“The good news is that you are here; the bad news is that you’ve had a stroke, and we need to figure out why.” I sat in the emergency room trying to make sense of the doctor’s words. Only a day earlier, I was teaching a virtual class for a workforce and entrepreneurship program, something I’ve done countless times. Midway through that class, I suddenly struggled to speak clearly. I assumed I was tired or dehydrated. But later, watching the recording, I could see what I couldn’t explain in the moment: this was not normal. I went into the doctor’s office expecting advice to slow down or drink more water. Instead, I was rushed to the ER. I kept telling myself this was an overreaction and I’d be home in a few hours. Yet the tests told a different story. I wasn’t a smoker, didn’t have high blood pressure, and had no other conditions that signaled a stroke risk. The medical team seemed as confused as I was until they found the hole in my heart. A clot had slipped through and made its way to my brain. That was the reason behind what I felt that day when I could not form my words. I lay there realizing how quickly life can change. The phrase tomorrow is not promised echoed louder than any medical explanation. I thought about the work I still wanted to do: strengthening entrepreneurship in urban communities, building economic pathways for young people, expanding women’s empowerment and innovation programs in the Caribbean, and supporting displaced workers who need a second chance. For years, I’ve worked with startups, created entrepreneurship programming at a university, and helped young founders build confidence around their ideas. However, one unfinished commitment remained: earning my Ph.D. That stroke clarified something I had been putting off. I was already operating in leadership and innovation spaces, already building programs and helping others elevate their entrepreneurial potential. But to create larger systems of change, policy shifts, research-driven solutions, and sustainable community impact, I needed more. I needed the credentials, the research training, and the deeper scholarly grounding. The stroke didn’t make me afraid. It made me focused. My courage to return to school comes from a few places: from my mother, a neonatal nurse and educator who believed deeply in service; from the women I work with in entrepreneurship who constantly prove that resilience is innovation; from students who look to me for guidance in building lives they have never seen modeled before; and from the reminder that life is both fragile and purposeful. Going back to school is not just about finishing what I started. It is about honoring the time I still have. My goal is to research, build, and expand entrepreneurial systems that serve urban communities, emerging innovators, and women across the diaspora. I am not pursuing a title. I am pursuing impact, impact that requires the depth of knowledge, validation, and voice that a Ph.D. provides. The stroke did not redirect my path. It simply removed all excuses.

In January 2024, while teaching a university course, I suddenly experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA). I had no prior health conditions, so the event was both shocking and life-altering. After being hospitalized for two weeks of testing, doctors discovered that I had a congenital hole in my heart, known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO). This condition required surgical repair. Learning that I had unknowingly lived my entire life with a hole in my heart was both humbling and frightening. Before surgery, every other potential issue had to be ruled out, which meant months of cardiac monitoring and extensive follow-up evaluations. In April 2024, I underwent the procedure to close the PFO and began a long process of recovery—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The months that followed required careful attention to my health, frequent cardiology visits, and patience to rebuild my stamina. Even after recovery, the awareness that another cardiac event could occur remains a constant presence in my life. That knowledge requires mindfulness and courage, but it also serves as a daily reminder to live with gratitude and purpose. The experience was not only a medical challenge but also an emotional and spiritual test. Balancing the fear of recurrence with the desire to keep moving forward demanded deep resilience. Yet instead of allowing the diagnosis to limit me, I used it as a source of motivation. It reminded me that each day is a gift and every opportunity is a chance to serve others. It strengthened my empathy for people who live with invisible health challenges and deepened my appreciation for life’s fragile but beautiful balance. Despite these obstacles, I continued teaching and pursuing my academic goals. In Spring 2025, I was accepted into the PhD program in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia. My research focuses on helping women, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, access funding to build sustainable businesses that uplift their own communities. I continue to teach entrepreneurship at a local university and facilitate programs that help underrepresented founders, specifically women, live their dreams. Completing this program part-time allows me to honor both my health and my scholarly commitments. Living through a cardiac event taught me not just how to endure adversity but how to transform it into purpose. The obstacles I’ve faced have made me stronger, more intentional, and more compassionate. These lessons now shape how I teach, mentor, and research. I understand that resilience is not about ignoring pain—it’s about channeling it into something meaningful. This award would help me continue my studies while maintaining the delicate balance that keeps both my heart and my purpose strong. My journey has taught me that healing and ambition can coexist. The heart, when guided by faith and purpose, can lead to extraordinary impact.

