1) What is your story?
I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Like many young girls, I was insecure about my looks my intelligence and unfocused on where I wanted to go. I wasn’t the best student, in fact I was probably closer to the bottom of the list-let’s just say my high school counselor suggested I would probably be better suited for cosmetology school. It was my father who actually broke this trajectory and encouraged me to go to community college. It was there where my comeback began, I took my first math class and aced it, and then I took another and got another A and slowly and surely my self-confidence started to grow. I realized that I was more than I thought and ultimately ended up getting my undergrad and graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan. Those initial failures propelled me to someone who ultimately ended up working for NASA and developing the drive to become an entrepreneur in technology and start my company STEMBoard.
2) How did you get to where you are? How did you accomplish this? What were your goals when approaching your current career?
I will say that it was definitely not a straight line. I put in the work and stopped listening and internalizing what others said about me. I focused on what I wanted… I wrote down my goals and as I began to check each one off, I got closer and closer to where I am today. I realized that what I thought were failures only set me up for something bigger and better.
3)What obstacles did you overcome to get where you are today?
Self-doubt and lack of financing to fund my first business. I had to become creative and self-reliant to make people believe in my work and my dream of creating a company that is based on doing good work while still doing well. I constantly have to be ready to pivot and look at myself and realize that I cannot do everything by myself. Instead I had to build trust with a team of people around me who support me and I support them.
4) What is your greatest accomplishment so far?
I measure success as lives touched…including my own. Watching the company grow into an entity that builds technology for Federal clients while uplifting women, people of color and other historically disadvantaged groups in the workforce has thus far been my biggest accomplishment in life.
5) Who is your role model?
Katherine Johnson, the real life hidden figure! During her 35-year career at NASA she calculated the trajectories for the historic Apollo mission and helped the space agency pioneer the use of computers to calculate rendezvous.
6) What is your advice for girls?
Do not be afraid to be a risk taker! And recognize the power in technology; it will fuel the future and it is key that more girls are a part of the movement. Studies have shown that girls consistently outperform boys in the classroom, so remember that we are amazing! And whenever you feel a sense of self-doubt, just fake it until you make it. We are smart and capable!
7) Do you have a personal mantra/favorite quote?
Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.
8) What does it mean “To lead Unstoppable Life” to You?
Dream, commit and take action! To lead an unstoppable life is to have no ceiling and no floor. You compete only with yourself and focus your energy on actions that fulfill pers
