Where and what are two of the key moments that you’re most proud about where you met someone or had an experience that you felt changed your life?
Being at a plenary session and hearing then-Sen. Barack Obama speak for the first time. The second one was back in 2020, our chapter won the National Chapter of Excellence Award from the National Urban League Young Professionals. We gave the Urban League of Atlanta close to $75,000 and raised close to $150,000 that year. Our members put in over 13,000 hours, volunteer hours to the affiliates, and we increased our membership to be one of the largest chapters in the country. For my team to accomplish that, my first year as the vice president, was really exciting. I was also named the Southern Region Member of the Year. Seeing the impact that we had as a chapter was definitely full circle from standing in the back of the auditorium hearing Barack Obama speak from 13 years ago.
If you were giving a speech at a college graduation, what would you say to challenge the graduates? In this current moment of suppression of voting, COVID, and all the ignorance as it relates to HIV in our community, what would you say to this generation?
Don’t just push the envelope, but tear it up. Some of the things we’re facing [will] take unconventional approaches, we can’t keep doing the same things we were doing before and expecting different results. If we truly want to progress, we have to be innovative, and in some regard, just be disruptive. Don’t just be content, you’re successful, that’s great, but [think about] how can you continue to elevate and involve and bring people up behind you as well.