As a Black immigrant woman from Trinidad, I am fully aware of how systems can silence and sideline those who look like me. This awareness drives everything I do as an organizer, scholar, and advocate for justice. In Prince George’s County, Maryland, I serve as an Associate Organizer with PLAN (Prince George’s Leadership Action Network), a multi-faith, multiracial coalition working to confront inequities in healthcare, housing, education, and immigrant rights. As a member of the PLAN team, I work to train community leaders on how to build power among those most affected by injustice. My work at PLAN reflects the values I was raised with: community care, faith in action, and collective responsibility. My work with PLAN has shown me that liberation must be locally led. I’ve sat in church halls and community centers where immigrants, elders, and working mothers voiced their struggles for access to affordable housing, equitable healthcare, and safe schools. I’ve seen how organizing transforms despair into strategy and power. Over the past 10 years, I have also taught and mentored aspiring entrepreneurs from underserved and underrepresented communities. I have helped them turn ideas into viable businesses. Through accelerator and incubator programs such as the Equity Incubator at Shady Grove, the Latino Economic Development Center Green Business Incubator, and the City of Bowie’s Workforce Training Program on Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiatives, I have guided founders through the early stages of business development. My work focused on helping founders access capital, refine their business models, and build sustainable enterprises that meet community needs. This practical engagement has shown me that innovation thrives when it’s inclusive. These experiences deeply inform my PhD research at the University of the District of Columbia. At UDC, I focus my research on helping women, particularly women of color, gain access to funding to build sustainable, community-serving businesses. My goal is to dismantle the structural barriers that keep women from accessing capital. Also, I look to design models that enable women to create enterprises that circulate wealth and opportunity within their own neighborhoods. Together, my lived experience as a Caribbean immigrant, my community organizing, and my academic research lead me to one unifying question: How can we reimagine economic and social systems so that historically marginalized women are architects of sustainable businesses that transform their communities from within? This question is both personal and collective. It reflects my own journey navigating entrepreneurship, leadership, and belonging as a Black immigrant woman in the business ecosystem. I believe that true liberation happens when we design systems that allow every person to thrive with dignity and agency. Through PLAN, I work to activate this belief locally. Through my PhD, I seek to build the frameworks that make it possible globally. My work is rooted in faith, equity, and action. I believe that asking this difficult question can lead to creating space for new possibilities for women.

