliment correct so take any y belongs to u u intersection a is empty then what will happen if u intersection see suppose we are getting u completely contained in a closer compliment otherwise it will be u intersection suppose this is intersection a closer is non empty correct so then this will imply this implies we will get a element y in u and y is in a closer but y is in u y is in a closer that means u is a open set containing y that imply u intersection a is non empty but we have u intersection a is empty so hence this cannot happen that is u intersection a closer non empty cannot happen and this proves that hence what we have is u intersection a closer is empty correct so that imply u is contained in a closer compliment so hence the started point is started with on x in a closer compliment and we have proved that there is an open set u containing x that is completely contained in a closer compliment so that imply a closer compliment is an open set so this proves that a closer compliment is an open set and hence a closer is a close set so now we leave it as a second part exercise prove that a closer is already a prove that it is a close set is the smallest closed set containing a just containing a that is what is the meaning is capital B a close set and a is subset of B is a close set containing a that should imply our this is the smallest such close set this is to prove a closer is subset of prove this is to prove so then we will get that a closer is the smallest close set containing a so now let us see some simple examples to have a feeling of what we mean by interior and point and close sets even you take any okay I will take x equal to simple the our set of real numbers with usual topology usual topology on R that is so this we call it usual topology or standard topology that is here all the what are the basic open sets are open interval these are all basic open sets in fact to define all this concept interior even the limit point it is enough to consider only basic open set we can easily prove that x is an interior point if and only if there x is a basic open set if we know that we have a basis like R the collection of all open interval they are all basic open set there x is a basic open set B so that x belongs to B which is contained in A similarly x is a limit point if and only if for each basic open set u containing x u intersection a difference x is non-empty so that yeah you can easily verify those concept see now take symbol okay take a even take anything say q the collection of all all rational numbers so whether this a is non-empty what can you say about a interior by definition it has an interior point if it is non-empty mean x belongs to a interior implies there should exist an open set because there exist an open set u such that x belongs to u containing x and contained in a but x belongs u is an open set this implies there exist by our definition that is how we introduce how now x belongs to u u open in R implies there exist R greater than 0 such that x belongs to x minus R that is what this is a neighbor root open set containing x contained in u and that u is contained in a u is subset of a that mean we got for a given x in our in this case x is in a mean it is a rational number so but we got an R that is radius all the points between x minus R and x plus R this is those y in R such that modulus of y minus x is less than R so this will give all the real numbers between x minus R and x plus R set of all y such that x minus R less than y less than x plus R so but yeah now we can but this set but x minus R x plus R it cannot be contained in a because this is contained only rational here there are in fact infinite number of irrational every interval contains irrational hence this set is empty so at the same time you can see that what is limit the collection of all limit points so if we take any x in R and take any open set u containing x then u intersection q in fact it will contain infinite number of points so any open set mean in particular it a interval this will contain infinite number of rational using the properties of R so we can prove that in this case every point is a limit point hence a closer also a union a prime in that is the whole space R in other words q closer equal to R later we will see that such a set we call it dense we get a subset whose closer is the whole space okay so we will continue in the next lecture.


The panel, the discussion, an objective and impartial view of the issues of interest to you. Nation Beat is on now. Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and participants, welcome to our International Women's Day panel discussion. Welcome to our special invitees here today, the students of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. Today we gather to celebrate the achievements, resilience and indomitable spirit of women across various spares, particularly in entrepreneurship within the context of a developing nation. The theme for this year's International Women's Day, Invest in Women Accelerate Progress, encapsulates the essence of what we aim to explore today. As we delve into the stories and experiences of our esteemed panelists, we will uncover the many trials and triumphs that have shaped the journey of female entrepreneurs and the genius behind policies which directly invest in females, as investing in women has tremendous multiplier effects for our economy, our society and our families. In our midst we have extraordinary women who have dead to dream, dead to challenge a status quo, and dead to carve their paths in the often treacherous landscape of business. From innovative startups to established enterprises, they have navigated through with courage and boundless potential. But our discussion today isn't solely about success, it's about the journey. The obstacles overcome, the barriers broken and the lessons learned. It's about acknowledging the systemic challenges that disproportionately affect women in entrepreneurship, paid access to finance, their networks or resources, and finding solutions to create a more equitable playing field. As we embark on this dialogue, let us reflect on the responsibility we hold to foster an environment where every woman, regardless of background or circumstance, can thrive and contribute meaningfully to society. Let us celebrate not just today, but every day the strength of women. Thank you once again for joining us on this auspicious occasion. May our discussions today inspire action, ignite change, and pave the way for a future where every woman's dream is within reach. I would like to introduce our moderator today, Ms. Monde-Louis, who will take us through today's proceedings. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Daniel, and thank you, St. Lucia, for joining us for this 2024 Export St. Lucia and Ministry of Commerce panel for International Women's Day.  As a business woman myself, I speak from first-hand experience, and some of the stories here today, I'm sure, will remind me of my days in the trenches. So with no further ado, I would have our participants, our panelists, introduce themselves starting from my immediate right. Hi, so I'm Christine Samuel. My brand is Christie Creation. I'm a retired teacher, dancer, and now an entrepreneur making bags. Thank you, and welcome. Good morning. My name is Shonda Labiola-Alexander, and I am the founder of Abbey's Exotic Blends, where we create vegetable chips, punches, condiments, and snacks. We're located in the Kareleg building in San Susi. Thanks for having me. Good day. I'm Korea John. I'm the owner of Cree Skatering, and I also have three other businesses, which is Cree's Events, Planning and Decor, Cree's Grab and Go, which was launched last year. And I'm also the marketing manager and co-owner of JC's Honey Production. I'm from beautiful and wonderful town of Viewfort. What is this? Thank you. Thank you very much. My name is Lisa Sharmos-Fringer. I am owner of Mona Lisa Handenbody. It was a beautiful venture for me to open Mona Lisa Handenbody as a spa. I do massages, manicures, pedicures, nail extensions. We also do waxing, and it's like coming underneath one umbrella and getting everything done.  Okay, thanks for that. Lisa and her one-stop spa shop. But Lisa, since we were on you, could you tell us how did, what inspired you to open your business? Okay, in 2020, COVID came, as we all know, and it was a little challenging for me because I lost my job, obviously. In October 2020, I had the opportunity to give hand. My husband decided, okay, he's going to invest in me. I was doing people on our side. My clients were in house, so how I was doing clients here and there when the country finally opened and I decided to open my spa. Okay. Yeah, but it was a small spa. I was only doing massages at the time and only manicures and pedicures. And now you do everything. No, I do everything. So was it that you already had the skill to expand? Yes, I've been a spa therapist over the past 21 years. And I started as a nail technician, but I moved into massage therapy and waxing facials and all of that. So could we say COVID provided an opportunity for you? Oh, yes, it did. A wonderful opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. Yes. It was a big leap of effort. Fantastic, fantastic. And I know a number of people also share a similar story. And I guess the takeaway from that is during the adversity, there's always... There's always a civil lining. Yes, indeed. To overcome. Indeed. Thank you for that.  