My story is rooted in resilience, service, and a responsibility to use every opportunity I receive to open doors for others. I am a Black woman, first-generation college graduate, biomedical engineer, and the third Black woman to graduate in Biomedical Engineering from Baylor University. That distinction is meaningful to me because I know what it feels like to enter spaces where representation is limited, but I also know the power of using that experience to mentor, advocate for, and support those coming behind me. I was born in New Orleans and raised in a single-parent household. After Hurricane Katrina, my family relocated to Douglasville, Georgia, and I learned early what it meant to be displaced, new, and searching for belonging. That experience shaped my understanding of community. To me, community is not just where you live; it is the people who help you feel seen, safe, supported, and capable of becoming more. That belief continues to guide the way I lead and serve. My passion for biomedical engineering and healthcare innovation became personal in 2016 when my mother was pregnant with my younger brother and was considered high-risk due to fibroids. When I learned that fibroids disproportionately affect Black women and that there were still so many unanswered questions, I could not accept “I don’t know” as good enough. That moment pushed me toward research, medical devices, and advocacy for Black women’s health. Since then, I have worked in biomedical engineering, medical device quality, product lifecycle management, and research, always with the goal of improving systems that affect real patients and families. My values are also reflected in my leadership and service. Through Queen’s Calling, the youth leadership and empowerment nonprofit I founded for Black girls ages 13-18, I am building programming focused on identity, confidence, sisterhood, financial literacy, career development, leadership, and emotional wellness. I also founded Tea Time Book Club, a literary and cultural platform for Black women to connect over storytelling, arts, and conversation that has grown to over 100 members across 40+ cities and five countries. Additionally, I advocate for Black maternal health, speak at community events and panels, and serve through the Urban League Young Professionals Civic Engagement Committee and the NAACP Hospitality and Political Action Committees. Across every space, my goal is the same: to help women and girls feel seen, supported, and powerful enough to lead. Pursuing my MBA at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business will help me grow from a technical contributor into a strategic leader in healthcare technology. My background in biomedical engineering and research has given me a strong technical foundation, but I know that creating impact at scale requires business strategy, financial understanding, data-driven decision-making, and executive leadership. Through Tepper’s rigorous coursework, case competitions, and leadership opportunities, I plan to strengthen my ability to translate complex technical ideas into actionable strategy. After completing my MBA, I plan to transition into corporate strategy, product management, operations, or engineering leadership roles at global medical technology companies such as Alcon, Medtronic, LivaNova, or Boston Scientific. Long term, I hope to become a senior executive who helps shape products, teams, and systems that improve healthcare outcomes, especially for underserved communities. I will also continue mentoring students, growing Queen’s Calling and Tea Time Book Club, and advocating for Black maternal health. My goal is not only to succeed personally, but to create pathways that help others imagine more, access more, and lead boldly.

Women's empowerment begins the moment a woman sees herself not as the exception, but as the blueprint. This belief has guided my commitment to creating spaces where women and girls, especially Black women and girls, feel seen, supported, and capable of leading. As a Black women who is a first-generation biomedical engineer, specifically the third Black women to graduate in biomedical engineering from Baylor University, and a MBA student, I understand what it means to navigate spaces where representation is limited. Because of that, I understand that it is my purpose to mentor, encourage, and advocate for the women and girls alongside me and coming behind me. Through Queen's Calling, the youth leadership and empowerment nonprofit I founded for Black girls, I and building and leading programming centered on identity, confidence, sisterhood, financial literacy, career development, leadership, and emotional wellness. My goal is to help young girls in my community recognize their worth early and develop the tools to advocate for themselves, make informed decisions, and imagine bigger futures. I want them to understand that leadership is not something you have to wait to do or become; it is something they can practice today. I also empower women through Tea Time Book Club, a literary and cultural platform for Black women centered on storytelling, creativity, connection, and personal growth. Tea Time creates a space where women can gather around book, arts, music, culture, conversation, and shared experience, while building community across cities. Through this platform, I have helped women feel less isolated, more inspired, and more connected to their voices, stories, and dreams. The impact of this work is reflected in Tea Time's growth to over 100 members across 40+ cities and five countries, as well as the attention and sponsorship it has received from brands and communities such as Marshalls and Luminary. My commitment to women's empowerment also shows up in my advocacy for Black Maternal Health and my active involvement in my community. I have spoken at Black maternal health events and panels, using my voice and biomedical engineering and research background to raise awareness about disparities Black women face in healthcare. I have also connected with and supported advocacy efforted led by state legislators such as Rep. La'Tasha Mayes, founder and co-chair of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus. In addition, I serve through the Urban League Young Professionals Civic Engagement Committee and the NAACP Hospitality and Political Action Committees, where I work to support civic participation, community connection, and advocacy. Whether I am mentoring a student, building a nonprofit, creating community, advocating for maternal health, or preparing to lead in medical technology, my goal remains the same: to open doors, expand access, and help women see themselves as powerful enough to walk through them.

