My Greatest Accomplishment: The Two F’s have to be my greatest accomplishments: getting featured in Forbes magazine (twice) and winning my Fulbright award. Being featured in Forbes for my work with Politicking, an app that delivers information to voters, was extremely humbling, as my co-founder and I were recognized for being catalysts for change in the ways we used technology to amplify a movement. Out of the rocky political terrain, Politicking emerged as a frontrunner in the way millennials ingested and digested their political information. Conversely, winning my Fulbright was instrumental as it allowed me to put into practice the public health metrics I had learned at the Dornsife School of Public Health. Studying in Senegal and implementing a prepayment system that touched the lives of over 5,000 constituents was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that solidified my notions that every human being deserves the safety net that public health provides.
How Drexel Helped Me: Drexel exposed me to some of the most dynamic public health leaders I had ever met. Attending Drexel was also formative in allowing me the first opportunity to travel to the African continent, under the leadership of Dr. Shannon Marquez, who is still one of my mentors. Studying with her as well as with Dr. Marla Gold and Professor Dennis Gallagher, I was able to find individuals who poured into me both personally and professionally. The School of Public Health helped me to find that sort of community. I would also be remiss not to thank Dr. Benjamin Rayder, who was in the fellowship department when I attended Drexel and was absolutely instrumental in my receiving the Fulbright Fellowship. The people named above believed in me throughout my academic career and continue to be friends and mentors. This sort of dynamic is not one often afforded to students at other institutions, and I will forever be thankful to Drexel for providing me with this milieu.
My Greatest Source of Motivation: The events that have been occurring in Haiti over the last year. As a Haitian American, I take my social responsibility to the country seriously and the travesties that have occurred there have motivated me to continue to strive for excellence, so I can ultimately return and be the change I want to see in that community. My hope is that the generation that follows me will surpass me and that is why pouring into our communities, especially those that are often overlooked, is of extreme importance.
Where I Hope to Be in Five Years: I hope that Politicking is a household name, not only in the United States but globally as well. As a social entrepreneur, it is my goal to scale the business successfully generating millions in profit while also contributing and bolstering rates of voter literacy and engagement. I will continue to pursue my writing on an international scale and leave my mark on the literary community, maybe even beginning to consider writing a book. Lastly, I hope that I am thriving in my personal life as well as a married homeowner and a mother. Ultimately, it is my goal to continue to be purposefully busy and blessed.
If My Life Were a Music Video, the Song Would Be: “Champion,” by Kanye West.