Bessie Winn Beauty Queen turned teen advocate, women\'s advocate and social entrepreneur... Website: www.bessieawinn.com

Biography:
A former beauty queen turned teen girl advocate and social entrepreneur, Bessie A. Winn is on a purpose driven mission to inspire and aspire.Competing in several local pageants such as the Miss Georgia USA 2003 pageant, and several beauty competitions; the former Miss Black GA USA has truly breathed life into the clichéd beauty pageant phrase, "Make the World a Better Place". Motivated by her own past experiences, strong conquering of low self-esteem and survival of a physically and verbally abusive relationship, Winn has dedicated herself to crafting and spreading messages of healthy self-esteem, self-acceptance and ultimate goal setting for teen girls and young women.

A native of Ghana West Africa, Winn moved to Georgia at the age of seven years old. Despite being a very good student and social butterfly, Winn still often struggled with esteem issues, eventually leading her to begin an abusive relationship from the age of 17-19. After a final stand-off with her partner left her virtually unrecognizable, Winn knew she had to break the vicious cycle. It was at the point where I knew that if I did not walk away from the relationship at that instant…I would have never been able to leave…alive, reflects Winn. Led by a strong faith in God and support from other domestic violence survivors, Winn overcame the self-destructing experience. In the process of overcoming the relationship, she took away a new found strength. Winn's life purpose was unveiled. She realized it was her calling to educate teens and young women on domestic violence and the supreme importance of high self-esteem, self-love, self-respect and self-worth.

Fast forward to the present and Winn is a poised and coveted motivational speaker, having garnered praises from the likes of AfeniShakur, mother of the late Tupac Shakur, among others. Additionally, she's spoken at dozens of youth events, including, Self Esteem/Self Image workshop for the I AM B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. Pajama Jam, 4th Annual Girls of Greatness Abstinence and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Conference, 1st Annual Afeni Shakur-Davis Mentoring Conference, and the 2006 Cool Girls Inc. Graduation.

Winn is also the creator of the annual See It, Stop It, Prevent It domestic violence seminar, which is the flagship event for her non-profit organization the B.A. Winn foundation, which promotes healthy self-esteem and educates teens and young women about domestic violence. The seminar was started in 2006, during her reign as Miss Black GA USA, and has since been introduced in Hawaii and Washington, DC. Additionally, Winn has created a seminar accompanying teen self-help workbook entitled "Reclaiming Your Title", which illustrates positive self-image and goal planning.

Additionally, Winn has launched an informational website called www.whatshappeningyouth.info. The site serves as a resource for finding various youth programs throughout the nation. The site also spotlights the achievements of young adults and teen entrepreneurs.

Bessie A. Winn is a graduate of Georgia State University, where she majored in Political Science. In her spare time, Winn is a professionally trained and accomplished actress, having appeared alongside Vivica A. Fox in the film Three Can Play That Game, as well as having landed roles on HBO and BET.

Availability:
Available as a speaker, moderator, facilitator, and consultant for both youth and adult audiences.