How Did I Cultivate My Inner Voice Regarding My Career Choice?
Spending quality time by myself and intentionally listening to my inner voice, is just as important as spending time with loved ones. I created a space to welcome my inner voice to work its magic. I took several self-assessments relating to my personal and professional interest and did a lot of research when trying to pick a career that I would love. As I began my undergraduate degree program, I chose elementary education as my major because I have a passion for education, and I love children. Not to sound cliché, but I believe that our children are our future and I want to have a role in shaping it especially in Black America. During my first semester in the program, I decided to get a job as a substitute teacher and make a few teacher friends so that I could find out what it was really like as an elementary school teacher. Soon after I starting substitute teaching, I decided that becoming an elementary school teacher was not the right profession for me, but I hesitantly continued in the undergraduate program because of my personal philosophy of “finish what you started.” By the time the end of the second semester came around, my internal cue was so loud that I could no longer take it. I had to get out of that program! Before I changed my major blindly, I met with a couple of advisors from various departments to determine which program would be the right fit for me. All that I knew was that I wanted to remain on an educational path. I ended up finding a program that I loved, which allowed me to stay in education. I realized that being a mother, an aunt to 2 beautiful nieces, and volunteering in the community was all the work I needed with children.
If someone were to have asked me a year ago what made me happy, I would have told them anything that makes my family happy. Fast forward to now, things are quite different. Not that I do not want my family to be happy, I have just been more focused on getting to know myself and what makes me happy as an individual. I can say with confidence that being a lifelong learner is at the top of my list. I love to learn about anything from human development theories to rainbows. The reason why I decided to start my own business is because I wanted to create generational wealth for my children, work in a place where I am free to use my creativity, interact with a diverse body of people, be role model for other Black women, and plan events. In my personal life, I want to continuously fall in love with my husband over and over, help my children reach their idea of success, travel and eat weird food, go skydiving, count stars on any given evening, mentor minority women, and get more tattoos and piercings.