Sierra Lee

I will say my biggest drive, which I think a lot of people say this to you, is family, mainly my grandparents and my mom. I wasn't the first to go to college, but I sort of was because my mom hadn't finished her degree during that time, and then my grandparents, they were in the Salvation Army, so they didn't go to an accredited school. It was my mom and I trying to figure it out. I did Upward Bound, and Upward Bound was very helpful with college preparation, but you still don't really know what you're doing because you haven't experienced it. So my mom and I, we were trying to figure it out. She got me into school, and I felt like my biggest responsibility was to finish school. So her and my grandparents were my biggest motivation for starting something and finishing it, because I wanted to show them that I listened to everything that they instilled in me in high school. Finishing what I start is my biggest motivator, so that way they can physically see the manifestation of a lot of the hard work and sacrifices.

My mom is my best friend. I mean, I go to her for everything, even though I know I'm not that grown, but I am in an age where sometimes you start to steer away from your mother, but no, I draw nearer to her. Even at my age, I'm like, hey, mom, I don't know what this word means, can you tell me? My mom is someone I'm very, very close with. She was a single mom starting out, she's married now, very happily married, and I'm just very excited for how far she's come. There were times when she would - I hate to sound cliche, but there were times where she would feed me before she would be able to eat, you know, she would work to make sure I have what I need. So, I think just my biggest thing was to make sure that everything that she sowed, now that she gets to reap. I made sure I graduated college, you know, I made sure that I didn't have kids by a certain age. I was trying not to be a statistic, because I want everything she did to be worth it. You know, I made sure I bought my house. I bought a house 2 years ago, just to make sure that my debt and everything is under control. There's just a lot of things I do intentionally, because I'm thinking first of legacy, but also for her to see that her legacy is being passed down, even though I don't have kids yet. My mom would always instill different scriptures in me to help with my confidence, because I was always told throughout college that I couldn't do certain things because of my grades, or because of the things that I wasn't able to fully understand, just because science didn't come natural to me like others. I was always discouraged by different professors or advisors, but then my mom would come around, she'd say, okay, but this is what the Bible says about you, so remember these things. And so I would always say different things to myself in the morning, kind of like words of affirmation to keep myself engaged.

I would say the biggest thing is don't put yourself in a box. There is no straight path to success. I would say even now, I don't feel I've reached my peak of success, and that's okay to feel like you haven't reached that peak of success, but also to remember that you have come a long way, so always appreciate where you've come from. I think the biggest thing with remembering where you've come from is to journal that, or to blog that in some way where you can look back and say, wow, I have come afar. But sometimes when you're in the moment, you don't realize what you've done, you're always thinking about what you have to do. So I think the biggest thing I wish I would have - I mean, I had people tell me that, but you just don't really understand it until you start living through it. The biggest thing is just don't put yourself in a box. Like, I'm in a master's program now to learn for law, and so just knowing that you don't have to be in one field. You can expand into other fields, like, that's what makes you marketable. And if you don't like what you're doing, you know, you can find other things to do while you're still doing that. Like, it's okay to explore, and it's okay to not always be 100% sure, but I think the most important thing to do is to always have somewhat of a plan, so that you have direction. But always be open to knowing that you've come a long way, you have a long way to go, but appreciate where you are, and be open to any type of diversion that may be from the plan that you have.

Some of the challenges, honestly, are lack of representation. So when you walk into a room, and granted, you do see a lot of women, but being a Black woman, you don't see a lot of women that looked like you. You feel alone, you don't feel believed in certain aspects of things. You feel that you're gonna have to work maybe triple times harder, because you might not be as likable as your counterpart. So, some of those challenges I have faced and I've had to deal with on an ethical level at my company. And, I think the biggest thing I've taken away from some of those challenges is not to run away from them as scary as it is, but to face them and see them through, no matter the outcome, because you do learn a lot about yourself, and about others, and even about the corporate system when you follow a certain process to speak on things that you see and feel and experience that you feel are not moral. So, I think the biggest thing is being up for any challenge, as scary as it is, and see it through. And not to rush the process, because I did have to go through some ethical things at work that, I mean, took forever, and sometimes you don't get the outcome that you're expecting, but you still have to see it through, because you want people that come in after you to be able to have opportunities that are effortless and don't feel biased. You have to do it for the people that are coming after you. You have to stick with it. And then the biggest inspiration is, you know, when you do see people that look like you doing well, or when you do see women that are thriving and being the boss babes that they are, and not being acclimated to what societal standards say. Like, we do have some women at my job that are in managerial positions that aren't married, that do have lifetime partners, and have decided that this is who I am, and I'm okay with it. So, I respect that, to the fullest, you know, because that takes a lot of courage.

I grew up in church, and so my faith is a really big thing for me. My mom would always instill different scriptures in me to help with my confidence, because I was always told throughout college that I couldn't do certain things because of my grades, or because of the things that I wasn't able to fully understand, just because science didn't come natural to me like others. I was always discouraged by different professors or advisors, but then my mom would come around, she'd say, okay, but this is what the Bible says about you, so remember these things. And so I would always say different things to myself in the morning, kind of like words of affirmation to keep myself engaged. And, you know, now I'm in a program at Northwestern University, getting my master's in law, and so I think just remembering not to allow people to tell you who you are, but to remember those core values of who you are, and allow that to guide you. So my faith is a big one, and then my integrity is really huge, you know, what I'm doing when no one's looking. Everything matters to me, because I want to have a clear conscience. Because something I've noticed is that a lot of people accuse you of things that they do themselves, and so it's just like, okay, if I don't want to project certain behaviors or accusations on people, I need to make sure I'm not doing them. So, integrity is huge for me, especially at work, because you're dealing with a lot of different patients that you don't know. I try to remember, because my grandfather, he has dementia, so we all take care of him, and I remember that if this were my grandfather, how would I want to treat this patient, how would I treat this sample. So, integrity's huge, and then, work ethic. I mean, they do say, you know, your attitude determines your altitude, and so does your work ethic. So I like to do things with a passion, and I want to be memorable. I want to be felt if I leave that company. I tend to overwork, but I also love working.