People who truly know me know that I would typically be the last person to talk endlessly about a topic, yet here we are.

I wanted to share a bit about myself, as the story of getting into Revenue Management and Sales with Marriott-something that was not written in the playbook.

I was born the youngest of 13 children to Haitian parents who had left an environment that I can only imagine was not conducive to growth or happiness.

My earliest memories are of me and my family staying in a 2-bedroom home in Miami and making ends meet. As the youngest, I was protected from a lot of the harsh realities of Miami at the time, in the late 90s.

Fast forward to a moment that I can only describe as being the worst thing to ever happen in my life. Around the age of 7, in 2005, my mother started appearing less and less in our home. And from what I remember, she was no longer there. What I did not expect was to see my mother's lifeless body in the hospital bed, I had to say my last goodbye and kissed my mother's forehead for the last time.

It's a moment that I won't ever forget, and that has shaped a lot of who I am today. My oldest sister and brother took legal custody of the younger siblings and a few years later my father passed away officially making us orphans.

I promised myself that from that moment in 2005, I would do everything in my power to not let her death be in vain. But honestly, I was a young kid who, at the time, had no clue that life from then on would become less and less predictable as it went.

One of my older brothers, Emmanuel, served as a model at the time of what possible success could be. He had attended the University of Florida and would then go on to Stanford to attain a master’s degree.

Now for a moment, I'll pause and say that my sister Bernadette asked me what I wanted to do in life, and I foolishly said to be "rich" given our financial circumstances. Not having a clue how or why that would become possible. I then set out on a journey to figure out what it would take to become "rich." And I came back to her and told her that I wanted to be a hedge fund manager because, at the time, I pictured them as the richest people that I found on the internet.

My journey in high school had me at William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, in the finance academy. I thought I would continue this idea of becoming a hedge fund manager. I ended up at Turner Tech in circumstances that I could only describe as ironic. I had applied to several top magnet programs in Miami but only received the letter from Turner Tech because my siblings and I had recently moved. And I only found out because the registrar of my middle received letter from the school.

High school for me was a blur, but I'll honestly say that I was not popular, nor did I want to be. I stuck with my typical group of people and usually went straight home, as our school did not have sports.

Thanks to my HS CAP advisor at the time (Nancy Erdvig) and many others, I would get accepted to the University of Florida. To continue this half-baked idea of mine of eventually making my way into the finance industry.

College would end up being the biggest challenge that I was not prepared for at all. I took a math class my very first semester, which, in hindsight, I was unprepared for let alone attending university as first-generation student. I made a decision that I would come to regret at the time, which was not drop the said course that would impact my college experience and GPA for the next 5 years.

I continued with the university in a precarious situation unsure of what the future would hold. But again, in my typical fashion, I doubled down and made it my mission to obtain my degree from UF, come hell or high water. I had semesters where I would go to the financial aid office daily just to ask for updates on financial aid that I had written. And I had even written an email to the president of the university as a last-ditch effort.

I knew that I would not let anything stop me from getting my degree after all that I had put myself through. I eventually developed the studying and learning skills that I lacked prior to college and received my bachelor's degree in August 2021. A year and a semester later than my original graduation date of 2020. But it was 9 days shy of the 16th anniversary of my mother's passing and right on time.

The job search post-graduation would be the next hurdle during the pandemic. While still being unsure of where I would end up in terms of my career. I had worked at KFC, McDonald's, Apple, and Bank of America, to name a few jobs among the many. The people that know me know that I won't hesitate to find a job, and I enjoy doing interviews. Which was ironic given how shy I had been growing up.

I would end up working for Amazon as an area manager at a Last Mile delivery station in Atlanta, commuting 35 minutes each way. It was a challenging time, to say the least, and my vehicle managed to get into two accidents during that time. The second time, I had to make a decision that would alter what I call my "present." I decided to triple down and go back to KFC for a third time as I stayed at my sister Stephanie and her husband Costin's home in Plantation, FL.

I would commute from Plantation to 62nd Street in Miami, which was not close by any definition. Some nights I would question why I even put myself in the situation, but I knew that I couldn't quit. I then decided to work at the front desk of The Ritz Carlton, Ft. Lauderdale, and put my hospitality degree to use. I worked the night audit shift, which was the same shift as Amazon.

I then took a chance on myself and applied for a role as a Revenue Management Voyager. For me, this was another chance because it was my last hope of moving into a finance or numbers-based role. And a change of scene from my time at the front desk, which I enjoyed.

As grace and luck would have it, my interview with Jill McFadden went well.

I HAD DONE IT!

I received an offer to get to New Orleans, where my life would continue to change to this day. I will again spare you the details, but my car barely survived New Orleans haha (again with the adversity).

My story to get to my point was long and arduous but I knew from the beginning that the goal was to never quit no matter the circumstance. I akin life to being on a bicycle in that it never stops, and you must keep the wheels rolling. I hope I could shed some light and clarity on what for me has been a never-ending journey.

Thanks for reading my story.