The concept of “Success”, a personal reflection

Growing up in a poor economic background country has instilled in me the desire and eager to succeed. However, I did not fully comprehend the concept of success as to how it is related to my environment or circumstances. For more context, I’m originally from Haiti, in the Caribbean, a country with a beautiful history, and cultural heritage, however devasted by natural disasters and political turmoil. In Haiti, it is taught that “education is the only way out,” however if you consider the illiteracy rate of the country, you’d notice that there’s not a strong correlation between the ploy for education and the reality. I grew up in such environment where every day was a challenge. The circumstances around my birth probably determined the amount of effort I would have to provide so that I can at least match the expected dedication to even have a shot at success. I grew up without a father nor did I ever meet him. As a result, the struggles had been tougher on my mother having to play both roles to make ends meet.

My childhood was a constant search of authenticity as I was navigating a phase of doubt, uncertainty, and understanding. Therefore, I could be described as a child that was always in his own world always daydreaming about all the possibilities. It did not take too long to realize that I had a passion for books and was gifted with an advanced comprehension and retention of information. Throughout my life, I have striven for academic excellence, always wishing to make the most of my education. Also, I have participated in extracurricular activities including valuable volunteer experiences. In high school, I have always been among the top five students. I excelled in many competitions that challenged my critical thinking skills, understanding of science concepts (for instance, business pitch competitions that judge presentation skills, analytical skills, and creativity). I served on the Class Council as Minister, President, Spokesman of The School, Captain of the Brain Bowl Team, and Advisor for the Student Government Association. I developed a passion for writing, music, and languages. I’m fluent in 4 languages and 1 dialect, and I play 4 instruments.

However, looking back and understanding that constant eagerness to learn more and always be among the best, being an overachiever some might say, I often questioned whether I was escaping an ugly reality by bearing myself in the books and extracurricular activities, or was I compensating for a lack love, value, and acceptance, for not having a father figure in my life. Regardless of the reasons, I surely did make sure to maximize every opportunity as I usually coin, one should always seize the right opportunity at the right time.

Moving to the United States at 22 years old in 2013 with no English in my repertoire was surely challenging, however the discipline that I imposed upon myself for years did come in handy as I needed to face a whole new set of challenges and hassles. As a survivor of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti which left the capital city and surrounding areas devastated whether with the demolition of infrastructures, over 300 thousand casualties, or the economic and social impact on the country afterwards, the circumstances have prepared me to deal with what was coming next. First, I needed to learn the language as quickly as possible and adapt to a new environment since French and Creole are native languages. Being conscious about your accent in the US can be intimidating, mostly by always feeling like the outsider in every situation. This is the feeling I’ve experienced as I moved to different States and lived in some secluded areas in the US. The fear of being laughed at, made fun of, or people not understanding what you are trying to express can put one in a depressive mode. As a result, I made it my mission to learn the language to the best of my ability. Within months I have developed tactics to learn, retain and understand as many words and sentences as possible. Soon enough I was able to communicate and express my thoughts. However, the different areas where I lived in have altered my accent as I always felt the need to constantly adapt to fit in. By 28 years old, and after 5 years of schooling in the US, I was able to obtain an Associates in Economics, a Bachelors in Economics, a Masters of Applied Economics, and a Doctorate of Business Administration while participating in community development. Some have asked about how did I do it?

When I try to reflect on my journey, I realized that early on my environment had played a big role on who I was becoming: a fatherless life, a poor economic background country, constant struggles, and emotional battles have established in my subconscious the survival instinct, and the need to prove my value and capacity by focusing on human capital accumulation for a longer and sustainable development. But more importantly, the courage to do whatever it takes to reach your goals and stand straight in the face of adversity.

My trials as a student and professional in the US have not been any easy either. In five years I have moved and lived in five different States whether for school or work. I attended Miami Dade College when I first moved to the US where I received an Associates of Arts in Economics. I always knew I wanted to be an Economist growing up or in some respects be in Business, maybe due to the poor economic background of my country of birth, as I’ve always wanted to be a factor of change. After I received my AA from Miami Dade College after two semesters, due to excellent academic performance, I was granted the Presidential Scholarship Award to attend Tuskegee University in Alabama on a full ride. I couldn’t be happier although I was going to adventure to a State where I have never been before. The challenges awaiting me were enormous whether as an outsider with a funny accent, a Black person in Alabama, or just being on my own right after freshly moved to the US. However, I knew if I needed to achieve something new, I then needed to do what I’ve never done before. My time in Alabama, although quite short was also rewarding. I learned a lot about myself as a person, and my ability to adapt to new environments and tackle challenges. I’ve met awesome people, made great friends, and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Eminent Scholar with a Bachelor of Science in Economics within 10 months with a 4.0 CGPA. Such achievements allowed me to be admitted into a few PhD programs hence I’ve eventually chosen to go Western Michigan University for a PhD in Applied Economics. Getting to Michigan was quite difficult as after graduating college I was broke and didn’t have the financial means to make the trip. I am forever grateful for some friends that have collected some funds, and the Graduate school of Western Michigan University for getting me the plane ticket to get to Michigan, otherwise I would have lost my admission into this PhD program.

