Innovation is a call for change. Innovation is a call for passion. Innovation is a call for breaking barriers.
My innovation is portrayed in the challenges and opportunities I have endured. Growing up as a Haitian African-American girl in the United States, whose parents came from Haiti, I became familiar with the turmoils that my Caribbean parents faced. Not being able to finish school, and working minimum-wage jobs to support our family was recognized as the most we could do.
Therefore, I did not have the opportunity to become exposed to those who look like me in career fields that seek higher education without facing discrimination. Rather, I became exposed to discrimination and the lack of resources that prevented minorities to pursue opportunities that differed from the familiarized challenges in households. Although the stereotypes towards my Haitian culture have inhibited our growth for years I viewed our limited growth as an opportunity to create growth and become one of many to make a difference in our community.
I believed in creating growth because I understood the positions both my parents were in and wanted to create that generational transition. I have acknowledged that because we cannot change the past we can prepare for future changes; the changes that will allow future generations to see themselves as equal in pursuing greater challenges for a greater outcome. Due to the limited resources and restrictive language barriers, I began to teach myself how these obstacles can become less prevalent by identifying others’ obstacles and learning from them.
Implementing teaching and learning skills has helped me create a voice for the vast community of minorities who have felt inferior in identifying their authentic selves. I began to challenge myself to be a part of a STEM career to continue to work towards disinhibiting opportunities for minorities. Exemplifying and amplifying opportunities can be done through mentorship and learning from experiences. This allows others to gain insight into learning that challenges can be worth the reasoning of creating passion and continuing on the pathway of breaking barriers.