As a St. Louis native, I wasn’t surrounded by individuals as an adolescent who shared my current mindset that anything is possible. Growing up in North St. Louis on Natural Bridge and Newstead, I wasn’t surrounded by individuals who looked like me and were accomplishing positive goals. Instead, I was surrounded by unfortunate distractions that at any time could have changed the course of my life if I had chosen to participate.
As a young man, I can remember this burning desire to accomplish something great. I wanted to be the person who took my family to a higher level of thinking, believing and achieving. I wanted to experience a level of success that would make my family name be remembered for generations to come.
So I worked hard as a young black man to stay focused and make good decisions. I tried hard to stay away from things that were going to keep me away from my vision for my life. I wanted more, and I knew that there was more out there. Read more here.