As I reflect on 100 years of the Greatest Homecoming on Earth, I realize my story began on my very first day as a freshman at North Carolina A&T State University.
During freshman orientation, Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. asked us to write down what we wanted to become. I wrote one word: architect. He then shared words that have stayed with me throughout my life: “At A&T, dreamers become achievers.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand the significance of those words. Today, I realize I have spent my career living them.
As an architectural engineering student, I walked the halls of McNair Hall and Cherry Hall with dreams of becoming an architect. The rigorous engineering curriculum challenged me to think critically, analyze complex problems and develop solutions quickly and efficiently. Those lessons became the foundation of how I approach every project and every challenge.
Then came the moment that changed everything. I gently nudged (OK, begged) my dean to let me take a construction scheduling class in the technology building. That one “yes” changed the trajectory of my life. What I thought would simply complement my architectural education instead transformed my vision. I realized I didn’t just want to design infrastructure – I wanted to build it, using my architectural engineering degree to bring projects from concept to completion.
The combination of A&T’s rigorous engineering program and that construction scheduling class sharpened my analytical thinking, strengthened my leadership abilities and taught me how to solve problems under pressure. Those skills have carried me through more than 26 years in commercial construction, leading over $2 billion in projects that finished on time and on budget while helping procure an additional $4 billion in construction opportunities. Today, I am the founder and president of an award-winning construction management and advisory firm.
That pivotal class also inspired the creation of the Construction Management Masterclass™, an accredited program that has helped hundreds of construction professionals elevate their careers and build successful businesses. My Aggie journey has also inspired me to co-author “My Mom is a Construction Manager™” with my four children, introducing young readers – especially girls and underrepresented students – to careers in construction and showing them that they, too, can build the future. Every milestone traces back to North Carolina A&T.
A&T didn’t just educate me; it transformed my dreams into purpose. It gave me the courage to ask for an opportunity that wasn’t part of my original plan and the confidence to pursue it. Looking back, I realize that one engineering program, one persistent student, one dean who said “yes” and one construction scheduling class transformed an aspiring architect into a construction executive, entrepreneur, educator and author.
When I think back to writing “architect” on that first day, I smile. I accomplished that dream, but A&T helped me discover an even bigger one. Thank you, North Carolina A&T, for proving that Aggies don’t just dream: we achieve, we lead and we build the future.