In 2019, I launched a content campaign highlighting the untold stories of black professionals at AlixPartners inspired by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s Black History Month theme “Black Migrations” which emphasized the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and subsequently to new social realities. The stories featured employees (including myself) recounting how family migrations and journeys have influenced their lives.
I’m a first-generation American, a proud product of parents who emigrated from the Caribbean for more opportunities. When I was younger, my parents frequently shared stories of their upbringing with my older sister and me and took us “back home” to visit our family in their native islands. These experiences, marked by contrasts of the simplicity of life on a small island versus the convenience of my childhood in the suburbs of New York (Westchester County), are my reminders of the importance of gratitude, hard work, and empathy, while instilling in me a strong cultural identity and pride in my heritage.
My father moved from his native Montserrat — an island in the Caribbean Sea known for its volcano, Irish connection, and the song Hot, Hot, Hot! — to the United States when he was 17, along with his older brother and their mother. His older sister had previously moved to the US, while his three older brothers decided to settle in England with his father. Montserrat is a very small island, and, at the time when they were coming out of school, there weren’t many opportunities. For my father, as a non-citizen, the job market in New York City was limited, however, he found a decent job at the American Thread Company before volunteering to join the US Navy, where he started his career in Information Technology. This was a time when he was witnessing the Vietnam War, the East-West Germany border issues, and the Cuban crisis all at the same time. He spent four years in the Navy, including a stint in the Philippines. Upon returning, he eventually worked for JP Morgan Chase on Wall Street in computers systems and software programming, retiring from a management role after a two-decade long career there.
In St. Kitts, my maternal grandmother owned a grocery store and bakery and rented homes to the community. My mother was only 13 when her mother passed and was raised largely by her father along with her five siblings in her native island of St. Kitts (and Nevis.) When my mother first moved to the US, she took business classes and became a stenographer. But she quickly realized she wanted to go in another direction, and so, started nursing school and went on to work at St. Luke’s Hospital as a dialysis nurse.
The principles my parents instilled in me— of the value of education, dedication, and being accountable — resonate with me every day of my life. Coming from the Caribbean as immigrants, my parents raised my sister and me with the mindset that failure was not an option: it was expected that you’d work hard and get a career befitting your capabilities. I remember my mother working 12-hour shifts and often taking on doubles. But irrespective of how tired she was or how long her shift had been, she’d always check our homework. I was 9 years old when my mother passed. Her two sisters, who lived nearby, helped raise my older sister and me.
I also get my entrepreneurial spirit as well as my deep love for and responsibility to my family and community from them. Back in Montserrat, my paternal grandmother’s home was the only one in the neighborhood with running water and indoor bathrooms and, so, they happily opened up their home to neighbors. I also have many cousins on both sides of the family who serve as role models and examples for me.
I grew up going to events organized by the Montserrat Progressive Society of New York and when I was old enough, it was obvious to me that I’d get involved with the organization. I developed their website, made their newsletter digital, launched their social channels, took over the education committee, and helped launch the communications committee. It was gratifying to be able to work with a group of people who were family, friends, and my community and then figure out how I can leverage these skills in my career as well.
Now, as a seasoned digital marketer, I can trace my passion for the Internet back to the early days of Netscape and America Online. Due to the nature of my father’s job, we always had PCs at home. My father was also one of the first in our neighborhood to bring the Internet into the home. During college, I focused on the principles of marketing, along with a continuing interest in the then still-evolving Internet and its growing role as a driving force in business. That’s when I began building websites and started dabbling in affiliate and search engine marketing. My digital marketing chops began at the very early crossroads of marketing and the World Wide Web. And if you ask my father, I got my head for business and Digital from him!
This story was written by the AlixPartners Content Marketing team and originally appeared as part of AlixPartners’ Black History Month series “Black migrations: How our journeys shape us.”