The summer after my freshman year of college, I had an internship on Wall Street.

This was in the 90s when I was 19 years old and one of the few people of color at the company,

and certainly the only black summer intern in my group.

I wanted to do well, see if corporate America was for me, and learn all there is to learn about business.

One afternoon, the company brought in a Harvard Business School professor for its lunchtime

speaker series, and I was so excited to attend. Why? Because this talk was going to be about the

making of the minority executive in corporate America, about what someone like me

needed to do to make it in an environment where there were so few role models.

I was totally enamored with the presentation.

The professor talked about the individual and organizational factors that influenced the

promotion of people of color.

He highlighted the importance of developing relationships that help you grow, and he shared

insights that came from his interviews with people of color at different organizations.

His talk resonated deeply with me and energized me as it gave lots of helpful tools for my

career. But honestly, I think what

struck me the most was that he was the first black professor I'd ever heard speak. I was so

captivated by him and his work that I approached him after the talk and asked if I could do research

with him when I returned to Harvard in the fall.

He told me to reach out. I did, which is how I ended up not only getting great research experience,

helping him and his co-author on their book, Breaking Through the Making of Minority Executives in Corporate America,

but I also ended up with a mentor, inspiration, and father figure in David A. Thomas,

the current president of Morehouse College.

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