But Ms. Shonda, please, many of us know you for your delicious snacks. We know probably people call you Abby too. I don't know, but I call you Abby. That's the name on the streets. But tell us again about your journey. And I know I remember seeing you at the MSME grant loan facility and really listening to that awe-inspiring journey. And you were with us today and we're celebrating, so please. Somewhere in 2009, I became a single parent. And that was a push for me because I had to decide whether I was going to fall or whether I was going to get up and run. And I sat down one night, I got my pen and paper and I wrote down all the things I thought I could do best. And everything was in the kitchen, in the household, of course. And I decided to start with $2 planting. And I purchased my $2 planting. I went home, my solutions have heard this story so many times. I fried my, with a knife, I sliced my planting and put them into the ice lolly bags, tied them up and stick them on the door. And they all sold out the very first day. I went back to town the following day, I bought $5 planting. I purchased $5 planting and it all sold out. And then day number three, everything I've done, it was not intentional. People, customers pushed me into it. I had, I suffered from migraine headaches, terrible migraine headaches. So I went into town, I bought $5 planting. When I got home, I got off the bus and I told my son, I can't see, my head is hurting me so bad. I gave him the planting, I asked him to put it in the fridge. And he put it in the cupboard. So I went to sleep and I couldn't get up. So I woke up next morning. And when I went to check on the planting, they were right. So I said, oh my God, what am I going to do? So I tried it anyway because ripe planting is really good. Everybody likes ripe planting. So I decided, okay, let me try this. And I tried it. And guess what? So loud. Wow. So that is how I started with the ripe planting chips. It's not something I knew how to do. It was a mistake that really boomed. And today we supply 1,500 pounds of planting on a weekly basis. Wow. That's good. It's phenomenal. I will move to my immediate right. And I mean, she needs no introduction. Anyone in signature who does not know Christine Samuel? Where have you been? But this is a new phase of your life. Should we say, and tell us what? Well, the people who know me, they know me as a dancer.  And in 2016, I knew it was time for me to wrap up because there was so much things happening around me that didn't allow me to continue the dance. I had my own dance school, dance company, invested millions. And then in 2016, I followed up as a teacher slash dancer. And then I decided, OK, what am I going to do next? The trial started with not having anything to do for the summer because, you know, I taught children to dance every summer and nothing was happening.  And then I decided, OK, they have some fabric at home and I'll make a bag. I made one bag. I called a friend of mine and she said, I made a bag. She said, Auntie Christine made a bag. I said, yeah. And then that one bag, from all the excitement of that one bag, I went to town in the afternoon at Stardust and I bought fabric, bought back home, and I made eight bags. And whole and beyond, those eight bags have developed to what it is today. If you only see the first bag, you will never believe that I would have been making the kind of bags I'm making now.  It has been nine years since I've been making the bags. And I don't think I'll turn back. No regrets being a dancer, but this is the most phenomenal thing that has happened to me. Seeing every woman wearing a Christie Creation brand, that's phenomenal. So I'm happy. That's amazing. That's amazing. And Kria, you know, I left you for last because you multi-talented. You have several businesses under your belt. And please take us through your journey of entrepreneurship. Okay. I first started entrepreneurship in, I would say, in my mom's kitchen. I was going to school and for me, it's always, I'm going to make my own money. So I started baking little cakes, started taking what's in the kitchen, baking and saying I'm going to sell it at school. Will you see my bag? I would leave the school books in the school, but nobody knew what I was going to school with. And I started baking little cupcakes, going to school with it, buying sweets, going to school with it. Also, I got to be friends with most of the boys in school. And during the free time, they would want a classroom or some place where they can play games or dice or cards. So that was me bringing it in, knowing because I got to make the money. That's have always been my passion. Always, I need to do something to help somebody out. And after that, I went into finding a job after school. My first job landed at Partyshark. It was a Jamaican company, came to view for it. And they needed a baker. And a friend of mine told me about it. I was skeptical a bit because I wanted to try something different. So I said, okay, I went, started working there. I learned the Jamaican way of doing bakes, doing the fish cakes, the Jamaican soups. The cocoa tea, the style of making it. And all of that inspired me. After when they said they were closing down to castries, I made a decision to go straight into the hotel, into the hotel industry. And there were two options, either being somebody on the floor serving the guests or the person in the kitchen. And I chose the kitchen. And everybody wonder why. For somebody who has that spirit in them, why want to go to the kitchen? And being there, working there, learning the different techniques, styles, I decided, okay, there are persons who want this feeling, but they don't have the money to come to the hotel to have these dishes, the meals, the cakes. And I decided, okay, I'm going to, when the company said they were making some changes in persons in the kitchen, I went on vacation and I decided, let's take the shots. Nice. So from then on, I've started. And I can see now, I'm very proud of what I've accomplished, what I've accomplished because a lot of persons, being a young person, they would tell me, I would not make it. Especially from Viewfort. When I tell people I'm from Viewfort, persons would tell me, you're from Viewfort, you show you're from Viewfort. I would watch on Facebook for every course, everything they had. And trust me, I would be there. I would call, I would, if the money is $600, I know I have six cakes, I'll multiply the money I have to make to reach there. It can be wherever, what time, I will be there. And with that, I must say, I have that drive and that potential and I always say you have to be self-motivated. Right. Most important. Very inspiring, Kriya. And thank you, thank you for that contribution. And I think a thread that I got from everyone's contribution is that there was something that you needed to do. There was, you were at a point in your life that you had to make a decision. And I think I heard that from all of you, really in terms of your transition into entrepreneurship. And Kriya, I will go back to you. You spoke with such confidence. You seem to have always believed in yourself. But with all of that belief, I know the opportunities that we spoke of, they probably were few and far between. How did you overcome some of these obstacles that presented itself to you during your quest for entrepreneurship? I would say, with all of the struggles and trials, I would sit down, reflect on, okay, if I go for this opportunity and it's not been given to me, what next and what else should I do? So no matter you have, I had this goal of wanting to do this particular thing, I would sit back and say, okay, it was not my time. It was not for me. And throughout this, I have had my broken days where I would say, why am I not getting the opportunity? Why isn't it not for me? I would sit back. Yes, there are times I would cry. I'll break down and say, I'm giving up. But I must say one thing that inspired me through it all was I'm from Viewfort. And persons would say, if you're from the ghetto side or from this particular place, you will not make it. And that's one thing that pushed me, that I'm from Viewfort, especially from the area that I was brought up, that I have to make it. I must show persons and show the world that no matter your background, no matter where you're from, you will be that shining star and you will put the place that you're from on the map. Wow, okay, wow. I think this is a good time to take a break and I need to dab my eyes a little bit. But thank you for that contribution here and St. Lucia, please stay tuned with us as we explore these mighty women for international women's day. Please stay tuned. Export St. Lucia is the national trade export and promotion agency of the government of St. Lucia. By spearheading the island's national export development efforts, we work toward continuously increasing the value and volume of St. Lucia's exports. At Export St. Lucia, our team of qualified trade professionals promotes and expands the presence of St. Lucia goods and services across the globe. We offer a range of services including the provision of up-to-date trade information, trade promotion and export marketing, export facilitation and export development support. We provide invaluable support to our clients, including small and micro enterprises at absolutely no cost. After all, through our work, the agency aims to increase the profitability and sustainability of St. Lucia's businesses. Export St. Lucia is making a direct and tangible contribution to St. Lucia's economy. Over the past 10 years, Export St. Lucia has transformed the trajectory of several businesses founded by passionate entrepreneurs with the zeal to achieve more. We look forward to each new export and the opportunity to introduce a wider audience to top quality, authentic St. Lucia products. This is why we embrace the philosophy of excellence at home and abroad. For more information, contact us at info at exportst.lucia.org or call 1-758-468-2145.  