Have you ever been introduced to someone who you’ve admired from afar, and it was not what you expected? I watched Dr. Barbara Prescott and admired her work. She looked like a nice person, but I had no idea just how kind, considerate, and encouraging she was until we were introduced. Then when she joined […]
It seems like it was yesterday when Vanessa Peterson (Gray at the time) walked onto the University of Memphis campus with the new class of Emerging Leaders. I was a sophomore, but this girl of small stature had a huge presence. 20 plus years and that has not changed. In this episode of S.O. What! […]
When I started my speaking journey, I was invited to share my “Against All Odds” story. That was for the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. One of the students in the audience was Alton Cryer. Whom I had met once before we he and three other black, male college […]
Last week I shared how as a high school junior, a few of my friends. And I skipped school and hung out with AKA’s on the campus of the University of Memphis. One of those women was Tiffany Bellafant Steward who experienced what I felt was unimaginable as a young woman in college. Her unexpected […]
Yesterday, for the first time in history, Americans across the country honored Juneteenth as a national holiday. For years, many African Americans have celebrated the momentous occasion which commemorates the day in 1865. When former American slaves in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of President Abraham Lincoln’s Jan. 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation and the end of […]
When was the last time you had a challenging situation but you were able to look at the bright side or make something good out of it? Well, that’s usually easier said than done, but my friend, LáDeia McNeal does it beautifully. After a positive HIV diagnosis, most people would understandably be afraid and ashamed. […]
Can you imagine someone weighing nearly 300 pounds becoming one of your health and fitness role models? As a high school junior, a few of my friends and I skipped a couple of days of school (Shush, don’t tell anyone). We spent those days on the campus of the University of Memphis with some incredible […]
One thing I know for sure is that you never know what the future holds. When I met Ashley Daniel, Bradshaw at the time. We were college freshmen excited about serving on the Student Activities Council. By our sophomore year, we were both committee leaders having fun planning events. I was already a mother with […]
I attended the University of Memphis on the Emerging Leaders Scholarship and one of my special Emerging Leaders friends was Darci (Richcreek) Caesar. It was a small group of us, and we learned a lot about leadership and grew together as young college students. Darci has an awesome story including marrying my Mr. University of […]
