I am a doctoral candidate exploring Organizational Leadership and Development at Grand Canyon University, based in Phoenix, Arizona. I give back by serving my community as a community advocate, role model, former board member, and current government employee. Due to my early commitment to business, I was recognized by the Maryland House of Delegates for community service. After one course in economics, my focus changed to business. By engaging others as an influencer and dedicated researcher, I give back to my community. For my efforts, I have been recognized by Stanford's Who's Who of American Women in Business, a prestigious designation awarded only by nominations from fellow business leaders. I embraced my interest after receiving the nomination in 2012. That same year, I became an influencer and received LinkedIn's Top 10% Influencer Award. Shortly thereafter, I received acceptance into Harvard University's Copyright X Program hosted by the Berkman Institute for Internet and Society to explore the challenges I faced during my early years in fashion design. With the same passion, I have engaged and volunteered in my community. In 2010, I received a Community Service Award while serving in government in Los Angeles. Realizing that I could and should do more, I continued to volunteer. Within 2 short years, I was nominated to serve on the board of directors for a community-based organization on the east coast. The organization has a blue-print that spans six generations of African-Americans along the east coast region. Today, that small effort has resulted in recognition by senators and politicians in the region for celebrating the cultural legacy of people traditionally viewed as underserved. By sharing my perspective, I have been able to change that perception. In 2017, I was elected to serve on the Board of Directors at PMI, an internationally recognized program to expand the body of knowledge in the Project Management field by training and certifying management professionals. As the youngest board member, my goal was to introduce a new perspective to leadership. In my role as Director of Educational Programs and Events, I gained invaluable experience engaging the business community. By paying close attention to their needs, I provided professional development and project management training to a growing chapter spanning five counties across the state of Maryland. During my tenure, chapter membership grew to more than 800 project management professionals. As a result, I was awarded a community service award by the President of the organization. As a fashion designer, I traveled quite extensively, often with no time to really transfer my thoughts onto paper. While on travel, I was asked to speak at an event to inspire business leaders in attendance. I declined the offer. Today, I proudly share my knowledge with others because I want to make a difference. As a result of my commitment to furthering the body of knowledge in business, I was awarded acceptance into The National Honor Society, one of our nation's oldest and most prestigious academic institutions. In less than a decade, I have seen the results. Billionaires are now taking their place on the world stage to respond to this phenomenon of lack of educational training and resources for African American innovators. Celebrity endorsements from Mrs. Mellody Hobson, Mr. Earving Magic Johnson, Mrs. Alicia Keys, Mr. Pharrell Williams and The Black Girl Ventures (BGV) fund are now changing the landscape in the venture capital space for people of color. As a doctoral candidate, my research has resulted in a whirlwind of progress. With the support of The Priscilla Shireen Luke Scholarship, I will assume a coveted new role as Dr. Kimberly R. White.

Several years ago my husband passed away unexpectedly. With nothing more than a vision to succeed and determination I cultivated a new way of life by imaging the future I had always dreamed of. The first and most important thing I realized was the importance of a quality education. I had life experiences but failed to completely live the way I had always imagined. Like any young woman I sought avenues to improve my quality of life by challenging my view of the world. Initially I thought it was beyond my reach to entertain the thought of actually tackling my bucket list. What was on the list: education, more time with family, accomplishing my goals, managing my finances, and investing in my future. Overwhelmed by it all, I could only dream. Every morning, I would rise early to watch the morning news before starting my day. On one particular segment a newscaster announced a new program opened to the general public to study at Harvard University. After I applied to the program I was accepted in. Fast forward twelve years later, I am now into my final year as a doctoral candidate exploring business. I have experienced difficult decisions as a small business owner in the early years of my career when I did not have a formal education in business. It was during that time of my life when I was invited to speak on panels, give advice to small business owners, or provide insight into my experiences with other leaders in business. On many occasions I declined the offer because I felt was learning the business and had little insight to share. Today I feel much differently. As I reflect back on the last five years of interviewing thought leaders to explore my research, I realize that the beauty in learning is the ability to share your knowledge with others because someone else may have a different perspective on the experience. It is through shared knowledge that we grow. With five years of research under my wings, I am excited to have had the opportunity to explore research topics surrounding interest in international business development. My research has facilitated a rare opportunity to engage the business community on a national level across multiple states, regions, and industries. Within six months of potentially publishing my greatest work, I have contacted several publishers to produce a book on the topic of business strategy. To answer the calls that I had in the past declined, I now have a substantive platform within which to build. I am now prepared to share the knowledge I have gained with professionals from all walks of life who may someday read my book or journal article documenting my experience. With support from the "Start Small, Dream Big" scholarship, my small dream becomes a phenomenal reality.