I am a native Californian who grew up in the Northern portion of the state. Yes, it’s a big deal.  As a big sports family, I grew up in a state with an abundance of teams, and yet I am a Baltimore Ravens Fan (Go Flock!). I grew up in a family of hard workers. I was a first-generation college graduate of my immediate family. My father was drafted into the military and worked for 43 years!

I grew up around the idea of hard work producing the outcome that you desired. From farmers to engineers, everyone had a job to do. This mindset allowed me to become a scholarship athlete in college at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).  The continued goal of playing sports, completing college, and seeing the smile on my dad's face I longed for all happened because of NCCU. It was pure opportunity.

In my Junior year, a mentor, Dr. Parker, told me that I had more to give the world than a bachelor’s degree. It was he who convinced me to strive for a master’s and a doctorate. Yet, after my master’s I felt that work was calling my name. I jumped straight into the workforce to work towards my calling and figure out life. By this time I had done a bunch of traveling and needed to figure out my footing.

In 2015, I moved to Charlotte, NC and started a family. I am the mom to Sydney and Skylar and the wife to Dennis.