Home Region
Matteson, IL
Undergrad Education
University of Pittsburgh, BE, 2016
Previous Experience
PlanetFWD, Greater MSP Regional Economic Development Partnership, General Mills, Dow Chemical Company
HBS Activities
Section H Community Values (CV) co-leader, African American Student Union (AASU) co-president, 2021 Social Enterprise Conference planner, Black Investment Club leader, Business of Cannabis Club Leader, Real Estate Club, Tech Club, Admissions and undergrad mentor, HBS Finals’ instructor
“I genuinely feel like anything is possible here.”
Why did you choose this path at this point in time?
I was obsessed with the strategic side of the business even though I was in a technical role. To quote Hamilton, “I wanted to be in the room where it happens.” Around this time, I was named to the Top Women in Business List by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. That was my final push to take a leap of faith. If I was ready for more then what better time than now?
Coming to HBS is like...
...stepping into Neverland. I genuinely feel like anything is possible here. It’s an opportunity utopia that I never knew existed. I constantly ask myself “what do I want” (in my Olivia Pope voice) and I know that anything is possible.
Being part of the HBS community is like...
...being on a VIP all-access tour of your favorite band. I get to see behind the curtain of how countries are run, why businesses function, and how different people think. Then I meet the band members (classmates) and they are a daily reminder that excellence comes in all different backgrounds, interests, and forms.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a doctor, specifically pediatrician up until junior year of college. My junior year of college, I conducted my own medical research in rural Tanzania. While there, I realized my passion for helping people was not in medicine but food, specifically food insecurity. I came back from that trip and decided to not apply to medical schools but join General Mills. While at Mills, I volunteered on their Partners in Food Solutions Team which is non-profit that connects local food manufacturers in Africa with technical experts in CPG!
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Starting a sno-cone stand with my 2 sisters during the summers. We would wake up early and set up shop at the end of our driveway. As the youngest of 7 siblings, working side by side as a peer and not the little sister was glorious. Our summer business is something that will forever be ours to share and that’s special to me.
Who is one person from your life that you admire the most today?
My mother. She is the most selfless human I have ever met in my life. She was at every childhood event, was president of anything a parent can be a part of, she started a home daycare service to not only take care of her children but to help other women in our community. She is brilliant and effervescent. She taught me the power of kindness to any and everyone. I hope to one day be a fraction of the beacon of light to the world that my mom is to me and everyone she meets.
What’s the best thing about your home town?
The pizza! I am from Chicago and I was spoiled with our phenomenal pizza. This is why whenever I move to new cities, I immediately start a “pizza bracket” in hopes of finding a match for my hometown favorites.