The journey to my current work began when I was a pre-teen. I lived on a military base with my family in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the summer of 1994, and while I was enjoying living in “paradise,” the news was filled with images of the 11 year old boy, Robert "Yummy" Sandifer. Yummy was accused of shooting and killing 14 year old Shavon Dean in an alleged gang initiation. Only two weeks later, Yummy would be executed by 14 and 16 year old brothers, who were members of that very same gang. Yummy’s murder was allegedly ordered by adult gang members who feared that if he was arrested, he would cooperate with law enforcement and expose the gang's entire operation. In other words, the same individuals who taught this child “too much” about gang life, now believed he knew ‘too much” and was too young to handle those consequences.

This story and the news cycle, throughout that year, of children dying from community violence in places like Chicago, New York City, and South Central, Los Angeles, significantly affected me. It was the first time I realized that not all kids were growing up, like I was, in the safety of a two parent household, with an amazing and nurturing mother and an accomplished protective military father. Not all children got to move every three years and live in tropical paradises, like Hawaii.

I grew up in a faith-based home, where my parents instilled morals of being charitable, humble, and loving all human kind. I was taught cultural principles of understanding where my ancestors came from, and the African proverb of the Sankofa bird, meaning “go back and fetch.”

My upbringing, environment, and early life experiences contributed to my desire to help others find ways to help themselves out of life circumstances that were rarely, if ever, of their choosing. I am especially passionate about helping young people, like Yummy and Shavon, who, if they were given a chance and a helping hand, could have gone on to live amazing purposeful lives.