Who Am I?
That’s a question I’ve sat with for a long time — not because I don’t know the answer, but because I’ve learned that the answer keeps evolving. Still, some things about me have always been constant. And if I’m going to tell you who I am, I think the best place to start is where I come from.
I was born and raised in the inner city of Buffalo, New York. If you know Buffalo, you know it’s a city of grit, heart, and resilience — a place where people show up for each other even when the circumstances make it hard to show up for themselves. Growing up there shaped me in ways I’m still discovering. But before Buffalo shaped me, my parents did.
My mother is an accountant who, even while raising a family, continued to pursue her own education. Watching her balance the demands of motherhood with the discipline of continued learning taught me something I couldn’t have read in any book — that growth doesn’t pause for life, and life doesn’t have to pause for growth. She modeled excellence quietly and consistently, and that stuck with me.
My father’s story carries a different kind of weight. He grew up in the deep South during the thick of civil injustice — a time and place that denied too many Black men and women the basic right to build a future on their own terms. He wasn’t able to finish high school or go to college. But he refused to let that be the end of his story. He taught himself, worked hard, and forged a career as a building engineer entirely on his own merit. His journey is a testament to what determination looks like when the system gives you every reason to give up and you choose to keep going anyway.
Together, they poured into each other, and they poured into me — along with my sister and my much older brother. They kept us active in extracurricular activities and grounded us in faith through church. They didn’t just provide for us; they invested in us. They made sure we had structure, community, and a foundation of values that no circumstance could take away. When I think about where my drive comes from, it starts there — in the home they built and the example they set every single day.
That foundation pushed me further than many people from my neighborhood had gone. I earned an engineering degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. Getting there wasn’t easy — it required sacrifice, sleepless nights, and a stubborn refusal to quit when things got hard. RIT challenged me intellectually in ways I never expected. It taught me how to solve problems systematically, how to think critically, and how to thrive in environments where I was often one of the few people who looked like me. Those experiences didn’t just shape my career — they shaped my character.
Professionally, I am someone who is always growing. I believe that complacency is the enemy of progress, and I hold myself to a standard of continuous improvement. Whether it’s developing new technical skills, expanding my knowledge of my industry, or taking on challenges that push me outside of my comfort zone, I am driven by a deep desire to be excellent at what I do. Growth isn’t just a career strategy for me — it’s a lifestyle.
But here’s the thing: professional achievement was never the real goal.
My true passion is people. Specifically, it’s about influencing, uplifting, and walking alongside people — especially those who come from places like the one I grew up in. I know what it feels like to wonder if someone like you can make it. I know what it feels like to not see yourself reflected in the rooms where decisions are made and futures are built. And I know how powerful it can be when just one person steps forward and says, I made it, and so can you.
That’s what I want to be for my community. Not a distant success story, but a living, breathing example that the inner city of Buffalo is not a ceiling — it’s a foundation. The same streets that tested me built me. And everything I achieve, I carry those streets with me.
I also believe that influence isn’t just about inspiring words. It’s about showing up consistently, being of service, and making the kind of choices that create pathways for others. It’s mentoring the young person who reminds you of yourself. It’s being transparent about the struggles, not just the successes. It’s using every platform, every room you enter, and every opportunity you receive as a chance to open a door wider than the one you walked through.
So who am I?
I am a product of Buffalo’s inner city who refused to be defined by its limitations. I am a reflection of my parents love and example. I am an engineer with a degree from RIT and a relentless hunger to keep growing. I am someone who believes that the measure of success isn’t what you accumulate, but who you lift up along the way.
I am still becoming — but everything I am becoming, I am becoming on purpose.
