Class of 2020: Behti
In the midst of the global pandemic, the Custom Collaborative Training Institute graduated our 8th cohort students and celebrated their accomplishments with a virtual commencement ceremony.
On June 26th, Behti Cooper delivered her virtual graduation speech as class speaker for the 8th cohort to graduate from Custom Collaborative’s Training Institute, and the first to complete the program virtually at the height of a global pandemic. Not only did her powerful words speak to her cohort’s perseverance, but also to CC’s mission of empowerment and community. “My experience at Custom Collaborative,” she explained in her speech, “reminded me that I was valued for far more than the labor that I could produce for someone. It reminded me that there is no ‘I’ in excellence, and that I am only as excellent as the woman I’m standing beside.” Students in the Training Institute do not receive traditional grades, so Behti was voted valedictorian by her peers due to her leadership and dedicated work ethic. Her story is one of hardship, tenacity, success, and above all else, community.
“My experience at Custom Collaborative reminded me that I was valued for far more than the labor that I could produce for someone. It reminded me that there is no ‘I’ in excellence, and that I am only as excellent as the woman I’m standing beside.”
Classmates Behti and Ciara show off their Singer sewing books via Zoom
A Harlem native, Behti was raised predominantly by her grandmother, to whom she remains very close. Prior to joining CC, she worked as a Brand Manager Specialist at Macy’s. “I live for aesthetics,” she said of her previous job, “I just love things to look good.” She had recently been let go from Macy’s when she heard about CC’s open house. She describes the timing as divine, “it was literally a godsend… I remember having a conversation with God, I said, ‘I want more, I’m not happy, I want to do more, I want to be more.’ CC was an opportunity to break away from the fear of not knowing what was next with my career.” The moment she stepped foot into the workshop, she knew she was in the right place. “Their mission was in total alignment with my goals.”
Two weeks into the class, New York City became the epicenter of the virus and the program transitioned to online learning. Behti and her CC sisters had barely finished their first sewing project. Student ages ranged from 25 to 64, making virtual learning a daunting challenge for some. For others, finding the physical and mental space in their personal lives made it nearly impossible. Behti seriously considered dropping out. Living in a crowded, small apartment with no wifi, it didn’t seem feasible until her classmate made a life-altering offer. Ciara, a sister from the program, offered Behti her apartment when she learned she’d be going to Arizona to help her family. “I’d never experienced anything like that in my life, just complete trust in me,” Behti said emotionally, “I was able to get through the course because someone who barely knew me decided to send out an olive branch. That’s when I knew that this was bigger than learning how to sew.”
Behti showcases her first alterations project during the Custom Collaborative Training Institute
Behti reflected on the juxtaposition of the CC community to those in her daily life, “in the Black community, the trust factor is different. It was unnatural to me because I had been groomed for so long to be guarded… I’m a community driven person, I already understood the power of it, but seeing it in a different state outside of what I knew - it was beautiful.” But even with her new work space, Behti struggled. Her day consisted of six hours in Zoom class, followed by another four of self-teaching on YouTube. Being alone was also new, having always lived in a shared space. “It’s just me in that apartment by myself,” she said, “and other things start to come up in the silence, in that solidarity… I was living in isolation in the projects, not a house with a yard.” COVID also took a toll on her family and friends. Over the course of the program, Behti attended four Zoom funerals and experienced six deaths amongst close friends and family. Sharing her thoughts on a friend’s passing, she said, “he watched me grow up. People always talk about how Black women are not protected. He was one of those people who showed up for me.” Although COVID presented an unfathomable challenge, it made the reward higher. “When we transitioned to home,” she said, “that’s when not only the chaos, but the magic started to unveil itself.”
Behti emphasised the importance of relationships and credits them for her completion of the program. Without Ciara, she may not have made it past week three. When praising her instructor, she exclaimed, “being able to look to your elders, having those people model what excellence can look like gives you what you need to keep going.” When asked what her favorite of CC was, Behti responded, “the communal values they led with. It was super inspiring to have this be predominantly women of color… These phenomenal women who made it happen by hook or by crook, by any means necessary.” She recounted a time when one of her sisters stayed at her apartment until 1 o’clock in the morning to assist her in completing a project. “The relationships I was able to develop, not just through being committed to completing the course, but being committed to holding space for myself and others - it’s the gift that keeps on giving!”
Now, Behti is working on opening up her own online boutique. Her goal has always been to be an entrepreneur in fashion. She hopes to launch her shop in October. When offering advice to potential new students, Behti reminds them to always be prepared to help others and never be afraid to ask for it in return. “Relationships, relating to others, is the thing that gets you to where you need to be and doing what you need to be doing every time. Relations make the world go round. When you stand in who you are, in your purpose, that feeling… I can’t even explain it.”
Watch Behti’s graduation speech here:
Words by Auden Barbour, Senior Intern