College Uncertainty 

Brooklyn Armstead called Southeast her home. She knew as soon as she visited in 2017 that she wanted to be a part of campus. 

"I said this is the place for me," Armstead recalled. "This is the place where I know I can grow."

And she did. Armstead made friends, joined activities, and found professors she took motivation from. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit across the United States. 

This caused uncertainty. Everyone in the country was feeling it, but college students were especially wary. Armstead was no exception. 

As the uncertainty continued, Armstead noticed she was having some stress-induced skin issues. She was struggling with things like hyperpigmentation, scarring, and dark spots. As she studied for finals and stressed about the future, she started experiencing dark circles under her eyes and stress acne. 

She started doing her own research into her issues and realized that there were options. As she worked and she experimented, she found she was creating something that could help others, too. That's when Purity Skincare was born. 

Purity Skincare 

Armstead calls Purity Skincare a luxury skin care line. She is passionate about taking care of her own skin, and has turned that into a small business to help others. She does her own research and creates natural products that she's proud of. 

"Skin care is intentional," Armstead said. "It's created with the intention to help with specific problems. I don't just make products for fun. I make them to solve your problem."

She started with small events, like a pop-up table at a Greek event on campus. These events showed her that she had something good going. 

"It was a really good time and it kind of sparked the flame in me that said I want to really showcase my business," Armstead said. 

She leaned on her experience at Southeast to give her the confidence to move forward with entrepreneurial life. Armstead studied business administration as a student at Southeast and took advice from her professors as she went along. As she continued, her confidence grew, and she began seeing the positive results of her work. 

She still sells at local events and has moved her product online, expanding her reach. 

Now, she's hoping to continue that growth. She sees herself going all out in the next year and growing her reach with Purity. Her major plans for 2024 include working on her marketing - she wanted to really get her name out in the community and keep creating intentional skincare to address specific problems. She wants to start a Purity campaign and eventually go public with her business. 

"Oftentimes, we have dreams, we have passions, we have ideas and we don't take action toward them because we aren't confident enough," Armstead said. "Go with what you know, follow your passion, follow your dream. Knowledge is power."