As the eldest of three children raised by a single mother on public assistance, I have dealt with my fair share of obstacles that I needed to overcome. One prime example would be my academic journey. I graduated from high school in 1990. From high school, I enrolled in UC Berkeley for my undergraduate studies. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw after my first year of study because of chronic asthma. Shortly after leaving U. C. Berkeley, I married and started a family. Although hopeful, I was unsure if I would complete my studies. For the next 28 years, I juggled the responsibilities of being a wife, a mom of two asthmatic children, and an associate minister, all while working part-time jobs and taking classes at community colleges whenever possible. At 47, I enrolled in Mills College in Oakland, California. As a non-traditional student, I felt intimidated because I was often the oldest person in my classes. Nonetheless, I persevered. My dream was to complete my college education since no one else in my family had done so. Despite taking 31 years, I finally obtained my Bachelor of Arts Degree in business in May 2021. Inspired by completing my undergraduate studies, I set out to accomplish another family first by starting graduate studies in August 2021. Unfortunately, illness forced me once again to withdraw from school. Just three weeks into the new semester, I had to have an emergency hernia repair surgery, which was an event in and of itself. During my 5-month hospital stay, I experienced complications from my surgery, ranging from a pulmonary embolism to near-kidney failure to my inability to walk. Even more disheartening, while I was in the hospital fighting for my life, my 19-year-old son died from complications with asthma in November of that same year.  After being released from the hospital in February 2022, it took me an additional year and a half before I was able to walk again and take care of myself again. Civil rights activist Dorothy Height once said, “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.”  This way of thinking inspired me to push through my adversity. So, whenever I felt discouraged, I encouraged myself with four simple rules for success. 1.       Ignore the naysayers 2.       Always be willing to put in the time to accomplish your goals 3.       Don’t run from challenging situations. 4.       Don’t let fear of the unknown dictate your actions. After a two-year hiatus from academia, I enrolled at North Central University via Jakes Divinity School, to pursue a graduate degree in biblical theology. I chose this academic focus to prepare myself to serve and uplift my community in every area where they encounter challenges. Additionally, I want to render my gifts and talents to my community in a way that honors my son’s life. During the summer of 2012, I created a summer enrichment program at my church called Camp S.M.A.R.T. to assist my 10-year-old son and his peers with the encouragement and academic assistance needed to excel in school. After finishing my graduate program, my goal is to create a nonprofit similar to Camp S.M.A.R.T., that will provide didactic and technological education to the underserved members of my community. I hope my life encourages anyone who has faced obstacles and challenges to never give up on their dreams. More importantly, I hope people who hear my story will know it is never too late to chase your dreams and make them a reality.

Like most people I know, I hate receiving traffic tickets. Yet I must admit, when this happened to me about 8 years ago, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Being a stay-at-home mom at the time and not having the money to pay for my traffic ticket, I had to work off the violation by performing community service at a nonprofit organization called Black Women Organized for Political Action and the Training Institute for Leadership Enrichment (BWOPA/TILE). Even though I was able to fulfill my court obligations within a matter of days, I continued to volunteer and subsequently work at BWOPA/TILE because of the invaluable lessons that I gleaned from being around successful women leaders and entrepreneurs. One of the first entrepreneurial concepts that I learned from working with these powerful women was how important it is to be surrounded by experts. The members of BWOPA/TILE consist of doctors, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs, educators, and activist; all of whom bring their experience and expertise to the organization to help BWOPA/TILE advance its goals. I realize that by surrounding myself with experts, I will not only be able to increase overall business acumen, but I will also be able to spend more time utilizing my own strengths to accomplish my business goals. Furthermore, being able to brainstorm, problem solve and forecast business projects with experts will help me to provide superior products and services to my customers. Another tidbit of entrepreneurial information that I learned at BWOPA/TILE is how important it will be for me to pay attention to my customer’s needs. In this fast-paced world that we live in, it is critical to always be aware of the present-day needs of potential customers and clients. That way, when my customer’s needs change, I will be able to adapt to their needs and continue to serve my customers with excellent and beneficial products. BWOPA/TILE was established in 1968 to address the social and political needs in the African American community in the bay area. It has survived 50 plus years because it has adjusted its product offerings and services by adapting to the changing needs of each generation. I believe if businesses like Blockbuster video and Radio Shack would have been able to adjust their product offerings to meet evolving consumer preferences and needs, they would probably still operational today. Lastly, and possibly most important, I learned to never be afraid to try new ideas. Time and time again I witnessed the brilliant women of BWOPA/TILE use innovative and engaging ideas to reach their target market and get things done. Even when their ideas did not produce their desired results, I watched them evaluate their process and learn from their mistakes. When I start my own financial consulting business after I complete graduate school next year, I know that I will not always be perfect in my business dealings. Nevertheless, I refuse to allow the possibility of failure to keep me from trying new ideas and thinking outside of traditional business structures. Overall, I am grateful for the many lessons that I am learning both in college and from the women of BWOPA/TILE. After I receive my M.B.A., I want to start a business that educates, supports and uplifts disenfranchised individuals. With the wealth of invaluable information, I now have in my business toolkit, I am certain that I will be able to make my dream a reality.