(FOX 17) -- A West Michigan college student-athlete shows that a strong will and passion can help you accomplish your dreams.
Katarina Samardzija is a tennis player at Grand Valley State University.
When she first got to GVSU, her plan was medical school. As time went on she and her teammates felt they needed something to be able to carry their things with when they went to practice and tournaments.
That's how Locker Lifestyle was born, convenient and stylish holders for your items while you workout, shop, or travel.
This led to her changing her major to Entrepreneurship and Marketing as she founded her own company and worked out of her mother's bridal store.
In January 2017, her mom lost her bridal store of 26 years to a devastating fire. Not only did she lose everything, but she lost all her materials, patterns, and prototypes for the business.
She had to start from square one, but that didn't stop her. She brought her mom on to help with the company and continued on.
All the products are still currently handmade by Katarina with the help of her family and friends.
Before she turned 20, she became the owner of her own company, two trademarks, and four provisional patents.
She has competed in many entrepreneurship competitions, and won all of them.
She recently launched a blog as well, where she talks about how she built her company and tips to inspire others.
She has 3 different products available on her website: the wrist locker, the head locker, and the little locker.
