We know our classmates at Cornell are amazing, but it’s so easy to never recognize some of the truly incredible accomplishments of our peers as we get caught up in bonding over the awful weather and prelim season. The girl who sits next to you in your Biology class might be doing cancer research in a Cornell lab while the boy in your PE class teaches paddleboarding on Cayuga Lake. Or maybe the student sitting next to you is Daniel Abaraoha, a junior and budding entrepreneur. Daniel founded his company, Vita Shoes, a year ago with the hopes of providing high quality, affordable, attractive sneakers while simultaneously giving back to others. Since then he has found great success, selling hundreds of shoes while providing donations to homeless shelters around Texas, his home state. We sat down with Daniel to hear more about his company and his experiences at Cornell.
What inspired you to start Vita shoes? Can you tell us about your company?
Vita shoes was originally my childhood dream. I always wanted to do a shoe company. It started when I was a kid. My family didn’t have much and I always loved seeing other kids in their Jordans and their Nikes, so I used to draw them. It got to the point where I wanted to make a brand of my own stuff, but a brand that was affordable for people that were in my state, so I’ve gotten to that point now, although the idea has been refined. Initially manufacturers said it was impossible and that they couldn’t do it. I got to Cornell and I looked around, I saw everyone with their own ambitions and I was like “I could do this, I have an idea.” The idea has been refined a lot over time. What Vita shoes is now is just a company that provides affordable and good quality sneakers, and a portion of the proceeds go to homeless shelters and charities. We are trying to connect with a lot of charities around the country, but our first charity is going to be one that I’ve worked with personally through my church in Dallas. They care for the homeless and the underserved people in the Dallas community. I’m pretty excited about everything so far.
Why should Cornell students buy Vita shoes?
As Cornell students we are a very informed population, and we also consider the fortunes of other people. A lot of younger people are concerned with people who are in poverty, who are impoverished. In this younger generation there are people who want to help. There isn’t a sneaker company that is doing what we are doing–you know about Toms, Warby Parker, and Patagonia, but there isn’t a brand of sneakers that is doing that. That serves as a differentiating point. Also, it’s going somewhere that you can actually see–this is Dallas, this is Texas, this is in our backyard. Those factors alone, or wanting to be morally right, those are factors that make people want to buy them–and they’re good looking.
Where can we expect the company to go? What are your hopes for the future?
Right now, there are concerns about how the products are made. The trajectory of this company is to bring the whole life circle together, and work on how the shoes are made, as being beneficial towards society. This is where the company is going. I am in conversations with different factories to make the product environmentally conscious and friendly, but also an ethically made shoe. Are the people making the shoes treated well, and are they treated right in good conditions? These are all factors I want to take into account. We’re about to make shirts in the next month, so we have that coming up. New colors too, fun stuff with the design of the shoe. I’m excited about where things are going.
Do you have a favorite memory from the process of starting Vita shoes?
The kicks started happening last year, and we sold a hundred shoes through that, and got a whole bunch of donations to give. This July, when we started the official store, we saw that people outside of just me and my family were actually buying the shoes. So, back in the summer when I’m filling out these orders and shipping them out, I always go downstairs because I have the shoes in the garage and I am picking out the shoes and my mom is like, “Oh, another order.” Typically, the next question is, “Oh is it somebody you know, who is it?” And I would say in response a name. But this time she asked “Is it somebody you know,” and the response was “Oh no, it’s not.” And then she just gave me a big hug and she said, “You’ve already made it. See that, you’ve made it.” That was just a point where I started to recognize that other people thought this was a good idea.
Who is your favorite professor on campus?
My favorite professor is Cindy Vandez. I was in her class as a freshman and she teaches Introductory Statistics. I was very good at statistics in high school, so I thought it was going to be a blow over class, there’s over 200 plus kids in there. But she was the most engaging professor, her lectures were super interesting, and she always kept the class lively. That was something I noticed because especially as freshman you get into these large classes and a lot of professors don’t really care. Even as I continue to go on, I have these professors that are just like “oh it’s just a job,” and “I still have my research.” But she was so intent on not only not doing that and keeping the material interesting but also the students well being and our welfare as actual humans. She would actually take into account what types of disabilities you had, and she would make accommodations. Even though I didn’t need any of those things it was just nice to know that she had an open door policy and you could literally go in and just spill if you wanted to. I’ve been TAing for her for a couple of years now and I love it, I love doing it. It’s going to be sad stopping next year. She would be the best professor I’ve had on campus.
What is one class every student at Cornell should take?
This could be laughable in some circles but I think Introduction to Oceanography. But to actually sit there and listen. Bruce is so excited and so concerned about everything that he is teaching. Me and my buddy went to every lecture and we would hear this guy and his attitude and his approach to each subject. When we got to the topics of environmental sustainability that actually inspired me to do what I’m doing with Vita Shoes right now. It really opens your eyes because anyone who has taken AP Bio or a Bio class here has heard the material before, but to actually learn from someone who is truly concerned about it and have them share that attitude with you, and trying to be receptive to that, that is something I recommend. I really liked that.
Favorite Cornell memory?
There are a lot of good ones. Probably, it’s one from when I was a freshman. I lived in Dickson so everything was a single and you had to go out to actually meet people. It was after the first meeting on the first night. So I finally started introducing myself to people other than my immediate neighbors. And we all ended up going to one of the triples and everybody started gathering. It was just exciting because you started to meet everyone else and started to exchange ideas. We went from conversations about one thing to the next thing. We stayed up talking to 2 or 3 in the morning and it was just great.
Need a new pair of kicks? Want to support a great cause? Check out http://www.vitashoesco.com/story.html to get a pair of your own or learn more about the company and it’s charities.
