Manmay LaKay Magazine Debut Issue | Page 22

But with her imagination, drive and determination, creativity and  grit, something tells us Mala would still journey into Malaville — creating her own line of black dolls. She most recently added CEO, restauranteur, chef to her resume and is committed to giving back to her community.  "Currently, I work at the Patience Combined School because that’s the school I was the most stable at. My teachers were very crafty and so they taught us so much that I felt the need to keep the crafting going. I found out that not much time and effort is being put into Arts & Crafts anymore. This touched me, so I do the little I can. The Mala Bryan Foundation is still in a testing phase. I hope once all my other projects are in place I can put a lot more time and effort into it.” Her outlook? "I would like to expand the Malaville Empire. I would also love to have ample free time to do lots of charity work.”  Who inspires this “modelpreneur”? "Because I know of my struggles, I am my own inspiration. I went from being a street vendor to being in magazines and on television around the world. I am very proud of my accomplishments. But I do admire many people like Oprah and Paulo Cuelho whose books help me tremendously on my spiritual journey.” Many folks have a phrase a quote, a mantra that guides them. Do you have one? "Work hard, play harder.”