I want to build a platform that empowers women in small Caribbean islands by combining digital literacy, entrepreneurship training, and shared support services. Women in these communities face barriers to accessing capital and technology. My vision is to create a space where women can gain skills, pool resources, and tell their stories. I hope to open new opportunities for independence, leadership, and economic security. My vision is not only about business, but about building a stronger foundation for women to thrive. I want to help women learn how to use technology to sell products online, connect with customers abroad, or start small ventures powered by renewable energy. I want to creat a support system where women can reduce the isolation that many entrepreneurs experience. This project will also strengthen my own growth. As I continue my journey in leadership and entrepreneurship, I want to root my work in service and community-building. Creating this platform will push me to grow as a leader who listens first, builds trust, and works side by side with others. It will also deepen my connection to my Caribbean heritage and allow me to give back in a way that honors the resilience of the women in my family and community. I hope that this positive impact will ripple outward. I believe that when women gain access to tools, skills, and networks they invest in their families and communities. A woman who learns how to sell her crafts online might use that income to pay for her child’s school fees. A group of women learning about renewable energy could start a business that also reduces reliance on fossil fuel. In building this project, I would be really building a future where women in small island nations can see themselves not as limited by circumstance, but as innovators, leaders, and changemakers. That’s the future I want to create for myself, and for the communities I serve

Pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia is a meaningful step in my professional and academic journey. I believe in the power of business to create opportunity and strengthen communities. This program supports the work I’ve been doing for years, teaching, mentoring, and developing programs that help emerging entrepreneurs grow their ideas into sustainable ventures. At the University of Maryland, as well as other local educational organizations, I support student founders by helping them gain confidence in their business skills while building real-world experience. I've also supported organizations such as University Startups, Inncuvate, and the LEEP to College Foundation in aiding early-stage entrepreneurs to thrive in their development. These opportunities have shown me just how important it is to build inclusive spaces where more people, especially women and people of color, can see themselves as business leaders. These experiences have allowed me to witness firsthand how access to guidance, community, and capital can transform a person’s confidence and prospects. I’ve learned that entrepreneurship is not only about innovation, it’s about resilience, creativity, and the networks that support growth. Creating those networks and filling the resource gaps has become a deep passion and focus of my career. My Ph.D. studies are helping me explore how entrepreneurial ecosystems form and how they can better support local talent and innovation. I plan to use what I learn to design thoughtful programs, contribute to policy conversations, and share new ideas with my students and peers. One of my goals is to build initiatives that reach across borders and communities, such as a program I’m developing for women in the Caribbean, which brings together digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and telecommunications training. This regional approach reflects my belief that innovation doesn’t have to be concentrated in just a few places. Even in small or overlooked communities, talent and vision are abundant. My goal is to create models of support that uplift underserved founders wherever they are. Through my work, I hope to reduce barriers and equip more women, particularly underserved women, with the tools and support to launch and lead thriving businesses. In all of this work, service remains a core value for me. I stay active in my church community, volunteering with outreach and youth programs that remind me how leadership often begins in small, consistent acts of support. My academic and professional goals are deeply tied to this same spirit of service. I work to open doors for others and create spaces where all kinds of people can feel welcome and encouraged in their business journey. Balancing graduate studies, teaching, and community engagement hasn’t been easy, especially as I’ve been self-funding my education. This scholarship would ease some of that pressure and give me more room to focus on my studies, attend research conferences, and expand the reach of the programs I’m leading. It would also allow me to reinvest time and energy into mentoring others, something I consider vital to long-term community development. The Marilynn Walker Memorial Scholarship honors a legacy of trailblazing leadership, and I would be grateful to carry that legacy forward. I hope to follow in that spirit, using business not only as a professional path but also as a way to uplift others and help communities grow stronger.