This year's film for International Women's Day is Investing Women, Accelerate Progress. And I must tell you that this film conforms and echoes the philosophy of the Ministry of Commerce and the Government of St. Lucia. We have proven this in the programs that we've had within our MSME loan grant program where our women have been given an opportunity to thrive. When you think of our digital program where we try to bring our women up to date in terms of e-commerce, when you look at what is happening within the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister with our youth economy, where again we are supporting our young persons, especially our women, to seize the opportunity to move forward. Our business women in St. Lucia have made us proud. Whether it's in the area of tourism, when we think of persons like Mrs. De Stam, who have paved the way, Mrs. Beaufort Palm, when you think of Souffre, Mrs. Erolain Lamontime, when you think of persons in other parts of the community, I think in the manufacturing sector, I think of people like Mrs. St. Rose, who have been a role model for us in the business community. So today I salute all business persons, especially all of you sitting there in the studio. You've made progress. I think of what I have seen in terms of Mrs. Revigates from moving from one level to the next level. I think of all the persons doing the tamarin boards. Now I see with the help of experts in Lucia and Ms. Daniel, you've got new packaging.  I tell you, we have women who in the business community will now only be business persons. They are also role models, being parents, being mothers, fathers, partners. Essential role in keeping the fabric of our society together. So today I need to tell you, as the Minister for Commerce, I am extremely proud to be your minister. And I can tell you, and today I commit to continue working with you and for you so that together we can rise. Together our economy can rise. Together we can transform the lives of our children, the lives of our families, and together we can have a better solution. So I join all of us in saying Happy International Women's Day, and may God continue to guide and bless us. I thank you. Some of you may not know, but Honorable Hippolyte herself is an entrepreneur-businesswoman. She has a flower farm. And again, there's really great, great business. When we left for the break, we were talking about some of the challenges. And Shondel, I know you spoke about your son, and again, men, you told him to put it in the fridge. He put it in the cupboard.  Because I know my mother, she's a businesswoman too. I call her Monica. That's not her name. We were very much a part of her business. She made tamarind balls, so I had to peel tamarind. My brother had to grate coconut. So how have your children really stepped in in terms of assisting in the business? And how have you made the time to be a great mom and a successful businesswoman? First of all, I think it may not fit in for you, but it does for me. Determination is the word. I was a teenager when I got pregnant. So I had something to prove. I was very determined. I wanted my parents, my family, everybody around me to see that, not because I got pregnant as a teenager, that life stops. So I really pushed and put myself out there to do my best every single time. But I will not say I am lucky, because I work very hard. But I had a community behind me. And when I say a community, I don't mean where I grew up. People I worked with, my family, my friends were really supportive because I did so much. Today, when I sit down and I look back, I ask myself the question, girl, how did you do that? Because I worked at a gas station on the Shousey Road for 16 years. While I was there, I took up a job at SNA Insurance Brokers. I did courier services for them. And then I heard of a job, a lady who, a family, wanted somebody to take care of their mother at night just to sleep with her. And I was earning $800 a month to sleep there. So I did that. So I worked at the gas station. I worked with Chef Pat's catering. I worked with SNA Insurance Brokers. I sold chips at the time to only M&C, all five stores at the time. And it balanced off because my parents were parenting my children. I was making enough money to give everybody a phone. My daughter learned to pray with a doll. I bought a doll for her that prayed with her at night. I would be on the phone at 7 o'clock to ensure everybody was watching the news. And then in the morning during breakfast time, everybody would have to give me a piece of the news because I wanted them to sync with what was happening. So I parented my kids from work. I broke a lot of rules at work because I wasn't supposed to be on the phone but I had to be there for my kids even though my parents were there. There are certain things I ensure they did like praying, watching the news, doing their homework, take a photo and send it to me. Let me see what you've done. So they knew. And my daughter was a little parrot too. She told me what the boys did. So I was privileged to have good friends, good family, good support. I was able to do all these things because when I leave work at 8 p.m. at the time, it was 8 p.m. I leave work at 8 p.m. at the gas station. A friend would pick me up, drop me to the other job and it just worked out so smoothly. I had great people in my life. And thank God for that. Fantastic.  And I know sometimes our society can be a bit cruel in terms of ageism, but she's been there. Everybody knows Antichristina and she wants to do again. How have you navigated, if at all you've had to navigate that sort of transition from a 45-year career and now brand-new bags across the world? The transition was difficult. It was difficult. You always feel like you have to prove yourself because age seems to be a factor for me because I might be looking young and everybody goes, but I'm almost 60 years old.  So age always seems to be a factor for me in that reference. But I have worked really, really hard to be where I am with the bags right now. When the opportunity came for me to get the bags out there, I was not in St. Lucia because I was so angry with the system that I was... because my life was always dance, so living and moving from that transition from being a dancer to a designer was difficult. I was in Canada at the time and I got the call saying that was from Sea Island Cotton Shop saying that we want you in the shop. We want Christie Creation's brand in the shop. And I didn't know what to do at the time. I was like, okay, when I get back to St. Lucia what would happen? It was a hobby, so I didn't tell myself I'm going to be a bag designer. My husband has been that support for me. But everything that I've done so far for that transition, my husband has been there. I've been a lot of help from the family, my children, because when you're making bags it means you're up all night making bags. I have to ensure that going through that transition and that the product is good. It is good. And if I'm going to sell bags and if I'm going to be a bag designer or jewelry designer it has to be something that has to be really, really good. So I took the leap of faith. I took that leap of faith and I'm happy that I did it. I'm happy that it's paying off for me right now and I will not stop working harder. And yes, I might be looking young but it's a long journey to get where I am today and it's not easy.  The support with my children, I have three children, people don't know that, I have three beautiful kids and my husband never goes to bed until I go to bed. So if I'm making bags six o'clock in the morning, he sits there until six in the morning until my production is done so I am grateful for that. So it's hard work but people hard work pays off. It does pays off.  