I grew up in my hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By the time I was coming of age in the late 80s, I was deeply involved in a Wisconsin Electric-sponsored Boy Scout
Troop. We met at the North Division location on Saturday mornings. The company did a great job of wrapping its arms around us. In fact, it was there that I met Barbara Henry, a Human Resources associate with the company, who took an immediate liking to me and started introducing me to new opportunities such as INROADS.

I eventually graduated from high school with a 2.7 GPA — far from being on the special lists I didn’t even know existed among white-collar professionals and society folks. Technically, I was not eligible for INROADS with a 3.0 minimum requirement, but they did allow conditional applicants like me.

I signed up for the INROADS pre-college program at Barbara’s urging.
I didn’t have anything else going on for the upcoming summer. So, why not, right?
To my surprise, I was accepted!
My first training was in a sprawling corporate conference room at a major bank in a tall downtown building. It felt like such a big deal!
It was 1994, and I was 15 years old, getting professional development that many 51-year-olds never received
in their whole careers. Talk about a paradigm shift.
Those weekly Saturday morning workshops felt long, but in hindsight, I absolutely loved them. We all did — just ask any INROADER. Those days were bonding and illuminating.

COLLEGE DAYS

By the time I finally made it to college,
I was well-prepared to represent INROADS as an intern. After all, the value proposition of INROADS was us — the talent. In order to provide undeniable and outsized value to their corporate partners, INROADS interns had to be better prepared than any other interns. We had to be impressive. We, as interns, took a mission-driven mindset into our internships. We represented more than just ourselves.

I was selected to be a marketing intern at Midwest Express Airlines. In
its heyday, Midwest Express was an industry innovator, providing travel for
all passengers at prices slightly above general seating. We served lobster and steak, used metal silverware, and offered wide, leather seats for about $30 more than Southwest Airlines. It was business class for all.

In 1997, I interned in the customer service department, booking flights for people who called the customer service line. (Remember, there was no internet.)
Throughout my internship,
I had a guardian angel in human resources named Tricell Brown. Tricell, who was black, understood the mission: keep things smooth for Midwest Express and make sure this young man does not fail.

BEYOND THE INTERNSHIP

My INROADS experience was overwhelmingly positive. I was a typical student leader in college, involved with many organizations and working during the school year. At times, I was doing
too much. My INROADS counselor, Thomas Kelly, played a role in keeping me on the road to success. When my grades slipped and my performance was uneven, it was Mr. Kelly who called me into his office or on the phone to get it together. INROADS put me in a position to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences, both personally and professionally.

THE REAL WORLD

My professional career began when I
joined the Birmingham Regional Chamber
of Commerce on August 15, 2000. I felt more than prepared to succeed thanks to my excellent education from the College of Business Administration at Alabama State University and my professional development through INROADS. I moved to Birmingham from Montgomery and immediately plugged into the INROADS alumni network.
Eventually, I served as the president of the INROADS Birmingham Alumni Association. I earned the honor of Distinguished INROADS Alum of the Year.
I attended the national INROADS alumni association meeting in Miami and learned even more about the amazing network of alumni doing great work around the country.

Most recently, I received the Pay it Forward award from INROADS on Oct. 24, 2023, for “exceptional dedication to social justice and racial equity” in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was a humbling gesture from INROADS, which has poured so much into my professional and civic life.

CONCLUSION

INROADS was and still remains a sustainable competitive advantage for
me, for communities of color, and for the corporations that employ these youth. The organization continues, and it evolves. I’m indebted to INROADS founder Frank C. Carr, INROADS Wisconsin, Midwest Express Airlines, INROADS Birmingham, and so many other people, especially Barbara Henry, who set off the entire chain of events. Barbara Henry’s advocacy and willingness to share changed my life. She connected me to INROADS, which opened doors to countless opportunities.