CeRaiyah M. Roberts is a preschool teacher and owner of Air'd Up, a decorating and rental company in the Virgin Islands. Photo: CeRaiyah M. Roberts

CeRaiyah M. Roberts teaches at her family owned school Motions Daycare and Preschool. Photo: CeRaiyah M. Roberts

The decorating company Air'd Up was founded in 2023 by CeRaiyah M. Roberts. Photo: CeRaiyah M. Roberts

Decorating work done by decorating company Air'd Up. Photo: CeRaiyah M. Roberts

Some of the work done by Air'd Up. Photo: CeRaiyah M. Roberts

Born and raised in Tortola, CeRaiyah was educated at the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) and graduated in 2020. 

Following high school, she went into her family business, Motions Daycare and Preschool, teaching preschoolers. 

'I’ve matured being a teacher'

“It wasn’t really my plan, but it did work out for me because I did want to become a teacher. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my mom,” she said. 

CeRaiyah explained that since stepping into the role of teacher, she has grown as a person. 

“It’s been an experience, to be honest. Being a teacher at such a young age really has shown me a lot in terms of how I grew. I’ve matured quickly,” she said. 

CeRaiyah also said that as a teacher she is happier. “You know, working with little kids, it really makes you happy. You want the best for them and their future.”

A special school event led to Air’d Up

Not only is this young lady a teacher, but she also ventured into entrepreneurship, opening up her own small business, Air’d Up, a decorating business. 

“I decorate, I do kids parties,” she explained, “I do balloon arches, anything of that manner, I really do. I do some rental props... high boys tables.”

Air’d Up, she said, stemmed out of a Valentine’s Day event she organised at the school two years ago, almost two years ago to the day. 

“I just wanted to do something for the kids and their parents, you know, just something special for them to show love from the Motions staff. So I decorated a balloon arch, and it really started from there,” she said. 

Although she said she was not very good at it the first time, she realised there was potential for it to become something. 

“I wanted to build on it and see how far it can go, and it became a business,” she said, adding, “It was really something I just dived right into. It was all positive for me. The community accepted me well, family pushed me, friends pushed me.”

CeRaiyah's business, Air'd Up, can be found on Facebook.

While unable to pinpoint any one event she has decorated that stands out to her CeRaiyah, said she enjoys decorating children’s parties. 

“It's just the reaction they get when they see the decor or even their family when they see how well I execute their plan. So any event I've done is really memorable for me.”

‘I really want Air’d Up to grow’

While Air’d Up is still just a small business, CeRaiyah has dreams of it growing, so much so that she sees a warehouse-like space in its future. 

“I want to have my own shop where people can come to me and rent stuff…I rent out balloons and stuff like that. So I want it to be more like a big warehouse where people can come and rent certain stuff from me or they hire me to do their decorating job or I can send out a team to do this sort of stuff,” she said enthusiastically.

To other young people, CeRaiyah has this one piece of advice, “Just start.”

One of the sayings she goes by is ‘Opportunity doesn’t knock, doesn’t always appear itself’. 

“I know a lot of people are afraid to start on adventures they want to. So I just want to say, just go ahead and do it,” she said.

So, to those who may have a goal or a dream, in the words of CeRaiyah M. Roberts, “Just start [and] build your own, your own way.”