Complete this sentence, "If not for MLT..."
...I am confident that I would not be in the personal and professional position that I am today.

Please describe the impact MLT had immediately upon completing your program.
MLT provided me with a network of high-potential individuals, who were scattered across the country, seeking to achieve their professional goals through a business education. There was something powerful about knowing I could call upon these individuals who were likely dealing with similar dynamics within school as I tried to maximize my own MBA experience.

How has MLT changed the financial/economic trajectory for you and your family?
I have always been a believer that when you follow your passions, personally and professionally, that you will be happy with your financial position. However, another important factor driving outcome is having the opportunity to live your life in a way in which you can follow those passions to maximize your own potential. MLT played a crucial role in helping me learn how to hone my story in a way that has allowed me to meet my business school and, therefore, my professional and financial, goals.

Has MLT elevated your personal and professional aspirations? If so, please provide an example.
I have always found it important that I not only surround myself with people from multifaceted and multicultural backgrounds, but that I also have the opportunity to give back to my community as I progress through my career. MLT provided a ready-made cohort of incredibly talented young professionals of color with diverse professional interests who I consider myself tied to my entire career. As a part of the MLT family, the network has also opened my eyes to a plethora of opportunities to give back directly—e.g., through different organizations identified by MLT alumni—or through emulating work done by MLT alumni with organizations to which I already dedicate my time.

How has MLT's community helped advance your personal and/or professional happiness?
The business school application process was one of the most transformative periods of my life. The process was the first time that I was truly introspective about what drives me and why I had made my personal and professional decisions to date. Having my MLT peers and coach as a sounding board throughout that process was an invaluable catalyst to my ability to discover and coherently articulate my life’s passions. That understanding was instrumental to my learning more about myself through the business school education process, and I came out the other end better equipped to take on my personal and professional goals. Since leaving school, the things I learned about myself in MLT and in business school have not only been a boon to my professional successes, but they have played a surprisingly integral role in building and improving relationships with my friends and family.

Speak to a challenge MLT helped you overcome and how did that help your trajectory (i.e. confidence that you belong, growth mindset, vulnerability).
Prior to becoming an MBA Prep Fellow, I had only met one person who had applied to an MBA program. This is because I come from a family where this academic path was never taken, and those in my government job did not tend to pursue an MBA as their next step. Therefore, I had very little understanding about what the path toward applying to MBA programs entailed. However, MLT—and my coach, Wendy Weiss, in particular—provided me with not only the guidance I needed to understand the application process, but the feedback that was necessary to bring out my best self. The combination of those gifts provided me with the confidence that this process was made for someone like me despite coming from an unconventional background.

Have you helped advance vulnerable people on their path to economic mobility? If so, how?
One way that I give back is through my work as a board member of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, a workforce-development nonprofit based in Brooklyn, NY. Founded in 1983, OBT’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty for youth, individuals, and families by preparing participants for the workforce while developing their personal and professional skills. OBT currently aids approximately 4,000 New Yorkers a year through its services, and as a board member, I serve as an advisor, steward, and volunteer to ensure that the organization can continue its role in shaping lives for the better for many decades to come.

Share 2-3 ways you've been able to accelerate your organization's journey toward greater diversity and inclusion.
I have been heavily involved in steering the New York Fed’s diversity and inclusion efforts, through a number of mechanisms. I recently completed a two-year stint as president of the NY Fed’s resource network, the African-American and Latino Men’s Alliance (AALMA). Comprising approximately ten percent of the NY Fed’s employee base, AALMA provides professional development, volunteerism, and leadership opportunities for members. In this role, I also served as an advisor to the NY Fed’s most senior management to help shape their diversity and inclusion strategy as well as inform them on the efficacy of its D&I efforts. This past year, I also co-chaired the New York Fed’s 2019 Black History Month (BHM) Planning Committee. Over the course of February, the BHM Planning Committee provided a slew of events, exhibits, and social media campaigns to increase awareness of the rich and diverse history and experiences of African-Americans to those within and outside of the NY Fed.

Share your favorite song, movie, or book, and why it appeals to you.
My favorite movie is Gladiator—a movie that depicts how perseverance, training, and mental fortitude can lead to successes throughout the highs and lows life can bring.

What is your superpower?
I try to understand and utilize the power of representation to make people’s lives and the world around them better...in a single bound. This “superpower” stems in part from my appreciation of the role that countless people have played in helping me navigate professional environments where I am often one of very few African-American males around. Given the importance that these individuals had on my sense of my career potential, I try to take advantage of any opportunity to use my own background as a way to help others whose own career path could be amplified by an aspect of my life story.

What gives you hope?
I try to stay involved with youth development as much as I can. Every time I interact with the up-and-coming generations, I see their potential and promise as well as the vitality with which they want to make the world better. Despite anything going on that makes me think that the world is heading in a negative direction, I stay heartened that we will continue to progress as a society when these people start taking the reins to steer how our communities grow and function.