Appreciation Post #2

Two years ago, I set out on a journey. Scratch that, two years ago, my family and I set out on a journey. This morning, this journey was finalized upon the delivery of my Master of Business Administration Degree from the College of William and Mary. The seeds of this journey were planted in my head years ago by my parents!

I recall my parents telling me that I MUST get a secondary degree. They told me that in order to succeed as a Black man in this society, I must go the extra mile. They told me that I must be twice as good as the rest. I can still hear my father telling me that in order to be an expert at anything, one must contribute 10,000 hours to that cause. I used to think my father was crazy for telling me this; I dropped my mom in that crazy bucket too, she had the lovely habit of making me complete book reports for summer reading that were 1 to 2 years advanced.

Well, I can honestly say, this MBA degree was completed with about 10,001 hours of effort. I would like to thank my lovely wife and my extended family for helping me carry this heavy load. I could not have done this without the proper balance of support, motivation, and love.

I believe that there is nothing more powerful than education. The knowledge that comes from reading, learning, studying, and writing creates an informative and innovative environment to succeed. Frederick Douglass knew that literacy and knowledge equated to freedom.

“Education means emancipation. It means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of truth, the light by which men can only be made free.”- Frederick Douglass

Today, education remains the fundamental building block for the success for the next generation of leaders!