Meet a kid who advised public policy for the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice.

As I share more of my story with you, my goal is to ultimately inspire you to invest in the empowerment of Black and Brown youth. The difference it has made and continues to make in my life and the people I touch is invaluable.

By the time I was 14, I taught myself to code HTML, chat rooms, and trivia chatbots and was trying to sell chat services to anyone who'd give me the chance.

The chairman of the world's largest youth-led crime prevention organization, Youth Crime Watch of America (YCWA), also oversaw its website and had responded to my "cold-call" email. Not only was YCWA interested but they also extended an opportunity for me to attend their annual conference as a youth leader. After convincing my family for permission to attend and my church to help underwrite my trip, I arrived at my first conference in Miami where YCWA was co-headquartered.

As a conference youth leader, I was trained in facilitating conversations in the Youth Exploring Solutions (YES) Forum where kids and teens like me discussed problems, barriers, and solutions about issues such as bullying, drug & alcohol abuse, and conflict resolution. We then compiled those discussions into policy recommendations to present to congressmen and leaders at DOJ and DOE. We did this every year.

At 15, I was invited to join their Youth Advisory Board and, by 18, I was voted into the board of directors. I joined annual lobby missions in DC, chaired the membership & marketing committee, and took an active role to co-chair the committee responsible for finding the organization's new executive director. I retired from the board at 21 when I accepted my first job in college at Ketchum.

YCWA really shaped a lot of whom you know me to be today. It's introduced me to lifelong friends who live a life committed to service and I'm so thankful to that chairman, Miami-Dade County's Ret. Lt. Jerry Rudoff, for believing in me and continuing to be my mentor and friend. In the featured photo, I'm 16/17 years old and pictured with Jerry and his wife at a banquet we attended.

Now 32, I work with entrepreneurs and corporate executives in advertising & media who stand for equity and inclusion, while also leading Marcom Weekly, a publication advancing D&I in marketing communications and media.

To my friends and colleagues: as you consider organizations to support this holiday, look to the organizations advancing youth leadership. Please take a moment to support organizations such as Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keep Alliance, run by Michael Smith, a dear friend, and former Youth Crime Watch leader. Feel free to share more youth leadership organization recommendations, in the comments section of this post. #InvestInOurYouth

To our youth: there's no time like today to do what interests you. You never know who's waiting, watching and ready to give you an opportunity to take it to the next level. #RiseUp #MoveFoward #DoYou #BeYou