Proud Gator Alumni Marcus Bowers (’11) encourages UHD students and new graduates in a video produced specifically for UHD News.

“There weren’t a lot of success stories around me. It’s up to you to get out and find success when it’s not around you. You don’t realize anything different until you get out. When you do get out, you look back and realize there was something better,” he said. For Bowers, there was something better—military and college.

After high school, he served four years with the Navy’s SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen). Bowers considered his military service an influential chapter in his life. After the military, he earned an associate degree from Houston Community College. In 2011, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Marilyn Davies College of Business.

“UHD gave me the opportunity to work full-time. I didn’t have to change my lifestyle,” he said. “One of the great things about UHD is that you can maintain your life while advancing your future.”

In the summer of 2012, he decided to start a business with fellow veteran, Warren Broadnax. With $800, Bowers sold bundles of hair extensions from the trunk of his car and he never looked back.

Today, Bowers is an industry trailblazer as co-founder and CEO of She’s Happy Hair—one of the largest suppliers of virgin hair in the United States. With seven stores across the country, including an online e-commerce site, the company has garnered $80 million in sales since 2012. Recently, the company signed a multi-million-dollar partnership with Walmart to become the first-ever brand to sell hair extensions with the multinational retail corporation.

“A college degree is a license to learn,” said Bowers. “Don’t wait to be great. Do what you need to do. Only you control your future to pursue your dreams.”

Look for more Gator Alumni offering words of encouragement and inspiration in future editions of UHD News.