It is important to mention that although my academic journey has been somewhat rewarding with good performance, the financial and emotional states have however been tumultuous. After I received my Master of Arts in Applied Economics from Western Michigan University, I sought to launch my professional career to match my educational training, needless to say, it was quite a reality check. I was ready to enter the job market, while still pursuing a Doctorate degree, however I was hit by a reality that I wasn’t prepared for. Although I had a Masters, and a doctoral level degree I could not find a job in my field of study, whether for being educationally overqualified, or inexperienced. The rejections piled up day after day, and before long it was a mountain of disappointment. As a result, I ended up working in a warehouse lifting boxes just to keep the lights on, before transitioning from one low paying job to another. At that point, I had to put aside any pride and ego that a college degree could confer and do what I needed to do just to survive.

As I was going through the dark tunnel of job rejections and low paying jobs, the light in the end seemed to be closer. Out of nowhere a recruiter from Microsoft reached out to me on LinkedIn offering the opportunity to interview with the company due to my proficiency in French. At that time I realized that I could have probably used long before my language ability to score a job in a highly competitive industry. Having understood that I wanted to be an executive rather than a researcher, I had transitioned to a Doctorate of Business Administration at California Intercontinental University online which gave me the freedom to also work full-time as I wanted to. After an extensive interview process, I received an offer from Microsoft to join their Digital Advertising team although I did not quite have the experience in that area. Nonetheless, they’ve acknowledged my grit, resilience, and transferrable skills, and decided to take a chance on me. Once again, I had to move from one State to another, having to leave Michigan this time, and adventuring to the extremely cold weather of North Dakota.?Regardless of where I had to go next, my mind was always set on getting to the next best opportunities. I made the most out of my time in North Dakota, and within a year with the company I was able to get a promotion to a new role where again I had to move to Washington State. At this point, some could call me a nomad. During all my transitions to different States, I always had in mind to get to my goal no matter what. Therefore, rejections, lack of financial means, or uncertainty couldn’t hold me back.?I did not let my circumstances determine my worth.

My time at Microsoft has taught me valuable lessons about the corporate world in America and has developed my taste for the tech industry. During that time as well, I was able to complete my Doctorate of Business Administration at the age of 28 years old, and also became a University Professor teaching undergraduate business courses at Northwest University. I like idea of being able to help small and medium businesses reach their advertising goals using the Bing search engine through Microsoft advertising, as well as?helping and empowering my students to reach their greatness as a University Professor and just a human being. The long-life desire to help others has always motivated me to go above and beyond. Combining my business acumen and my experience in the tech industry, amidst the Coronavirus, I have decided to take a leap of faith using all my savings to launch a tech startup. I founded and run BELLBIZZER, Inc., a technology company enabling a social network for short-term rental of consumer goods. The company provides a radius-based Software as a Service (SaaS) marketplace where people can connect to provide and receive short-term rental of consumer goods that are essential to them. Using a peer-to-peer (P2P) App available on iOS and Android to connect consumers, and allow them to list and rent items, I want to reshape the future of easy access and rental services using a platform designed to serve as a source of revenue generation?prioritizing affordability and convenience for everyone.

As I’m continuing to learn and grow as a person and as a professional, I want to use my story, personality, and experience to better my surroundings and the world through every action. Over time, I understood that success can be defined by different factors, but the most important thing is what do you do with that defined success when you reach it? Do you bring others along? Do you add more value to people’s lives? How do you impact your surroundings and the world? Regardless of what success looks like to you, always remember that if you can shape in your mind, you’ll find it in your life. All the challenges and tribulations only prepare you to receive the rewards that follow. Be always ready so that when that time comes, you can handle that moment properly. Get up, put in the work, and stay true to yourself. Success is an accumulation of persistence, discipline, passion, and sacrifice. However, in the end, it’s always worth it!