So my village is what have me here today to be honest. My clients, for one, my husband they saw the potential in me. I can start from when I was working at Sandals. I've been in the industry for over 21 years so I worked with Sandals and while I was there that's why I transitioned into massage therapy. It was Mava Eugene at the time who saw my love for massage therapy and she's like Alisa, you should go and get your certification in massage therapy. I said I'm a nail technician, I'll just stick to doing nails and pedicures. She said no, no, no, you're very good at doing massage course. So that summer current sprung came from Relyne Spann and she's the one who, I did her pedicure and I did a foot massage for her and she's like, why you didn't sign up for the massage therapy course?  So I went ahead and I I did it. I got to the fighting back in 2004 or 2005 they were about and I fell in love with massaging. I love the look on my client's face after getting the massage done the relief the release of stress and the comfort that they get coming to me to get the massages done and nails and pedicures which is everything. But this is my support my support is most of my clients they don't want to give me a push to open to be honest because as I said I was doing house to house going to everybody home doing a pedicure or the massages carrying my tables all over the place it was really challenging back in 2020 because you know money was tight and we were trying to I have three children as well I have two boys and a girl and in 2019 I had my last son so he's five and in 2020 it was only a year and some. So it was hard it was really really hard starting off and with the support of my husband being the one who moved the children and as I was building and changing and trying to figure out what I want how I want the place to be he helped me financially he helped me emotionally he told me to calm down because I'm somebody I'm always in my head so I think a lot and I overthink things so he's like relax write what you want to do make sure you make your goals and it just took a while for my clients my clients have had over 20 years some have been with me for 20 years since I started some just started with me some started in 2020 and it's I can tell you the love of my clients and the love of my husband is what have me here today I'm very very grateful Fantastic Lisa and I know that your business comes with tools has there been any support that whether it be exporting to the government and I know you mentioned your husband and probably not probably definitely your own resources into the business how what kind of support have you been able to get and was it easy what was the process like so fine man surely when I went to the bank when I went to the bank in 2021 I was trying to expand not expand but I wanted to get some new I wanted to get a new massage table and I wanted to get a few other things and go to the bank the bank asked me for a guarantee three guarantors the same amount of money I'm asking for they asked me to deposit I'm like if I had that kind of money I wouldn't come to you so I said if I had that amount of money I wouldn't come to you I would just use my own money to do what I needed to do and well the loans officer was like I was doing it and then I went to other lending facilities including the credit unions and stuff and it was really really hard to get financial assistance here as an entrepreneur it's really hard they needed a background check they needed you to do a financials for the past last year and the financials were coming here so obviously I needed an accountant to do so and it was hard for me in 2023 when when I got the email and I got the message I honestly did not look at it I mean very very honest I did not look at it but I had a client who came in and she told me listen you read about the MSME program I said yeah I saw it I got an email from minister of commerce and I just brushed it off she was like you don't want to do it I said I don't know and I said okay I'll try and then I did that and to tell you the truth I moved from a small space so now big space beautiful and it's everything I had in my head that I wanted to do that I'm doing now so now I have a hairdresser I do nails, I do massages I do waxing and I'm now in collaboration with Taken Spa her name is Ginny Charmaine and it's it's exactly what I want to do and I'm looking forward to the future okay Mona Lisa that is really fantastic that's fantastic because we have one minute left in this segment I will stick up in and we'll take a break and I'm returned to here ladies we only have 20 more minutes left so we'll take a break and we'll be right back so now we have a look at the transparency of the government of St. Lucia by spearheading the island's national export development efforts we work toward continuously increasing the value and volume of St. Lucia's exports at Export St Lucia our team of qualified trade professionals promotes and expands the presence of St. Lucia goods and services across the globe trade information trade promotion and export marketing export facilitation and export development support we provide invaluable support to our clients including small and micro enterprises at absolutely no cost after all through our work the agency aims to increase the profitability and sustainability of St. Lucia businesses Export St Lucia is making a direct and tangible contribution to St. Lucia's economy over the past 10 years Export St Lucia has transformed the trajectory of several businesses founded by passionate entrepreneurs with the zeal to achieve more we look forward to each new export and the opportunity to introduce a wider audience to top quality authentic St. Lucia products this is why we embrace the philosophy of excellence at home and abroad for more information contact us at info at exportstlucia.org or call 1-758-468-2145 welcome back to our panel discussion for International Women's Day Invest in Women Accelerate Progress we just left off with Mona Lisa giving us this really inspiring testimony of her growth of the financial difficulties that she went through and ultimately accessing the MSME Loan grant facility by the Ministry of Commerce and I know that facility guarantees you a 70% grant and 30% loan but now we have with us Miss Jennifer Rigoberto from Rigo's Naturals so can you tell us about your endeavors okay my name is Jennifer Rigoberto owner and founder of Rigo Dolls Spice now most people know me as Rigo Dolls Spice but moving forward the new name is Rigo's Natural because when I started this business like I started dressing dolls with dry leaves so that's why I end up with that name Rigo Dolls Spice so could you tell us about your business then well I started this business in about eight years or nine years now since I'm into it but when I started after I left school I was working in for a short period of time in a slaughterhouse with my grandmother at New Nyan where they used to slaughter chicken but it was for a short space of time so I saw this young lady had a doll selling dressed out with ribbons and crochet so since somebody have a lot of I'm very talented I know that so I say okay I'll buy that doll I bought that doll for twenty dollars so I bought that doll home and I say you see what I'll do I'll re-do it I'll re-design it so I decided to do that so I say okay I'll try something new so at the time I bought the doll and I bought it home I didn't start on it right away so a few years on the road I went and worked with my husband in construction I say actually half of my life at mediation parts that's what I'm handling and while working with him on construction sites sometimes I'll say okay in between I'll hold the doll with me I'll dress the doll with dry leaves most of the time when I cut the bamboo to do props I'll take the leaves I'll dress the doll with dry leaves mangoes I'll incorporate with the Madoass on construction sites while the men are there working so because I'm a very strong headed woman so I say okay so in between I'm doing my thing so when I re-do it I say to myself okay you know what to do try something else so I decide after having the market for the doll for about four five years I say I really don't have the taste for it again so I'll leave it alone so I work in the construction not sorry I work in the hotel industry restaurant for eight years and a few years down the road my husband tells me you know what happened you should come and work with me so I went to the chef at the time I was working in the hotel I said chef can I get six months time off he said janitor for what I said I just need six months time off I have another mission to work on so he said to me well if so I'll not trust you because when you come back you'll want another six months again I said okay but he told me it's okay so I took the six month time off and I went and looked at my husband up to what they like to them never regret never regret because to see mother of two you have to get up early even though it's raining or not Sunday holiday you passing I have to be walking down on the weekend sometimes early morning I have to leave home and I'm seeing like some people are there home and you're saying what it's not an easy task but I say okay be focused the rest will follow so okay I'm going to give him and today financially he's