At the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and urban leadership, sustainability must be at the core. Sustainability must guide how we in the field lead, build, and innovate. For the survival of urban environments and underserved communities this is essential. It’s not just about preserving the environment, sustainability is about protecting lives, creating equity, and ensuring the long-term viability of systems that serve the public good. As a doctoral student in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia, I believe the most meaningful innovations are those that improve quality of life while reducing harm to people and the planet. Throughout my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of technology, innovation, and social good. I founded Nettadonna LLC to design solutions that reflect both responsibility and inclusion. One of the most powerful examples of this is my work on the Conflict Free Electronics™ Platform. This platform addressed the ethical concerns around minerals, like tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold, that are often mined under exploitative conditions in conflict zones, particularly in Central Africa. These minerals power nearly every modern electronic device, and without oversight, their sourcing has fueled wars and human rights abuses. Through this platform, I supported businesses in identifying their supply chains, complying with regulations, and committing to responsible sourcing. This work reflects my belief that innovation must be driven by ethics as much as efficiency. My commitment to sustainability is deeply tied to my personal values and faith. I was raised by parents who modeled resilience and service. My mother, a neonatal intensive care nurse and nurse educator, earned her graduate degree while raising a family. Her perseverance and intellectual curiosity had a profound impact on me. When she passed away during my graduate studies at Georgetown, I nearly gave up but her youngest sister, Sybil Alexander, stepped in from Trinidad with daily calls, prayers, and encouragement. Their shared faith and support helped me carry forward. Now at age 47, I’m pursuing my Ph.D. while working full-time and volunteering as a Catholic youth ministry leader. My faith influences my leadership and my service. I have led my parish youth group for nine years, guided teens on a pilgrimage to World Youth Day in 2019, and coordinated teen service projects through Catholic Charities’ SHARE Food Network. My leadership is rooted in compassion, justice, and a belief that every individual has value and responsibility in our shared world. Professionally, I am committed to helping cities and communities build entrepreneurial ecosystems that are green, inclusive, and innovative. I’m especially focused on empowering women, especially in the Caribbean and in historically underserved urban areas. I look to use my background and knowledge to help women to launch and scale ventures that are environmentally conscious and socially impactful. I envision technology hubs across islands like Trinidad and Nevis that provide access to internet connectivity, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship training. These hubs would bridge the digital divide and help women become leaders in sustainable innovation. This scholarship will support my ability to keep going. It will allow me to invest in my research, reduce work hours, and bring together the strands of my faith, profession, and vision for impact. My ambition is rooted in transformation of not just systems, but of people’s lives. Sustainability is not optional. It is the only path forward. And through my work, I will continue to ensure that entrepreneurship and innovation are tools for building a sustainable world.

My Catholic faith is not just part of who I am, it is the foundation of my existence and how I lead. Faith has taught me that true leadership is rooted in service, humility, and the belief that every person is made in the image of God. It has shaped how I listen, how I act, and how I empower others, especially those who are most in need of hope. For the past nine years, I have had the honor of serving as a volunteer leader of my parish’s Youth Ministry. Working with teens has deepened both my spiritual walk and my leadership skills. Each year, I design and lead a monthly formation series rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and the Gospel message of service. Our themes often reflect real-life issues—justice, identity, community, and mercy. I weave in scripture and the lives of the saints to inspire my teens. I have found that young people are hungry for truth and authenticity, and my role is to create space for their questions, growth, and encounter with Christ. One of the most profound experiences of leading through faith came in 2019, when I led a group of teens from my parish to World Youth Day in Panama. It was a transformational pilgrimage that required months of spiritually, logistically, and emotionally preparation. From fundraising efforts to formation meetings and pre-travel prayer gatherings, I guided the teens not only as a trip leader but as a mentor and spiritual companion. During the pilgrimage, we joined hundreds of thousands of Catholic youth from around the world in worship, catechesis, and celebration. The encounter with Pope Francis and the global Church left a lasting impression on us all, but especially on the teens, many of whom had never traveled outside the country. As their leader, I witnessed their hearts expand with joy, faith, and a deeper sense of global solidarity in Christ. As a Catechist and a member of my parish’s Faith Formation Team, I also support sacramental preparation and intergenerational formation. These roles have strengthened my patience, humility, and trust in God’s timing. Whether preparing a Confirmation class, organizing youth retreats, or supporting my fellow ministry leaders, I lead from a posture of prayer, listening, and intentional presence. In my professional life as an entrepreneur and educator, I carry my Catholic values into everything I do. I founded Nettadonna LLC to use technology as a tool for social good, creating inclusive innovation programs that serve underrepresented communities. I view business as a vocation, and I strive to bring justice, equity, and dignity to every project I touch. Faith has also anchored me during personal challenges. I currently care full-time for my father, who has dementia, while managing my own health concerns. These responsibilities have stretched me, but my faith reminds me to trust in God's providence. Leadership in this season has looked like perseverance, quiet strength, and grace under pressure. Ultimately, I see leadership as love in action. The actions that I undertake are deeply rooted in Christ’s example of servant leadership. My Catholic faith continues to shape how I lead and serve. Whether in my parish, community, or career, I lead not for recognition, but because I believe God has called me to be a vessel of hope and transformation in the world.

