I am lucky enough to be a part of an amazing family. I am the oldest child of three. I have a younger sister and an even younger brother. My parents were born and raised in Haiti. They were actually neighbors growing up. My dad is my mom’s first and only boyfriend and they have been together since she was 16. They moved to New York together in the 70s. Now she owns her own business and he is the head of a program for NYC ACS. They laid an excellent foundation for us.
As the oldest I’ve always been the leader and protector – the strong one. My family’s constant support allowed me to take risks at an early age- I started my own business in high school; planning events for family and friends. Through word of mouth I built a decent clientele. I was fearless. I didn’t care that I had no official experience or capital for that matter. I just knew that this is what I wanted to do so I did it. I was 15 going on 30 and no one could tell me different. I looked the part and whenever something came up that I didn’t know – I just pretended like I did and when I got home I did the research to make sure I would be ready the next time.
Somewhere a long the way I lost that fire. Someone convinced me that if I really wanted to be taken seriously I needed to get some corporate experience. So I started working for hotels. I went from being my own boss to being a worker bee in cubicle land. The joy I used to get from organizing and planning great events was replaced by a great benefits package and retirement plan. Things haven’t been the same since.
The Lory that you see now desperately wants to get that fire back. I don’t want to be afraid to take a risk and go after my dream. Step 1 - quit my job and go back to school.
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