supporting me when he can because with construction he'll have it ups and downs so I said to myself like since I know construction have it ups and downs what else I'll do so I decide to stop the dolls and I say okay what I'll do my grandmother used to plant ginger, turmeric she was a garden person so I say okay what I'll do I'll take I dig some ginger some turmeric roots and I grate it I dried it and I grind it so when I grind it I give it to a few friends to sample so I got good feedback on that so I say what else I'll do I say okay I order a hundred t-bags and I tried it in the t-bag forms so when I tried in the t-bag forms I gave it out to sample I got good reviews so I say well it seems I'm doing something good so I said okay so what I did after I buy the hundred t-bags I give it out to sample so I reorder 500 so in order in 500 again so I say okay after I tried the turmeric I tried the ginger let me try the sour soup leaf I'll try the rosemary into powder form and then put it in in the t-bag as well so I said okay I tried it I said let me take it into masi so when I took it to masi for them to sample and look at the packaging and they told me well they'll get back to me so a couple days after that they did get back to me and they told me well management have approved it so the other flavors I have bring it to them so I did so you enter it in the system and they told me well okay so they told me what outlets want to start to deliver because at the end of the day sometimes not all outlets they will approve it too but they approve it in all the outlets fantastic they approve it in all the outlets and I said okay and then from there I started supplying all the masi outlets so a couple years after that I started with the shakers the spice shakers I have the t-form and I have the powder form so I'm getting good reviews about that up to what they like to do because as I was saying previously in the sorry when I was saying when they had the hand over for the new packaging I remember clearly when I just started with my clay pouch I remember one year I went in three outlets three masi outlets and take out all the cinnamon packaging on the shelf because at the time I wasn't comfortable with it and I'm saying like I cannot do otherwise so I'm saying to myself what I'll do now when I go and take it out on the shelf I repackage in it now when I re-dream the tears running but nobody not seeing it so I repackage it and I bring it back on the shelf and at the end of the day it's a course it's a course you cannot reuse the label you cannot reuse the packaging you have to be forward really have to be strong so I remember one year I went to mini trade show at the financial center on one guy from and when he looked at my packaging because before I had the shakers he looked at my cinnamon, the tumeric the bay leaf the packaging I had it in I had it in a screw size container and he said to me like a heifer oh my god I said but anyway moving forward is a lesson a lesson so I went online I did some research and I ended up getting the shakers on Alibaba and then I messaged a supplier and he responded to me and from now up to what they like today that's what I'm using you said that you received some packaging, some branding was that from export was that from export this packaging was from export because I'm not somebody I'm always at export you will swear I have a chair there they should give you one the moment I step in can I assist you one thing with the stuff export once you see I opened it and you hear about the belt do thing can I assist yeah I like that about them so when I got this packaging from export inclusion, ITC and the government of inclusion I said lord you just have to be strong patient and because if it was if I had another passion in what I do it would already give up long time already give up very I have a strong belief like the passion I have is not something I just adopt something from small I have growing up with it growing up with it very nice and Priya for us I know you spoke very passionately about being from few thoughts how have you been able to build your business expand I guess to the island how have you been able to use any technology within I heard my lady telling me she went on Alibaba she did her research how has technology played a part in the growth of your business technology have played a very good part in my business because starting off I was not that to say interested too much in being the face of my business or posting on Facebook I would say thank you to my little brother he's the technical genius he's always and he always pushed me and tell me I have to post or he would I would move the photos he would be the one doing his background work and posting for me sending it to friends and they would be posting on Facebook on the page this have been the way I started first off of my business in posting and having friends who abroad who went to school with me or persons who know me from the community who would post and said that I'm baking I'm doing different things so technology have helped me and when technology helped me a friend of mine called me and told me he know that somebody was very driven for what I want I have potential why don't I face a financial institution I said boy a young person with not that much of a background of having that much of savings because everything I make I invested back in the business to buy something else to add to my business my first experience was going to the credit union so that's why I opened my first business account and when I went the gentleman looked at me he asked me what's my age because he think that's a young person in the early 20s coming to the financial institution and he told me the least of things I would need when I looked I said go into my mother go into my father which one would sign for me and when I went back he told me he could not assist me with the financial background the money they have and have to spend back the bank said they would not be good guarantors okay there must be someone that will help me I went home start calculates what would I do how would I get that support then I went to my partner at home and he told me he's going to sign for me he was a business person himself in the host industry he went to the bank he knew the gentleman he said okay I think you can sign for her but not for the amount she wants she has to start at a thousand five I said a thousand five what that's doing for me then he said that's what we can give I said no problem I'll make it work so with that thousand five I bought puns and what I did was the company had the some activity for cruelty I baked the cupcakes and I gave it to them that's my way of saying thank you you helped me in a bit and this one was your prize I said no that's okay I'm blessed blessings will come and through that I have had a relationship with them and the financial institutions always tell me he's no longer working there but he always calls me and tells me there was an opportunity he would call persons overseas my cake would be in the States and I'm in St. Louis and I don't know where the cake is located and I would say from Farmers Credit Union was where I started with that first help they gave me and they have looked for clients for me and then this have helped me and when I said okay that's not the only way I went into working part time so no matter I have a business I said to make money to put into my business I'm going to work for somebody but not for long so every time I go working for a company I work and invest in my business I buy equipment I buy something I see that is in need I look at my market what is needed what's the different styles, different techniques and I said okay last year when youth economy came around somebody I baked for and planned above the party was in the States and she started filling up the form for me she don't know anything about me that much and then she called me and told me Kriya I saw something they say it's youth but I think you will get through and she said to me again Kriya I could not complete it I started it for you but do it I said youth economy okay I think about it I stayed about a whole month or even opening the form that she sent me the link and I did afterwards and the back of my head was I've never gotten that assistance but I will just take a shot when I got this call and then the person tell me calling from youth economy and her name is Janine I said youth economy and asked me the question did I fill the form I did and she told me the steps they're going to call me and I had the phone by me I was excited for the first time I'm going to get something that I've worked hard for I'm going to get this help and I must say with youth economy last year when I got that first phone call I think that's my best friend yes youth economy have helped me a lot and in saying that when I said youth economy helped me a lot was I went through a phase last year in March when this incident happened in View Fort and it was just after women's day when I got that call the person who was the person who called me to tell me I would make it since I got that call I would make it her life was cut short