Monday, March 16, 2009 AT 12:06PM
By: Agnes Erskine
Birth Date: March 23, 1990
Siblings: brother, Ahmon 8 years old and sister, Savana Bleu, 4 years old
On her iPod: John Legend, India.Arie, Common, and Musiq Soulchild
Beauty, intelligence, and determination; all words synonymous with Aysia Rowe. Wise beyond her years, soon to be nineteen-year-old Aysia Rowe is a shining example of wisdom being attributed to experience more so than age. A native of California, Aysia has spent her life in the Hawthorne and Inglewood subdivisions of Los Angeles County. Her friends would describe her as “mellow”, “cool”, and “attentive”. The budding star of the BET hit series Baldwin Hills explains how a chance encounter in the midst of a minor fashion crisis landed her spot on the show.
“It’s a funny story actually,” Aysia begins over the phone. “I didn’t go through the regular casting process. I was actually at the Beverly Center looking for a driver. We were getting ready to go to the Teen Choice Awards. It was two o’ clock in the afternoon and we had to be there at five. So I’m on the phone and I see this lady following me, but I pretend I don’t see her because I’m on the phone and looking for something to wear at the same time; but she comes up to me and starts talking to me, and at first I’m kind of like ‘why are you talking to me?’ She’s like ‘Hi I’m a talent director for Baldwin Hills and you look like a pretty upstanding person and I like how you carry yourself.” Two days later, Aysia met with the producers of Baldwin Hills and formally introduced herself. It’s easy to understand how anyone could be drawn to the young woman. Her personality is magnetic and immediately you can sense that she is very down to earth and about her business.
It’s no surprise that Aysia has received a lot of positive feedback from viewers of the show. She responds to her own MySpace and Facebook messages further solidifying her humble manner. “I don’t have anyone answer my messages for me. Someone has asked me to prom.” Of course, not all the feedback is peachy. “I’ve gotten messages from girls like ‘Are you really talking to Justin?’ But for the most part it’s been positive. I get messages from parents saying ‘I love you on the show, I love my kids watching you; you don’t do the drama.’”
As driven as she is, it is easy to understand why Aysia does not have time for the “he say, she say”. In 2007, her senior year in high school, Aysia was confronted with devastating news. Her mother was diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to form antibodies against its self. A common symptom of the disease is relentless pain throughout the body. Even throughout the excruciating pain, Aysia’s mother Tonja Taylor has been an exceptional pillar of strength for her family.
“My mother’s been a single mother; even though she can’t work now, we have yet to go hungry. She has made sure that me, and my brother and sister don’t want for anything. I applaud her for that,” says Aysia. “I am doing everything I can for her to be able to say in the future: ‘I’m good, Aysia’s got me.” Like any teenage girl, Aysia’s relationship with her mother has had its ups and downs. However, Aysia realized sooner rather than later what many don’t take the time to ponder until they have kids of their own—you only get one mother. Aysia’s relationship with her mother is very up front, she says “If I do something, I’m pretty up front with it. I never hide anything from my mom. The relationship I have with my mom is very open.” When asked what one piece of advice is that her mother has given her, she begins to laugh before saying, “my mom always told me, ‘you want to be in this business [of] acting and entertainment, when you go to these parties don’t EVER let anybody bring you a drink. You watch it be made. Don’t leave the bar until you’ve watched them pour your drink.’” Needless to say, Aysia and her mother are very close.
At a time where others may have backed down, Aysia decided to stand up. In 2009, she officially established her non-profit organization called the Taylor T. Wellness Foundation, named after her mother who she says is now doing better. Aysia’s main goal with the organization is to raise awareness in regards to Lupus, as well as to provide financial and childcare assistance to those affected by the disease. She hopes to kick off her first charity event this summer and would like for the events to be open to the public. Her objective is to rouse the attention of her fellow peers; she stresses the importance in involving this generation in becoming socially aware in order to create the groundwork for a better future. At the youthful age of eighteen, Aysia is a brilliantly polished gem with just enough edge and wit to make her relatable. She has worked hard to make it to this point and a steadfast attitude that will take her to astrological heights in all her endeavors.
Her last words from our conversation are words of encouragement to those who aspire to meet their goals and dreams, “The sky is the limit. Oprah came from down south and lived in a tiny little shack and now she’s one of the richest women in the world. Don’t ever let anybody hold you back and tell you, ‘you can’t’. I cannot stress that enough.” With such a positive outlook, there’s no denying that Aysia Rowe is set to do great things.
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