My selection as a Beaux primarily came from a long association I‘ve had with the Jack and Jill, Inc. organization. I had participated in various events sponsored by this organization ranging from Black history programs to Teen Conferences. So becoming involved with the Beautillion seemed natural for me. In addition, while in my junior year at Lowell high school, I was active in many school organizations from the Black Student Union to my high school’s honor society “Shield and Scroll”. I also played Varsity basketball. Participation in community service was always a priority of mine. From what I gathered, the people behind Beautillion were looking for students with interests like mine.

After completing the Beautillion, I was left with some lasting impressions. First, there was the overwhelming sense of camaraderie between the various students. It was very refreshing to interact with students from various high schools around the city. We all learned a lot about each other. Second, was the perfect blending of Western and African cultures. Pride in my African heritage was strengthened throughout the entire experience. Lastly, I was simply left with a good feeling of working with fellow students of color. Many of the participants my year came from schools where African Americans were not the majority. I am sure for all of us it was a welcome change of environment. I would advise current and future Beaus to cherish theses moments where we can be with our people in such a happy atmosphere. Many students go on to colleges and universities where they are not fortunate enough to have experiences like these.

I graduated from Lowell High School receiving the “Bob Anino Spirit Award” having represented the school’s ideals of excellence in service. Following high school graduation I went on to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia as a pre-med student. While there, I continued with community service initiatives, particularly those that helped children get involved in the sciences. I later finished Morehouse Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in German and continued on to attend Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. During my medical training, I was able to incorporate not only community involvement with children, but also health initiatives involving the young and old, the well and sick, and the served and underserved. A large part of my participation was focused with health fairs around the D.C. metro area. In my senior year, I received recognition for my community service contributions from the East Bay Sinkler Miller Medical Association in the form of a scholarship from their organization. I ultimately concluded my medical school training after four years in May of 2003 having received an award for “Most Improvement By The Third Year.”

Presently, I am living in my hometown of San Francisco, California. I am currently taking some time for myself to evaluate where my next step will be. Within this time I have gotten back to some long neglected hobbies of mine; namely photography, traveling, and writing. I have also been able to catch up on some quality time spent with my family.