At 47 years old, I have returned to school not as a detour, but as a deliberate, ambitious step toward expanding my impact. Pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia reflects my lifelong belief that learning is a sacred act of transformation, not limited by age or circumstance. I am a Black woman with roots in Trinidad and Tobago. I have been shaped by the resilience and resourcefulness of my parents. My late mother, a neonatal intensive care nurse and educator, earned her graduate degree while raising our family. When she passed away during my graduate studies at Georgetown, her youngest sister stepped in from Trinidad to support me emotionally, spiritually, and consistently. My father, now living with dementia, ran his own business for over 40 years with limited formal education. He supported our family of five with pride and always encouraged me to pursue the highest levels of education. It was his dream that I would one day earn a doctorate. Today, I am living that dream for both of us. My journey has been far from easy. I work full-time while managing serious health challenges, including stroke and heart-related treatments. I am also the primary caregiver for my father. Still, I remain deeply committed to advancing economic opportunities for others. I am especially committed to those who may have been overlooked by traditional educational systems. My ambition is bold, I want to build entrepreneurial ecosystems that unlock the potential of women across the Caribbean and other underserved regions. In places like rural Trinidad, I am developing plans for innovation hubs that provide internet connectivity, access to capital, entrepreneurial support. These hubs will be designed for women who are ready to lead but lack the infrastructure, training, and investment to grow. I believe these ecosystems will not only generate new businesses but ignite generational cycles of empowerment and wealth. The Ph.D. program I’ve chosen aligns directly with this vision. Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship will equip me with the research tools and strategic frameworks to influence public policy, mobilize investment, and design innovation programs. It will also allow me to ground my real-world experience in rigorous scholarship, giving me the credibility and capability to drive systemic change. Through it all, my faith sustains me. It gives me clarity in hardship, direction in uncertainty, and the humility to lead from a place of service. I believe that ambition is not about ego, but about responsibility. I have a responsibility to use my gifts for the good of others. This scholarship will ease the financial strain of returning to school later in life while working full-time and caregiving. But more than that, it will recognize the drive and discipline of adult learners like me. We bring decades of lived experience, resilience, and purpose to the classroom. I am not just earning a degree, I am preparing to scale a vision that has the power to reshape communities. I’ve spent my life helping others unlock opportunity and now, with your support, I will do so at a greater scale and with a renewed sense of purpose.

As a Black woman of Caribbean heritage with deep roots in Trinidad, the life of my dreams is built at the intersection of faith, purpose, and global impact. It is a life grounded in service, shaped by legacy, and powered by innovation. In this life my personal story, professional work, and academic journey align to uplift others, especially women like me. In this dream life, I am joyfully earning my Ph.D. in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship while working full-time to guide community-driven technology and entrepreneurship projects that promote economic equity for underserved populations. My research, teaching, and enterprise come together to help shape a world where opportunity is no longer determined by zip code, gender, or limited access. At the core of my vision is a commitment to creating entrepreneurial ecosystems that are inclusive, sustainable, and led by women, especially in communities often overlooked by traditional innovation models. One of my greatest goals is helping women in my home country of Trinidad, build innovative businesses that thrive locally and scale globally. I envision community innovation hubs that combine internet access, digital literacy, and microenterprise training. These hubs are safe, tech-powered spaces where women can dream, collaborate, and build wealth for their families and futures. In this life, I also care for my father, a lifelong entrepreneur who, despite limited formal education, supported our family of five with strength and dignity. Now living with dementia, he continues to inspire me with the resilience and work ethic he modeled. It was his dream for me to earn a doctorate, and I carry his legacy with pride as I pursue that vision. The life of my dreams also honors my health. After navigating heart-related health