I Just Got Drafted

I feel like I just got drafted. 

Saying that, I’m swept with a coalition of feelings; joy, anxiety, accomplishment, and motivation. But I don’t want to say it. As an athlete since pretty much birth, to say you’ve been drafted is a glorious statement above all others, an accomplishment that puts you in a league above all else. I’ve dreamed day and night of that type of achievement. 

For me I dreamed of the Olympics, since I loved track more, but over time dreams change. After my heart literally took track out of my card, I yearned to one day regain the passion and fulfillment I got from training and racing. At the root of it all was the aspiration to accomplish something unbelievable in a passion that brings me absolute joy, and that is what I’ve done. 

Nothing is Given

I am an incoming Analytic Consultant at IBM. It’s a simple statement that overlooks so much fortune, opportunity, and privilege that I’ve had throughout my life. I did not snap my fingers to get where I am today. So out of respect and gratitude, let me take the time to acknowledge what it took to get here.

Resolve: Getting here took an immense amount of work, and not just the type that happens in classrooms. If I let college define my education, I wouldn’t be here. I graduated with a Finance degree, but thanks to Blue Cross’s Rotational Development program I gained exposure to multiple areas of business. From the first moment I interacted with people on the Data and Analytics team, it intrigued me. So intrigued, I started researching the work they were doing for us. So intrigued, I watched video after video, bought classes, trained through nights, so I could thrust my hand up and say, “Can I develop that dashboard?”. It was the same thrill that drove me to hurdle 6 days a week, the same motivation that kept me going through college when I was making dean’s list, working 20 hours a week, and on the track who knows how many hours. It’s not supposed to be easy. I was hooked again, this time to Analytics.

Fortune: Let’s be honest, I’m a black person with an apostrophe in his name, who knows how many piles I was unconsciously or consciously thrown out of because of that. But even more, it’s fortune to come across so many great mentors, role models, and connections over these years. The knowledge and wisdom that I radiate is a collective of the minds I drilled into and the meaningful conversations we’ve shared.

Privilege: This is where I first have to thank those before me, starting with my parents. Neither came from wealth, one grew up country poor and the other city poor, both making leaps and bounds to create an amazing life for me and my brother who always had more than enough; enough of the necessities, enough love, and enough support. They made all the right moves and took the risks to give me the opportunities I had, whether that be choosing to live in a state neither had lived before or enduring the recession in the expensive county we lived in so I could get the best education. They provided me every opportunity to grow my mind and pursue my many interests as I grew, so I could be who I am today.

Two Sides of the Coin

As amazing as I feel, and as important as it is to me to give that gratitude, I also want to take the time to acknowledge those who have a contrary reality.

Privilege: There are many children who don’t have the same privileges as I did. Their education systems weren’t as robust. Their families couldn’t afford to provide them with their own computer or the money for software’s that allow them to explore different disciplines and interest at an early age. Truthfully, here is where I fought off tears as I think about some of my extended family members who I fully believe had the same academic capacity as me going a different direction, because they didn’t have the same opportunities. Think about the opportunities you can provide, you don’t have to solve every problem for everybody, but think about one student you can give an opportunity to.

Fortune: I am thankful for every free ticket to a conference, every mentor who’s shared their time with me, every connection who shared their aspirations and paths with me. As always, keep sharing tickets with the high schools and colleges around you, but also think about the forgotten groups that could appreciate the same opportunity. There may be someone who you haven’t met, but reached out enthused to pick your brain, let them. Don’t turn them away because they may not share a common circle.

Resolve: To anyone feeling overwhelmed by the gap between where they are and where they want to be, strategize, make a plan, and attack it aggressively. It means a lot to know where your passions lie. Don’t let the obstacles hold you back, because the reward far outweighs it.

Humble yourself

I do not write this to say that I have made it. There are many milestones from this point still. Not everyone drafted get to play, nor gets to be a starter or star player, nor has a Hall of Fame type career. This is a moment of acknowledgement, reflection and gratitude along the journey. The trials will continue to come as well as opportunities for me to improve and I will seize every one. 

It’s not often enough that we slow down to recognize our journey and give thanks for every bump and helping hand along the road, and, most importantly, thank ourselves for staying the path.