A Little Bit About Me
Hello and welcome to my blog đź‘‹!
I was once known as a vegetarian butcher. I'm eating meat again and am no longer a butcher. Allow me to state the obvious, I am a 'Black' male that is an American citizen. I am lucky to have a loving spouse and be a father to two beautiful children. I am an ambitious creator who works to solve problems and improve people’s experiences. My motto is “See a need, fill a need.”
My childhood was a bit nomadic. Hopping around New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and South Carolina. When I'm asked where I'm from, I smile and simply say, “I’m from the MidWest.” I attended seven high schools in four years stretching across three states. My parents must have been missionaries or military, right? Well, not exactly. It was only my mother and she was like the wind, she went wherever her heart told her to go.
Not only was it nomadic but it was challenging. Me, my mother, and younger brother occasionally would be unhoused. When times were good we enjoyed a hotel room stacked with food or a large, warm home with space to breathe. These challenges, however, didn’t wither my thirst for knowledge, creativity and serving my community. When I was 15, I started my own landscaping business serving 20 neighbors and focusing on supporting the elderly and disabled after school. Doing this helped make sure that me and my brother had resources to have and enjoy our childhood.
After leaving home at the age of 17, I went on to Greenville Community College for a year before transferring to Clemson University. My goal was to become an architect. At the time I felt that by becoming an architect I’ll be more like GOD. But, when spending a few weeks in the program I soon realized that the students weren't my cup of coffee. There was no sense of camaraderie. I shifted my focus to the Fine Arts program with specializations in sculpture, photography, and ceramics. I excelled in the program gaining academic honors, publications in online art magazines, and freelance opportunities post-graduation.
In every story, there’s always a woman. This woman changed everything. She opened my eyes to my strengths and encouraged me to switch gears.
With her help and guidance, I transitioned to a more technical career. Since then I’ve worked in telecommunications, finance tech, IT Project Management, product development and cyber security. I am now at North Carolina A&T to gain the skills to become a DB Admin or Data Engineer within the Healthcare Industry. Long term, I plan to continue to serve my community through multiple channels, some being a technical consulting business, a children’s STEAM non-profit for skill-building, and developing solutions for my community.
In summary, I eats meat, love my family, and proactively looks for ways of serving this NC community (Raleigh-Durham). I chose North Carolina A&T because it’s part of my community and I wish to not only learn there but to serve there.