challenges and personal loss, I move with intention. I am balancing leadership, caregiving, and academic rigor while making space for my healing. I take myself seriously, not just as a professional but as a whole person, deserving of rest, joy, and care. I see wellness not as a luxury, but as a leadership practice. I am deeply grounded in my faith, which serves as both compass and comfort. It reminds me daily that I am walking in purpose. I come from a lineage of strong women, my mother, a neonatal nurse and nurse educator who supported me through my master’s degree before passing away during that time. Also, my Aunt Sybil, who has remained a spiritual anchor in my life from Trinidad, offering prayers, wisdom, and encouragement across time zones and trials. Their love sustains me. Personally, I envision a peaceful, creative home filled with laughter and good food. A life shared with a committed partner, family and friends who honor God and walk with me in service, love, and purpose. I’m surrounded by a global network of women leaders and builders, especially Black women, who share a commitment to lifting one another as we climb. In this life, success is measured not just by titles or accolades but by the number of women I help to meet their own goals. My legacy is one of faith in action, where dreams are not deferred but realized, and where the path I’ve walked makes it easier for the next woman to go even further. This is the life of my dreams, and each day, with God’s grace, I am building it.

My journey through higher education has been shaped as much by personal resilience as by academic ambition. Behind each degree, role, and accomplishment is a legacy of care and commitment passed down to me, especially from the women in my family. As I prepare to pursue a Ph.D. in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), I carry with me the strength of two women who were instrumental in helping me achieve my academic goals, my late mother and her sister, my Aunt Sybil. My mother was a neonatal intensive care nurse and a nurse educator who also attended. She was the very definition of excellence and compassion. Her dual role as a practitioner and teacher left a deep impression on me. She cared for the lives of the most vulnerable and future generations of healthcare professionals. She believed in the power of education, not just for career advancement, but for service, self-empowerment, and social change. As I pursued my graduate studies at Georgetown University, she was both my guiding light and academic companion, often helping me organize and refine my ideas. Her insights were rooted not only in knowledge but in deep care for my growth. When she passed away during my time at Georgetown, the loss was devastating. I found myself grieving not only my mother, but also the academic partner and quiet force behind so much of my success. Moving forward in my program became an emotional and psychological challenge. The grief created a cloud of doubt. I wondered if I could continue to meet the high expectations I had set for myself without her steady hand. In that season of profound loss, my Aunt Sybil stepped in. From her home in Trinidad, she became my spiritual and emotional anchor. Through phone calls, prayers, and daily encouragement, she reminded me that I was not alone. She encouraged me to hold on to knowledge that my mother’s strength lived on in me. She filled the emotional void with grace, never attempting to replace my mother, but rather helping me carry her love forward. Her support was essential not just in finishing my degree, but in reimagining how I could show up in the world, as a woman rooted in faith, resilience, and intergenerational legacy. Professionally, I’ve tried to channel these influences into work that creates access and equity. As a small business founder, I’ve led technology initiatives that empower underserved communities. I support students and underrepresented founders in developing ventures grounded in purpose and sustainability. And as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, I teach social entrepreneurship and inclusive design, emphasizing the importance of ethical, community-driven innovation. These roles are deeply fulfilling, but I know they are also preparation for a broader calling. My doctoral studies will allow me to more systematically explore how urban leadership, innovation ecosystems, and inclusive economic development can uplift entire communities. The Ph.D. is not just an academic goal; it is the natural continuation of the legacy my mother began and my aunt nurtured. As I reflect on the journey so far, I am proud not only of the titles I’ve earned, but of the values I’ve held onto in the process: compassion, service, and perseverance. The obstacle of grief could have derailed my academic and professional progress. But with the support of my family, particularly the strong women who raised and sustained me, I’ve been able to transform that loss into purpose.