What comes to your mind when you think of a pirate? Probably a rough and burly white man, running around, stealing treasure and creating havoc. But pirates were really just an abandoned group who were radical in their thinking and didn’t feel the need to be validated by the state. They had their own sense of identity and built a community based on trust and community. Had it not been for my Black history professor in college, I wouldn’t have understood the importance of delving deep. This quest for curiosity led me to One School, where I learned how to be a thinker and maker.

This led me to a renewed sense of self, and on a whim, I applied for an internship at Ogilvy Chicago. The rest is history, pun intended. Currently, I am an Art Director at Ogilvy Chicago. I work on brands like Glade, Absolut Vodka, the Chicago Parks Foundation and the Chicago International Film Festival.