Meet Wuyah
Wuyah Gbondo, the founder and owner of BloomH.E.R. is the epitome of change. Despite frequently moving and facing challenges that others would have easily succumbed to, Wuyah, unwilling to accept defeat, remained resilient….and prevailed. Born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Wuyah lived there until the age of thirteen before migrating to London, England to escape the civil war in Sierra Leone. At age sixteen, Wuyah relocated to the United States in the Washington Metropolitan area. Undeterred by now residing in a 3rd country; feeling strong, empowered, and determined to keep going, in 2001 she graduated from Laurel High School and went on to graduate from Marymount University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Sociology. Wuyah did not stop there, in 2012, she earned her Master of Social Work at The Silberman School at Hunter College. While earning her Masters, Wuyah also served as the President of Women of Color Collective.
Wuyah P. Gbondo
Founder and Owner of BloomH.E.R.
Wuyah P. Gbondo, the founder and owner of BloomH.E.R. is the epitome of change. Despite frequently moving and facing challenges that others would have easily succumbed to, Wuyah, unwilling to accept defeat, remained resilient….and prevailed. Born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Wuyah lived there until the age of thirteen before migrating to London, England to escape the civil war in Sierra Leone. At age sixteen, Wuyah relocated to the United States in the Washington Metropolitan area. Undeterred by now residing in a 3rd country; feeling strong, empowered, and determined to keep going, in 2001 she graduated from Laurel High School and went on to graduate from Marymount University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Sociology. Wuyah did not stop there, in 2012, she earned her Master of Social Work at The Silberman School at Hunter College. While earning her Masters, Wuyah also served as the President of Women of Color Collective.
In 2017, Wuyah developed and Co-facilitated the “Flower Girls” group, which is a ten-week therapeutic, social recreational group for young ladies ages 13-17. Working in several roles including Case Manager, Case Manager Supervisor, and Functional Family Therapist (FFT), Wuyah developed the skills and experience to successfully be able to integrate trauma informed care into her therapeutic work.
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Furthermore, Wuyah’s ability to connect with the youth is not only based on her experience, but also on her formal training. Proving her qualifications, Wuyah proudly holds the following certifications: Mandated Reporter, Ethics Workshop, Multi-Cultural Social Work Practice Workshop, and Entitlements and Benefits Workshop, Trauma Focused TF-CBT, CAFAS Trainee Trainer. She has also completed coursework in Psychosocial Interventions with Children, Individuals and Families, and Trauma Informed Care. Wuyah’s spirituality is of paramount importance to her.
As a member of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, she is continually active in ministry, where she serves as an assistant facilitator for Queen Esther Ministry. She began her journey as a participant in the ministry in 2013 and graduated in 2015.
Wuyah began serving as an assistant facilitator in 2015 by servicing women between the ages of 18 and 35. She is now continuing servicing women of all ages. During Wuyah’s journey as an assistant facilitator, among several other leaders, Wuyah was chosen to be one of the members for a pilot program, “Women Developing Women’s Leaders. She began the pilot in 2018 and completed the year-long pilot in 2019. While the program served several purposes, the focal point was primarily on growing in leadership.
Wuyah has also served as a lead counselor for “At the Well” conference at Princeton University. Her commitment to her spirituality has not gone unnoticed, in 2019, she was appointed as a board member for Kingdom Girl Inc., a faith-based girls youth program.
Annually, Wuyah recognizes International Day of the African Child on June 16th. She embraces her African roots as a child of war which led to the discovery of her passion towards providing opportunities for young women to grow and thrive. Wuyah has a passion for developing women through God’s word.
She relies on this passion to assist with youth and women with unlocking their potential, building their self-esteem, and establishing and building their self-worth.
Wuyah Gbondo is an entrepreneur, a leader, therapist, social worker, mentor, and a motivator. She is here to serve….and specifically, she is here to serve through Healing, Empowerment, and Restoration.