Like most people in the telecommunications industry, I did not start out with a specific intention to build a career in the field. I did, however, always like tech and have an acumen and focus for business. I was accepted to Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan upon graduating from high school at the age of 16. I enrolled in Computer Sciences and began studying the basics as well as writing in the code languages of the day.

Two things happened that shaped my life at that time and ultimately my career trajectory. First, my father retired and my parents moved to Tennessee. Because they could not afford to pay tuition, I made a decision to stay in Detroit, get a full time job to support myself and pay for night school at Wayne State.

The second thing that happened is I was fortunate enough to get a job working as a secretary at Honeywell for the team that sold mainframe computers to the big automotive companies. This propelled me directly into the high tech world where multi-million dollars deals were made and innovation was happening. I believe I was hired because in spite of my young age, I had exceptional secretarial skills, I was openly ambitious and I had a passion for tech and for learning new things.