so I said to myself my cousin is gone and she was just spoken to me the same day to tell me I would make it it will work there is no hope in that because I lost some hope some faith in that losing this person and when I got the call back from youth economy who gave me that drive back gave me that build back you will make it you will get there and every single course every single advertisement post I see youth economy have I would tell a friend tell somebody and I would apply for for this stuff I'll give somebody else a chance and know about it and I would say working with youth economy they being my support system I would say from last year is magnificent for me working with them with the training I have gotten the funding I have gotten buying new stuff for my business is very helpful to me also signed up for a mentorship program and I said but they said you have to do the business planning before you get into mentorship so let me see if it will for me it was like let me see if I would get through and when I got through I would see when everybody see the mentor contacted them and I see him to myself my mentor have not contacted me I said okay I knew who he was but the day for me to meet him I could not and when he contacted me he told me his name and everything I said okay he works for Exports and Lucia so that might be one way for me to start of exporting my cakes pastries and stuff but in meeting my mentor and meeting with him once a week talking to him on the phone he became a friend to me not just a mentor and in talking he used to tell me career you have a lot of other products you do not just your cakes why don't you market everything and working with him he got to know I'm into honey and he told me how do you have time to do all these things and I would say Jason Pada was the one who gave me a push in exporting I export honey for him yes and when he told me there is an MSME loan did you apply I tell him yes I applied but you already know I don't have the name as yet but I think I will I think I will he said I will apply for you I said no I have done it and I was not too invested too much in having the high hope that the MSME loan would come my way because I was more into the youth economy I was doing trainings and stuff with them when they called me in November when they called me from Ministry of Commerce because I signed up to do the Taiwanese trade show and so remember your name came up for the MSME loan but the equipment that you want you won't be getting all of them we will be picking out a few that we can help you with I told him okay not a problem it's still a help for me when they called I told him I'm on my way to a meeting but I will be in castries six o'clock I think I didn't sleep so six o'clock I was already in castries came to the office went to doing what I have to do and back on a bus to view for because I had an order to do some meals and then they called me back tell me what we told you were giving I mean it's not that we're going to give you anymore we have to remove the equipments I told him that's not a problem it's okay it's good when they told me well we will call you back to let you know if the equipments are still available for you I told them that's not a problem when the company called and told me and things were not there I said okay so with both of them they've been very helpful but youth economy and export St. Lucia I must say thank you for that career and we're due for a break so please stay tuned as we wrap up our internationally women's panel Export St. Lucia is the national trade export and promotion agency of the government of St. Lucia by spearheading the island's national export development efforts we work toward continuously increasing the value and volume of St. Lucia exports and export St. Lucia our team of qualified trade professionals promotes and expands the presence of St. Lucia goods and services across the globe we offer a range of services including the provision of up-to-date trade information trade promotion and export marketing export facilitation and export development support we provide invaluable support to our clients including small and micro enterprises at absolutely no cost after all through our work the agency aims to increase the profitability and sustainability of St. Lucia businesses Export St. Lucia is making a direct and tangible contribution to St. Lucia's economy over the past 10 years Export St. Lucia has transformed the trajectory of several businesses founded by passionate entrepreneurs with the zeal to achieve more we look forward to each new export and the opportunity to introduce a wider audience to top quality authentic St. Lucia products this is why we embrace the philosophy of excellence at home and abroad for more information contact us at info at exportst.lucia.org or call 1-758-468-2145 Welcome back St. Lucia and unfortunately we have to wrap up to these international women's the panel Investing Women Accelerate Progress and I would just like to give everyone a two-minute opportunity to really maybe use the time to encourage someone or promote your business whichever or both I'll start with you Christine Before I promote my business I need to say also thank you to Export St. Lucia because they assisted me internationally with the business, Christie Creations the brand to do a survey on the brand which helped me today for the brand to expand to other countries I am grateful because my brand has expanded to Seattle and Cotton Shop Howard Turner State Ladera the one in Souffre Jed Mountain and I always keep in touch with Export St. Lucia to let them know what's happening in my business where I'm traveling where I'm going to represent St. Lucia in fashion shows that they give the full support and I want to thank Export St. Lucia in closing what I'm doing right now I'm expanding the business at home because my business is at home I have decided to invest in my own art workshop which will be opening soon because I do a show every single year that's my bag seven I have my own space I'm using that money to develop my own atelier so my clients will feel very comfortable when they come home to get the best of the brand so that may be opening soon so thank you Export St. Lucia for your love and I look forward to continue working with you Thank you very much Chandel Well like Christine I think the brand is very much out there in the public domain so I don't want to talk too much about the business now I would like to thank my family Export St. Lucia the Ministry of Commerce the ITC for really making my dream come true I'm actually almost at the end of the tunnel with the help of the ITC who is always my printer went down and I would call Mr. John and say you know I have something to print come come girl you can get and it's done so they are there to support and that is really great for me I have two great opportunities coming up next week Tuesday I leave for Washington DC where I am going to be visiting the Ministry of Commerce in Washington we are going to be having a two day conference I think that's a great opportunity for my business that was done with the Ministry of Commerce and the OAS I return on the 15th and then I'm off to Dubai on the 18th of this month as well where I attend the International Women's Conference this one is big this one was done with the UN Women and the challenge here is to return to St. Lucia and mentor young women so this is what this initiative is about and I have chosen the youth economy to give back so for those of you young people out there I see a fellow who is coming to college there a dream is not a dream if you don't wake up and step out if you stay in bed your dream is not going to be realized so you need to get up every single day whether it rains whether it pours, whether there is lightning and thunder whether you stayed up all night and when 5.30 strikes the clock get up and get out that's the only way your dream is going to be realized and today I sit here confidently simply because I became pregnant as a teenager and I had something to prove since then that I can do it and I am doing it thank you very much and St. Lucia unfortunately that is all the time we have but I do encourage you to follow each and every business here probably a good place to start off is the export St. Lucia Facebook and Instagram social media accounts and also exportstainlucia.org and you can find I know most of these businesses and also how can I forget the prime minister's baby youth economy internet and also youth economy St. Lucia on Facebook and Instagram thank you again for joining us for this International Women's Day panel and thank you to lovely ladies for you know again inspiring me and bringing me through my journey too as an entrepreneur I know that it's nothing easy but thank you St. Lucia and all the best for International Women's Day


