“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”

– Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

When I was young, I had a voracious curiosity for the arts and sciences. I loved to sketch and enjoyed going to museums with my parents and siblings. They were big on opening their children’s eyes beyond what we experienced in school. As an African American family in a predominantly white community, my parents stressed the importance of knowing where we came from, respecting the sacrifices of our ancestors, and stepping forward in life with courage … especially in environments that weren’t always welcoming. I vaguely remember the brick getting thrown through our back patio door and other assaults for the the simple act of being different in the neighborhood. My parents and their parents saw much worse during their upbringing in the South. As I navigated those early years, being different was often accompanied with a cloud of doubts and implicit innuendos. I had the grades and the extracurricular accomplishments, but I was not immediately identified as someone who would go to a great college like my similarly qualified peers. It was like an invisible door was in front of me, and it was locked. After getting accepted to the University of Notre Dame, a few decided to credit affirmative action versus my own merits. Read More →