As an African American, my parents were the first family members to graduate from college.

The impact of education was direct. When I was four, we moved from the projects to a middle-income neighborhood. Their interest in science led me to think and question everything as a child. No matter how silly my questions were, my parents were patient and willing to engage. This attitude of curious introspection allowed me to learn complex concepts.

Teaching was not an afterthought but a virtue that the family cherished.

With the optimism...

A big part of my memory as a child was the summers in rural Iowa, where I tagged along with my Uncle in his tractor to explore the ten-thousand-acre farm. Quite a contrast to the space-hungry lifestyle I was used to in New York City.

The visit during the summer of 2016 was a somber event. The playful cousin, with whom I shared many memories, had overdosed on opioids. The 70,000+ Americans that die of drug overdoses every year aren’t a statistic anymore. I had ...

Starting at 5:00 am and, planning for the day became a habit for my father as he managed many moving parts – suppliers, finance, staff, and sales. Learning all the functions of a business trained me to think from another person’s point of view. While working for my first leadership role in developing a $30 million technology product, I worked with a team of differing temperaments, skills, and motivations. The leadership revealed that the cash flow for the next two years is guaranteed if we get the product right.

Witnessing my father handle the chaos of the restaurant by ..