Lesson 56: Passion
A crowd of students line danced outside of the student center as we walked on our tour. My family went on a road trip to visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities for spring break this week to help my younger cousin find the right home for college. This crowd of students attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The tour not only taught us how the school produces the most Black engineers in the U.S., but we also saw the passion in the students enjoying their Wednesday afternoon.
Higher education can be a young person’s most challenging time in their life, so it helps to connect with classmates who have a passion for excellence. We visited 5 schools in 5 days, driving from Atlanta to Washington D.C. At each destination, we found students and alumni excited to talk about their experience at their HBCU. Applying to college can be intimidating so their support means a lot.
Before we packed our car and hit the road, Jerod Pierce offered his support to me. He and his wife founded Olympic Holdings Investments, a private family office. I learned about Jerod back in September and shared some of his story of acquiring his first company in Lesson 28: Network. When I reached out on LinkedIn, he graciously offered to hop on a call. “You always want to maintain a good relationship with your employees,” he advised. When he bought his first business, he remained visible, offering to hop on the truck to join teammates for a job. His passion was contagious and reduced the risk of losing quality talent. Jerod not only taught me about how to manage risk, but he offered his continued support on my own journey to acquiring a small business.
As my cousin explores different colleges, it might be difficult to wrap her head around something she has never experienced. However exposure to these opportunities will help her find the right home for herself. It is challenging to wrap my mind around where I will be when I publish Lesson 100 of Nuance. The ETA community’s passion for this career path keeps me going. No one hides the challenges and uncertainty, but Jerod told me, “Staying the course is the best route.”
My mission is to increase representation for Black leaders at the executive, investor, and board level. HBCUs support this mission with every graduating class, sending Black graduates into the workforce. We will soon see how my journey toward acquiring and operating a small business contributes to this mission. Both my cousin and I will stay the course.
This is Lesson 56: Passion. Next week is Lesson 57: Respect.
