Na'tosha L. Brooks

I would definitely say it's been the foundational upbringing of my fraternal grandparents since they raised me, just seeing how they operated, how people respected them, the sacrifices they made just so that I could have. Along the way, of course, those that ever made any deposits into my life in any capacity, whether it was tangibly or intangibly, whether it was a word, whether it was a smile, whether it was their heart posture. I would also say understanding that perceived losses can really be learned assets, so really having and changing the way my lens of looking and viewing how I do things and that perspective. And then, of course, ultimately going back to my faith, because I believe that there are many times that had not been for the Lord, I really don't know where I would have been. And so I always, no matter what platform I'm on, I told him that I will always give him the glory, the honor, and the praise.

I would say invest in your identity. I think that we put on false identities for what people tell us, or what we might see on social media, or based on any insecurity. So definitely invest in your identity, meaning whatever that self-care, that professional development, building up your emotional intelligence and your security, and also being aware of your voice. Knowing how to be in spaces, because oftentimes you don't want others to kind of tell your own narrative. You want to be able to tell your own, because they might not tell it accurately at times. And that also comes with visibility. It doesn't matter how strong of a worker you are, or a prospective candidate, or a teammate, if people don't know your character and what you do, it's not really gonna matter. So being able to promote yourself even out there visibly, whether it's on various platforms, such as like LinkedIn or otherwise, and networking. Networking is key, because I tell students all the time, yes, strive for excellence, build up your character, those are wonderful assets, you need those. However, that's not always what's going to get you in the door. It might not sustain you for promotion, because a lot of times it falls back to who you know sometimes.

Demonstrating love and respect across the board, both in words and in deeds, and that consistency with showing up. I realize when I was in kindergarten, one of my favorite days was when we had show and tell, when you could bring something to school and stand up in front of the class and talk about it. I always loved it, and now I understand later what a true, powerful act that was, and how prevalent it is to really show and tell who you are and what you stand for across the board. My thing is, like, yes, we go into different sectors and different settings, and you might have to pivot a little bit when it comes to maybe your jargon or your delivery based on the audience. However, if someone says my name, people should be like, oh, that's her, that's her. It shouldn't be completely different, like, no, that is not her. Are you sure? That continuity, especially when in alignment with character.