As a former athlete, I admire the legendary career of Chris Jackson, a former NBA phenom, whose decision to attend LSU refined his raw talent into that of a college icon, averaging 30.2 points per game before becoming the third overall draft pick in the 1990 NBA Draft. Jackson’s success reflected his strategic decision to surround himself with a supportive coaching environment, including head coach Dale Brown and elite teammates such as Shaquille O’Neal, reinforcing my belief that aspiring professionals must meticulously assess the environments that shape their growth. With that lesson in mind, I strategically selected Tepper’s program to transform professionally from a high-performing individual contributor, as a biomedical engineer at Alcon, the global industry leader in eye care and medical devices, into a strategic leader who builds systems with data, influences across functions, and leads teams with measurable impact. Personally, I plan to push beyond my comfort zone by placing myself in rigorous, collaborative environments that challenge me to lead with greater courage, growth, vulnerability, and accountability. One of the hallmarks of success is an unyielding commitment to growth paired with the humility to identify areas where growth is needed. During my time at Tepper, I plan to pursue both goals through opportunities such as the National Black MBA Association graduate case competition, involvement in organizations like the Black Business Association (BBA) and Women in Business (WIB), and rigorous coursework designed to refine the skills needed to be a strategic leader. Case competitions are typically completed by teams of three, making them a valuable environment to practice delegation, collaborative decision-making, and trust-building. Each team member must take ownership of their portion of case analysis, while the final presentation builds executive presence and confidence under pressure. Leadership roles in organizations such as BBA and WIB, along with a willingness to say yes to new opportunities, would further refine my ability to lead peers while pushing me beyond my comfort zone within a community of individuals who challenge themselves to grow with intention, accountability and excellence. These activities complement coursework, led by industry-leading professors in courses such as Strategic Management and Innovation, Organizational Behavior, Negotiations, and others that challenge students to think critically, make data-informed decisions, and translate complex ideas into actionable strategy. Tepper’s community of faculty, alumni, second-year students, and professional networks would also provide mentorship and relationships across diverse backgrounds, industries and perspectives broadening how I understand leadership, business, and impact. Together, these experiences would make Tepper not just a place to sharpen my professional capabilities but an environment to intentionally practice courage, adaptability, and expansion. As a former athlete, I understand that transformation rarely occurs in isolation; rather, it requires the right coaching environment, disciplined practice, driven teammates, and a willingness to be challenged. That is exactly why I am excited to pursue my MBA at Tepper as it offers the rigorous, collaborative, and analytical environment needed to sharpen my leadership, expand my perspective, and grow into a more strategic, courageous, and impactful version of myself.

My entrepreneurial goals are shaped by the legacy of my great-grandparents, Enola and Versie Morris, a trailblazing Black couple who built businesses in New Orleans in the 1940s and their legacy reminds me that I stand on the shoulders of giants and entrepreneurship can be a vehicle for service, generational progress, and independence. My entrepreneurial journey began through Tea Time Book Club, a business and community platform I built to create meaningful connections through literature, cultural reflection, and sisterhood. In less than three months, it grew to over 100 members across 40 cities in the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates, averaged more than 70,000 monthly views, gained over 1,000 followers on Instagram, and was selected as one of 40 women-led ventures from an applicant pool of over 4,000 women to participate in the Marshalls Good Stuff Accelerator Program. Through Tea Time, I have learned how to move an idea from concept to execution by coordinating programming, building community engagement, developing partnerships, selecting and leading a team, managing communication, shaping growth strategy, and turning early momentum into sustainable structure. That experience confirmed that entrepreneurship requires more than passion; it requires preparation, people leadership, systems thinking, communication, resource management, and perseverance. It also reinforces my decision to attend Tepper, where I plan to strengthen skills in business administration such as strategy, negotiation, leadership, finance, operations, organizational management, and team development so I can grow beyond individual output and become the kind of leader who scales ideas through people, systems, and strategy. My immediate goal is to apply these skills in my engineering career to transition into management and pursue executive leadership, while continuing to grow as Founder of Tea Time Book Club and Executive Director of my nonprofit. Long-term, I plan to pursue entrepreneurship through acquisition in partnership with my husband. Together, we plan to buy, operate, and grow a business that connects my family’s legacy of ownership with my desire to build something lasting. ETA appeals to me because it offers the opportunity to acquire an existing business, honor what has already been built, support employees, serve customers, and bring new strategy, systems, and growth to the organization. I have already begun preparing for this path by engaging with resources such as Scottie Fetch and attending panel seminars featuring Len Caric, Chris Cynkar, and other entrepreneurs. Through these experiences, I have learned about the search process, financing options, investor expectations, search funds, SBA loans, equity financing, EBITDA, seller trust, and the responsibility of becoming an operator that employees and customers believe in. As we refine our acquisition goals, we recognize that our long-term goal of moving to Texas makes our search geographically focused and requires us to remain open-minded about industry and evaluate opportunities based on values, operational strength, financial potential, and community needs. At Tepper, I plan to contribute to an entrepreneurial ecosystem that recognizes ETA as a meaningful path to ownership. I hope to engage deeply in ETA programming through resources like Scottie Fetch and work with leaders such as Tim Watts to support programming around education, community, mentorship, and access to deep networks for searchers and small business owners. I also plan to join the Graduate Entrepreneurship Club and engage with Tepper’s broader entrepreneurship community through the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. By bringing my perspective as a founder, nonprofit leader, engineer, and aspiring acquisition entrepreneur, I hope to contribute to a community that views entrepreneurship not only as starting companies, but also as acquiring, stewarding, and preserving businesses that matter. Receiving this scholarship would support my continued development as an acquisition entrepreneur.