Tammy Zewicki was on her way to college in the fall of 1992, but shortly after setting out on her trip, her car broke down. Several witnesses spotted her on the side of the highway, and before long, a truck driver had pulled over to help. No witnesses reported anything suspicious, but just moments later, Tammy would vanish, leaving nothing but her car behind, and it would seem that this good Samaritan wasn't so good after all. Tammy Zewicki was born in Pleasant Hill, Pennsylvania, back in March of 1971. Tammy was born into a family of brothers, being the only girl among her three siblings. Shortly after her birth, her family relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, where Tammy would spend the majority of her childhood. By the time she graduated high school, her family relocated once again, this time going to Marlton, New Jersey. By this point, Tammy had already moved on to college, attending Grinnell College all the way up in Iowa, a lengthy 17-hour drive from her parents' home. But when Tammy wasn't busy with college, she would return home to her family, and she would spend her summer months with her family in New Jersey. She could often be found at her summer job at the local blockbuster video store. For Tammy, life was going quite well. She was a very well-educated young woman with a very promising future ahead of her, and it's clear to see that she was doing her best to make a name for herself, and her family were incredibly supportive. Tammy was attending college to major in both art history and Spanish, and the 1992 and 1993 college season was her senior year, meaning she'd nearly made it to the end of the line and was almost ready to start job hunting. Tammy never publicly mentioned what she planned to do after college, but whatever it was, she was excited. In virtually every photo that's been shared of Tammy, she's beaming with excitement and happiness, and a smile like hers doesn't come around very often. Tammy was genuinely happy about what the future had in store for her. But little did she know this happiness was about to be stolen. It was August 21st, 1992. Tammy and her brother Darren had just left their parents' home in New Jersey together, heading back towards their colleges. Darren was heading off to college in Illinois, while Tammy was obviously heading up to Iowa. Tammy more or less needed to pass by her brother's college in order to get to her own, so she offered to drop him off along the way. Tammy planned on spending the night at her brother's college of Northwestern, located just outside of Chicago. She had a friend who was also attending Northwestern and didn't need to be back at her own college until September 8th, so she wasn't pressed for time by any means. Along their journey to Northwestern, Tammy and her brother Darren passed through Pittsburgh to spend some time with their parents who'd been visiting family in the area. The two spent the night in Pittsburgh, then headed off towards Darren's college the following morning on August 22nd. Darren recalls that the two were having car troubles all throughout their journey, and they needed to pull over multiple times. Tammy had been driving her 1985 Pontiac T1000. In these days, these cars are notorious for their countless issues, so it's understandable that the two were having constant car troubles, even though the vehicle was only seven years old at this point. Darren remembers that the two needed to pull over two or three times to add coolant and oil to the car, and each time they did this, the car would begin acting normally again. On August 22nd, the two made it to Northwestern, where Tammy was finally able to spend some time with one of her friends. But for reasons that remain unclear, she decided not to hang out for too terribly long. Despite the fact that she didn't need to return to college for several days, she opted to head back towards her own campus on August 23rd, the day after she dropped off her brother. It's rumored that she headed off to school early so that she could take photos of her school's athletes during practice. Tammy had a passion for photography, and she was hoping to take some of these photos to provide to the school's yearbook. Tammy left her friend's house at around noon on August 23rd. Her brother checked out her car before she left that day, and he told her that if it started acting up again that she should stop at a rest stop for a while, presumably to give the car some time to cool down so it didn't overheat. It seems like her car did fine for several hours, as she made it all the way to I-80, around mile marker 83, before she ever needed to pull over. Unfortunately, she didn't end up making it to a rest stop as her brother had hoped. Between 3 and 4 pm, Tammy was spotted on the side of the highway. We don't know exactly what was going on, but we know that she was spotted looking under the hood by several drivers who had passed by. She wasn't pulled over for too terribly long before an 18-wheeler driver offered to help her out. We don't know if he offered to give Tammy a ride to the nearest rest stop, if he offered to help fix her car, or if he offered to drive her to her college. There's just no way of knowing, because after the man pulled over and spoke with Tammy, she disappeared. Considering it was the middle of the afternoon, and I-80 is a remarkably busy highway, I feel it's safe to assume that whatever happened to Tammy likely didn't happen on the side of the road. Investigators never pinned this down with any certainty, but what most likely happened is that Tammy was abducted by this driver and stowed away in his truck. Several witnesses got a pretty good look at the man, and he was described as being between 30 and 45 years old with dark, bushy hair. He was described as being about 6 feet tall, so with Tammy being 5'2", it's safe to say there was a distinct size difference between the two of them. Witnesses got a very good look at the suspect's truck, and they were able to provide investigators with a clear description of the vehicle. The truck and the trailer were said to have been wiped, and each of them had a brown and orange stripe running across them, with what appeared to be a faded company logo stamped in the middle of the stripes. The truck also reportedly had Nebraska plates. Later that day, Illinois police noticed that Tammy's car had been abandoned on the side of the road. A ticket was placed on the car, and when no one returned to pick it up, the car was towed to the Illinois State Police impound lot the very next day. This was also around the time that Tammy's family realized something was terribly wrong. Tammy was in the habit of calling her family when she arrived safely at college. When her family never heard from her that night, they became incredibly concerned. By the following morning, on August 24th, Tammy's mother contacted the Illinois State Police and asked to file a missing person report. The police accepted the report and submitted it to their database, but it seems as though her case wasn't really taken very seriously. Tammy's family have been somewhat critical of the police and their lack of interest in the early days of the investigation. They revealed that police believed Tammy had run off with a boyfriend and didn't want to be found, but there was no evidence to suggest that Tammy even had a boyfriend at this time. They took police several days before they actually bothered investigating Tammy's disappearance, but by this point, it was far too late. About a week after Tammy was reported missing, police made a haunting discovery. They were contacted by a truck driver named Robert Bullington. Robert says that he saw Tammy on the date of her disappearance. He mentions that he saw her entering into the aforementioned 18-wheeler, but he had even more info to share. Robert actually knew the driver of this truck personally, at least to a certain extent. The two had spoken on CB Radio before, and they'd been in contact with each other earlier that day. Robert says that the truck driver went by the name of Jerry, but it's possible that Jerry was just a pseudonym that the man used on CB Radio. Robert spoke with Jerry immediately after he picked up Tammy, but it's never been revealed if Jerry explained what his intentions were with her. Whatever the case was, Robert says that Jerry confirmed that Tammy was perfectly fine, and this was the last interaction they had. Robert remembered his conversation with Jerry when he noticed missing person flyers for Tammy. He immediately called the police to report his interaction with this man, but by the time he made the report, Jerry was long gone. But shortly after this report is when police made a startling update to the case, a report that would change everything. It was September 1st, 1992. A man had pulled over onto the side of the road in Sarcoxie, Missouri, near I-44, to relieve himself and stretch a tarp over some of his tools that he'd been carrying in the back of his truck, as he just heard that rain was about to roll in. As he stepped outside of his truck, he noticed something just off the side of the road but couldn't make out what it was. As he drew closer, the realization of what he had just walked into finally struck. He had stumbled onto a crime scene. Police responded to the scene of the discovery and quickly announced what everyone had feared. Tammy Zawicki had finally been found, but it was far too late for her. Her body was found wrapped in a red blanket that had a label tying it to the Kenworth Trucking Company. Some reports of Tammy's discovery suggest that she was wearing the same outfit that she had disappeared in, but her family claimed that she wasn't. They believe that at some point, she changed into different clothes. But the worst thing was police uncovered evidence that she'd been taken advantage of before she lost her life. The coroner was able to determine that she lost her life between four and seven days before being discovered. So it's entirely possible she lost her life the same day she was reported missing. If all of this weren't bad enough, police revealed that she'd sustained at least seven wounds to her chest, all of which were within the vicinity of her heart.  