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'You'll never amount to anything.' are the words that I recall decades later that a teacher said to me in 10th grade. They must have had an impact because the voice that rang those words in my ear have yet to be forgotten. When I was in my early 20's, another voice echoed similar words. Words that hurt from someone I met. And trusted. 'You're a slow learner.' Yes, this too became words in the book of my story. In the midst of these bruises & scars, I earned my bachelor's degree in Biology. And later, I earned my MBA…
I would have never imagined that I would have became a counselor, but I don't believe anything happens coincidentally. All I knew growing up is that I loved to learn and I wanted to help people. Growing up was difficult for me when I look back on my journey. I didn't know what I had experienced was so common for people in the black culture. Being belittled by my parents, not being validated, and downright emotional abuse. All I could think about was, I don't want my children to feel this way when I have a turn to parent. I…
I became a mother at 19 and that's really where my journey into life started. As a teen mom, I was often reminded of my life changing decisions, which caused me to focus less on my dreams and more on living my life according to societal standards and expectations that were honestly, unrealistic, and incompatible with a healthy and prosperous life. I allowed the needs, wants, desires, and opinions of others to dictate how I showed up for myself and my children. After years of pretending to be something and someone I was not, my mask started to fade. The…
I began cooking in my dorm my freshman year of undergrad and slowly but surely I began to perfect my craft. It wasn't until I moved to Atlanta for graduate school that I realize how much of a gift I had in the kitchen and how it could impact other's lives and health. Through my studies in Public Health, I realized I could mend both an educational tool and my culinary endeavors into a career, performing cooking demonstrations on healthy eating to public crowds and local schools; meal prepping for multiple clients to help them achieve their fitness goals; or…
Before I even went to law school, I knew I wanted to work in entertainment, but initially thought I would establish myself on the creative side of the business. Admiring authors such as Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Langston Hughes, I started my path as a writer studying English and African-American literature at Villanova University. During my educational journey at Villanova University, I began shaping my interest not only in writing, but in social justice advocacy centered around race, gender, and immigrant rights. It was during my educational tenure at Villanova that I learned from some of the greatest professors…
Since I can remember, I have always spoken about being a filmmaker. Growing up in Columbus, GA, being an only child meant coming up with your own entertainment. I was highly entertained on television by the likes of Spike Lee, John Singleton, Francis Ford Coppola, The Hughes Brothers, Michael Schultz, and Stanley Kubrick. Film was an outlet of interest for me. I also noticed a special gift in myself early on: being able to make a story, start to finish, on the spot, characters, setting, everything. It was a tool i used to cure my daily boredom. I nurtured this…
I was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a small city known mainly for its universities. I’ve lived a true rollercoaster of life in my opinion, from being raised by a single mom to being homeless while still in high school to running the streets to finally finding my purpose, all while chasing a dream that most never thought could be possible. I began my music career by playing the piano and writing poetry from when I was eight years old up until my later teen years. My close friend at that time, started talking about how he knew a…
As an Australian born and raised, I moved to Georgia in 2006 on a tennis scholarship to pursue a Communications degree (with a love for the entertainment industry) and now here we are. My first interaction with the music industry was in 2006 with Young Jeezy’s CTE label for a brief stint, before working with an accomplished bi-coastal celebrity publicist, Penelope Jean. In 2010, I graduated from Georgetown College, KY with a Communications degree before returning home to Australia where I pursued a law degree and graduated in 2014. Despite working a 9-5 for years, the passion I had for…
My story begins with the sounds of West African drumming and the movement of a dancer (my mother) that fed these rhythms and movements into me all the way til birth. I was born into a family that supports the arts and housed educators, so naturally I began my paths journey as I arrived. My mother, being an artist, introduced my siblings and I to several styles of drumming and dancing, this led me to my first instrument, djembe, which I began playing at the age of 2. In grade school I participated in the symphonic and marching band which…
I started this journey five years ago and to be completely transparent I never really thought I’d become a Tattoo Artist let alone travel across the country tattooing. All I knew was one day I just had this moment of clarity, reflecting from my father passing away in my arms to my closest friends dying tragically and being incarcerated then almost losing my life and freedom myself I realized I had to find another way because the lifestyle that I was living would only end up with me dead or in jail and I was approaching the conclusion to either…