People story | October 2024 | Read time: 2min
Pouring into a new generation of HBCU students
As a first-generation college student, I felt blessed with an opportunity to craft my own destiny and leave a trail of hard work, service, and humility for my children. After graduating from a historically Black university—and with a baby girl to take care of—I started my career at Deloitte. Today, I’m a manager, serving clients within the Government and Public Services sector, specializing in information technology (IT) service management and digital transformation. As a natural people person, I found my role to be great fit. I’m able to use my professional background in IT and communications, while bringing the fullness of my personality into this role to best serve my clients. I’m encouraged to be my authentic self and bring my knowledge to the table, all while reserving time for myself to care for my daughter and bring impact to my community.
In addition to serving my clients, I act as a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) Champion for a local university. In this role, I can spend time in college classrooms, helping HBCU students learn the basics of consulting and analyzing real life complex business issues. These transferable skills include things like consulting 101, problem statements, critical thinking, and much more. In addition to the weekly curriculum, I play a role in teaching soft skills. Students are required to “dress for success,” they receive résumé assistance, and are matched with a mentor—all important for life as a consultant in the business world. When I’m not grading homework or presentations, I serve as a liaison between the university and the firm, maintaining a relationship with school faculty and staff to ensure class organization each semester. I also work directly with Deloitte recruiters and the university’s career services group to schedule events that position our students for Deloitte internships and our campus-hire process.
I’ve always felt that I had a responsibility to proactively pour into the next generation, so it is not difficult at all to see myself in these young, bright scholars. I often think about how helpful a course like this would have been for me when I was navigating my own HBCU experience. There are opportunities for students to hear from and network with Deloitte leaders to start building their own personal brands and networks. I am always open to helping the students make connections, but I know how important it is for them to take the lead. Watching students transform and see their confidence grow and blossom over the semester always brings a tear to my eye. They seem to leave feeling empowered. That lets me know that the work I’m doing is making an impact on their lives.
In these roles, and others I’ve taken on at Deloitte, I’m given space to fulfill my personal purpose and truly be my authentic self. Deloitte doesn’t just talk about making an impact in its communities; there are opportunities to become involved in our own communities.
Seeing these commitments in action and getting to be a part of it in a way that connects with my personal passions means everything to me. The harmony I feel between my personal values and Deloitte’s mission not only enriches my professional journey, but also deepens my commitment to the work I do each day.
