SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY: Farah Fenelus
Farah Fenelus was born on December 14, 1987 in Livingston, NJ to Zacharie and Josette Fenelus. She is the youngest of five children- two brothers and two sisters. Farah attended East Orange public schools where she consistently maintained an A average, served as captain of the Varsity Tennis team and Vice-President of the National Honor Society. At the age of 17 she moved to Philadelphia, PA to attend Temple University where she graduated from in 2010.
As a first generation college student, Farah always felt it was important to not only earn a degree but to rise well ABOVE mediocre. In order to achieve this level of excellence, Farah knew she had to rely on the God-given talents she possessed. Farah always had a knack for administration as well as the arts. In fact, Farah served as an administrator, business manager and graphic designer for several years prior to starting a business. In January of 2013, after years of doing freelance work in the field, Farah launched her graphic design company, The WorkBench. It is here where most of Farah’s focus and passion lies at the present moment. She has worked with a variety of clients, business and campaigns across the country & internationally- each leaving an imprint in her foundation as a graphic designer. In the near future, Farah plans to further her education by pursuing her Masters and focus on expanding her company.
Learn more about Farah Fenelus in this week’s Spotlight Saturday.
WHAT THE WORKBENCH DOES
The WorkBench is a graphic design company that also provides branding and administrative consulting services.
WHAT THE WORKBENCH IS KNOWN FOR
Professionalism
Farah explains: “In a highly competitive field such as graphic design, it’s not difficult to find one that can produce quality work. It is difficult to find one that can- not only deliver quality product- but also a quality experience. Creativity and professionalism is often the feedback I get from clients- and I know its trust because they return and refer others!”
HOW THE WORKBENCH GOT STARTED
"The love for graphic design has always been there, but the business got started by accident! Lol! I was working with an organization where we had a graphic designer in charge of all our marketing materials. Unfortunately, we were less than pleased with the professionalism and consequently parted with the designer. However, now we were without a designer and there were various deadlines coming our way. At the time, I had already known some basics so I tried my hand at it just for the sake of not letting us crash and burn. My team was very impressed with the quality of work and hidden talent. Over time, I realized that I thoroughly enjoyed the art and began a “hobby”. I ran into an associate who had been seeing my work around and wanted to know how much I’d charge to do something for organization. I said “Nothing!” She looked at me as if I had 3 heads and said, “you could get paid way more than NOTHING for what you do!” That was 8 years ago but from that moment, the seed was planted. I studied my craft, gained some confidence and in about 5 few years The WorkBench was born."
ADVICE TO SOMEONE PURSUING THEIR DREAMS
“Your passion was given to you for a reason- never let someone make you feel like it is invalid or that it’s not good enough. The payoff (figuratively & literally) WILL come; focus on who you were created to be and that will open way more doors than the search for wealth.”
GREATEST INFLUENCE
Her mother.
Farah says: “She taught me the true meaning of courage.”
FAVORITE QUOTE
“You’ve got to kick fear to the side because the payoff is huge.” –Mariska Hargitay
FAVORITE PASTIME
“I don't watch much television but I find long walks are especially calming, cooking therapeutic and people-watching quite entertaining.”
IF HER LIFE WERE A MOVIE
If her life were a movie it would be called:
The Odd One In
Farah explains: “… from family to friends, I am always the “odd” one. I have never felt that was a problem or character flaw necessarily but it is something that I have truly learned to embrace. Even at a young age, my individuality and independence was always more a pro to me than society would lead me to believe.”
ADVICE TO YOUNGER SELF
“Every step, every role, every place you find yourself in is NOT a mistake nor a coincidence. Learn as much as you can, pass the test and use that knowledge wherever you go next. It will all make sense in retrospect.”
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FUTURE
“Only tomorrow knows what it holds, but you can expect me to follow my passion… wherever that may lead. One thing you can definitely not expect is me quitting.”