Meet Quantika F.: Educator/Mother/Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Quantika F. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Quantika, how do you think about risk?
Risk has always been on the forefront of my mind, even as a kid. I have always been the one saying, “Well, I’m gonna do it anyway because I know I can.” The biggest risk I took was uprooting my life and making the decision to move to Atlanta from Nashville 5, almost 6 years ago. Nashville was all that I knew. I’m very family oriented so the decision was tough to make but I knew that I needed to move to pursue and accomplish goals I had set for myself. Making that move has opened up so many doors for me career wise and has even allowed me to branch off with starting my candle business. To me, without risk, you may not see your true reward and I feel like my rewards are rolling on in.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been in the education field since 2018. I started teaching through the Clayton County TAPP program, which is an alternative certification program for those who did not major in education in college. I’m not going to lie, it was so hard at first because I was balancing being a mom to a 3 month old, taking TAPP classes, and navigating being a new teacher in the middle of a school year. I remember walking out during a class thinking, “This is too much for me.” Something inside me told me to get it together and I walked back in and from there, it’s been up! The struggle ignited a fire inside of me and I kicked it into overdrive. I completed my program early, grabbed a few endorsements, and I am about to graduate with my Master’s in Educational Leadership. Outside of education, when the pandemic hit, my creative side started to flourish. I gave birth to my candle company, which is named after my daughter, S. London Collection. I am happy to say that it will be dropping soon! I am so excited to pursue entrepreneurship alongside my education journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first spot I would take them to is Breakfast at Barney’s for breakfast or brunch. That food is amazing! Downtown has some cool areas for shopping and sight seeing. We would go to Escobar or Cirque for some bomb drinks and music because my friends love to chill and vibe. Lastly, we would hit up a lounge like Sheba Lounge for a good time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout first and foremost to my family back home. They have always been so supportive with everything that I set out to accomplish, Thank y’all for pushing me to be great! Next, I want to send love to my boyfriend Jace who has been my backbone every step of the way. To my baby girl, you give me purpose! Mommy loves you! I also want to give love to my girls for holding me accountable and giving me honesty at all times.

Instagram: @S.LondonCollection (candle business) @flourishwithflemming (teacher page)