Police say that if her parents are correct and she was wearing different clothing than what she'd originally been wearing, then they haven't been able to recover this original set of clothes. It wasn't found in her car, nor was it found during any follow-up investigations. She was also known to have been wearing a very distinct Loris brand watch. It had a green band with a green umbrella on its face and played the song, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. But this watch was never recovered, nor was her Canon 35 millimeter camera or a St. Giles soccer club patch that she was known to be carrying. After all of this was revealed, there was virtually zero progress in Tammy's case for the next two years. But in 1994, a nurse came forward after she'd spotted a man who came into her clinic who bore a striking resemblance to the man who was seen with Tammy when she vanished. Allegedly the same man went by the name of Jerry on the CB radio. The man who came into the clinic that day was Lonnie Beardrop. Lonnie was a long-haul trucker who lived in Missouri at the time, the same state where Tammy's body was found. And his home was within a few miles of the dump site. The man had even grown up near the area where Tammy's car broke down. Soon after Tammy vanished, the man had sold his vehicle and police found this a bit suspicious. But if this weren't bad enough, the man even worked for Kenworth Trucking Company, the same company who manufactured the blanket that Tammy's body was found wrapped in. Police were eventually able to locate the man's old vehicle that he had sold, but they weren't able to find any evidence inside of it. The man also supplied a DNA sample to investigators, but his sample didn't yield any results pertaining to the investigation. Shortly after, the man was cleared of any involvement and detectives announced that they would be disbanding the task force that was dedicated to Tammy Zawiki's investigation. They reduced the number of officers on the case from 14 down to just two. This would be the final update until 2002, eight years after Lonnie was labeled as the primary suspect. Detective Martin McCarthy, a retired detective who'd been working on Tammy's case, spoke out about the investigation and mentioned that Lonnie had never truly been cleared as a suspect. Yes, they confirmed his DNA wasn't a match and this had more or less ruled him out, but he remained on their list as a person of interest. But Detective McCarthy clarified the situation by saying that things weren't as simple as the media made them out to be. According to McCarthy, Lonnie's DNA was only cleared on a technicality. The DNA sample that police had managed to pull from the scene of the crime was incomplete and it was an incredibly small quantity as well from what I can tell. Because of this, there wasn't enough of a sample available to definitively prove whether or not Lonnie was actually involved. This didn't mean that he wasn't responsible, it just meant that there wasn't enough evidence to prove it with any certainty, even though officers had heavy suspicions about this man. The main piece of evidence that I personally find incredibly fascinating is that not only did Lonnie perfectly fit the bill of the man that witnesses spotted with Tammy that day, but he also reportedly gave his wife a Loris brand watch around the time that Tammy disappeared. The watch was reportedly shockingly similar to the watch that Tammy wore and if you ask me, it may have been the same watch. Unfortunately, Lonnie passed away in 2002 and his involvement in the case more or less ended here as police obviously had no way to ask him any further questions. But by 2007, another five years later, police announced another update in which they believed a man by the name of Bruce Mendenhall may have been involved in Tammy's disappearance. Bruce was yet another trucker with an interesting past. Detectives were able to convict Bruce for taking the life of another victim named Sarah Holbert and they even tied him to 11 more cases, but Tammy's case was never officially connected to Bruce. Police once again had strong suspicions that he may have been involved, but there simply wasn't enough evidence to tie him to the case with any certainty. He also seemed to prey on street workers and addicts and Tammy didn't fit this bill at all. So the chances of Bruce being responsible are relatively slim. Though we do know that he worked predominantly in Illinois at that time, so he certainly would have had the opportunity. There was one other man who police suspected may have been involved in Tammy's disappearance, a man by the name of Clark Perry Baldwin. Clark was a cross-country trucker who was arrested in 2020 after DNA tests tied him to the homicides of at least three other women, but very shortly after he was apprehended, police cleared him of any involvement in Tammy's and Wiki's case. This brings us to 2023, 31 years after the crime took place. As it stands, this case remains officially unsolved, but I know there are a lot of you out there who don't really like cases like this that have no real ending and I don't like it when crimes go unsolved either. So with this in mind, I'd like to revisit a couple of things involving Lonnie Beardrop. If you remember Detective McCarthy, he believes without a doubt, Lonnie is the man behind the crime. This may also explain why the task force that was dedicated to the case was disbanded so suddenly. It's possible that the detectives knew who the killer was, but they also knew that there simply wasn't enough evidence to ever pin him to the crime. So the unit was disbanded until further evidence can be found. And really just look at the guy. He looks exactly like the descriptions given by witnesses. If you remember, the guy was described as being between 30 and 45. Lonnie was 32. He was described as having brown bushy hair. Lonnie had brown bushy hair. Lonnie was also a convicted felon who had been given two 20 year sentences for armed violence and attempted murder. He made parole in 1990 after which he started driving for Kenworth Trucking Company, the same company that was branded on the blanket when Tammy was found in. If this wasn't enough, Lonnie also had no alibi for the time that Tammy went missing. And investigators have reason to believe he was within Tammy's general vicinity at that time. The only details that I haven't been able to confirm are the height estimates given by witnesses. They described the man seen with Tammy as being about six feet tall, but I haven't been able to determine how tall Lonnie was. The literal only information I could find that might rule Lonnie out is that the witnesses who spotted the suspect that day never reported him wearing glasses. And we know that Lonnie had worn glasses pretty much his whole life. But we can't forget the watch. Lonnie reportedly gave his wife an identical watch to the one that Tammy was missing. Now, I don't know what other evidence you could possibly want. I'll never accuse an innocent man of a crime. That's just not the kind of show I'm running here, but this man is new levels of suspicious. In my own mind, I've made peace with the idea that Lonnie was most likely the killer. Being a two-time convicted felon, we already know that he was a pretty bad guy. We just don't know if he managed to turn himself around while he was in prison. Detective McCarthy has also resigned to believing that Lonnie was the killer and that alone says an awful lot, considering he has access to all sorts of additional evidence and information that's never been made public. And if all of this public information points to Lonnie, I can only imagine what information that's being withheld may implicate him as well. So in the end, Tammy's case may be officially unsolved, but I think I speak for nearly everyone when I say it's only a matter of time before this case is truly solved. I assume investigators still have Lonnie's DNA on file, as well as the partial DNA recovered from the crime scene. And with the rapid advancements in DNA technology these days, only time will tell. Thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of True Crime Stories. If you enjoyed this video, check out this other interesting case I covered and don't forget to subscribe. It's totally free and keeps you up to date with all of my future videos. But my name is Ty Nott and I'll catch you guys in the next one.