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Exciting Life Update! I hope you'll read through to the end — I promise it's worth it! Someone once told me, “You can do everything, just not all at once.” That advice came to mind after my last pageant in 2023, where I won the People’s Choice Award and placed as a Top 20 finalist, both of which gave me more exposure than I could have ever imagined. When the glitter settled, I was faced with my next big decision: compete again or apply to grad school. I didn’t make this choice lightly. Many of you may not know, but I first started competing in 2010, when pageant stages were far less diverse. From the beginning, my mission was to reshape the narrative of beauty by showing up and mentoring other interested Black and Brown girls so they would know they belonged on that stage, too.   Naturally, I was drawn to the idea of competing again because it felt like my mission wasn’t yet complete. However, after a lot of reflection, I decided to start preparing for grad school instead. My first step was applying and being accepted into   Management Leadership for Tomorrow ’s (MLT) MBA Prep program that November of 2023! Joining that program kicked off a very different kind of year. While the months following Miss NJ had been packed with travel and events, 2024 was much quieter. My calendar shifted from photoshoots and events to campus tours across the country, professional coffee chats to explore my next career move, and lots of time buried in exam prep and applications. My days became a steady cycle of gym, work, study, repeat. One of the biggest gifts of MLT was being paired with a coach who helped me reframe my journey. I realized that my mission to redefine beauty standards wasn’t ending – I was simply shifting vehicles. Through my career exploration, I discovered so many untapped opportunities at the corporate level to push for greater inclusivity and innovation within the beauty industry. That realization reignited my purpose in a brand-new way. By the end of 2024, I was proud and excited to submit an application that authentically represented me and my experiences, carrying forward a renewed sense of mission. Which brings me to today and the news I’m beyond excited to share: this August, I will be joining the Class of 2027 at Yale University’s School of Management to pursue my MBA as both a Consortium and Forte Fellow!   I remain incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported on this journey! And, in closing, my inbox is always open to anyone considering a similar transition and interested in learning more about my experience.

As a self-proclaimed corporate girlie with tech tendencies and island roots. My hair journey was transformed by embracing messy hair days and YouTube university. Growing up in a Haitian household as an American, I felt pressured to have perfect and presentable hair, which was exhausting and costly. Here are my favorite tips for hair care: Embrace rest: Break free from the 'wash, style, repeat' cycle. Chasing a perfect image is draining and dehydrates your hair. Moisturize regularly: Black hair gets dry, so moisture is crucial. Protective styles like loose buns with satin scrunchies, two-strand twists, and no-heat blowouts allow your hair to relax and rehydrate. My favorites are GREW by M.E. Wash Set followed by Nasara Organics USA Moisturizer and Oil. Overnight protection: Invest in satin pillowcases and scarves to avoid friction and maintain hair health. My favorite is the Morning Glamour Satin Pillowcase. Regular appointments: Don't limit visits to special occasions. Allocating a budget for regular visits to a skilled hairstylist promotes hair health and provides professional guidance. I hope you found value in my hair care suggestions. Remember, hair care is a personal journey, unique to each individual! Dive deeper into the world of expert insights by exploring my featured article on Afro Lovely. Within its pages, I join forces with fellow bloggers to offer a tapestry of essential hair care wisdom."

"Oh no, you can't find your dollar. What should we do?" Let's talk about budgeting! Sometimes it can feel like we are paid today and it's all gone tomorrow. Luckily, the money isn't walking out of our account, rather, we may be lacking the necessary tools to track our spending. What is a Budget? Your budget is a financial plan for a defined period of time. A plan is important because it's the foundation to help you plan objectives and achieve your goals. A Gallup poll found only about 1/3 of Americans (32%) maintain a household budget which means the remaining individuals are "shooting in the dark" with their money. Budgets are not meant to be restrictive. Having an established budget helps us make informed decisions and minimize the feeling of living paycheck to paycheck. Building and maintaining a budget is financial fitness. Just like working out, the sooner you get started, the easier it gets and if you hit a bump in the road (it happens) the recovery can be quicker. How To Start Budgeting? It's simple! Here are easy 4 steps to building a basic budget: List Out Your Expenses An expenditure is anything that causes money to leave your pocket. These outflows can occur regularly or irregularly. When building your budget, we want to capture as many expected expenses as possible. Examples of expenses are rent, savings, subscriptions, vacation, eating out, etc. Consider this step as an opportunity for personal reflection. Ask yourself, where am I spending my money? Estimate Your Income Income is money coming into your pockets. Most of us only have one income which is called earned income. Earned income is the money we get for doing something (i.e. job/career). However, if you have multiple streams of income, be sure to know the sum before subtracting your expenses. Set Financial Goals Setting goals gives you a focus and helps you to organize your time and resources so that you can make the most of every opportunity. Goals can range from any amount of time and usually are categorized as immediate, short-, medium-, and long-term. Once you set your goals, stick to them, and confidently say NO to anything that may distract you from your financial goals. Track Your Progress Tracking your progress helps you identify potential obstacles and strategies for how to overcome them. Having a tracker will keep you accountable and remind you to celebrate the small wins. Personally, I strive to update my tracker at least every two weeks and this cadence is based on pay day. Consider making one day a week your money day. On money day, check all your accounts, see where you can make adjustments, etc. Numbers to Know! When building your budget, here are a few metrics that provide insights into areas where some individuals spend too much or too little money. 15-20% - Saving 25-33% - Rent 10% - Tithes We will talk about more "numbers to know" in another post. Stay tuned! Call to Action Let's find our dollars and start budgeting! Before we can be trusted with more money, we should strive to make the most of the money we have to start with. To get you budgeting, I have created a basic template for you! Click HERE! Reach out if you have any questions. #BudgetBabe #GoodSteward #WheresMyDollar #FoundMyDollar

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I started the year by flying across the globe for the first time! However, as an individual susceptible to motion sickness, I was nervous about sitting through two 14-hour flights. To help ease my nervousness, I built a plan using a combination of methods that worked for me in the past. I want to share them with you! My Thought Process My strategizing started when I booking my flight. I had to decide whether I could tolerate a nonstop 14-hour flight or would need a break along the way. Usually, I choose nonstop without questions but remembered that the consequence of motion sickness is vomiting. If I were to reach that point, I definitely would want an opportunity to get up, reset, and freshen up. I didn’t have faith in airplane bathrooms so breaking the flight into two legs quickly became the more attractive option. The first leg of my flight to Dubai was 10 hours followed by a 90-minute layover and then the remaining 4 hours (with the same in reverse returning to the states). Since I can’t feel motion while I’m asleep, I knew I had to do my best to sleep through most, if not all, of the 10 hours. Thankfully my departing flight was at midnight, so I made sure to get up early on travel day which helped tire me out. Sleeping wasn’t a priority for a second flight because I had packed a few carry-on essentials (which I’ll reveal below) that would help keep me comfortable for shorter durations. Once I decided this was my winning formula to surviving a long-haul flight, I bought my essentials then waited for travel day to see if I’d be successful! My Reality I’d say I was about 90% successful with going to Dubai being smoother than coming back to the states. Here’s why – before takeoff from New York, I took 1 Dramamine tablet to help mitigate any symptoms and 1 Melatonin supplement to help me fall asleep. This combination allowed me to sleep 8 of the first 10 hours – I even missed one of the in-flight meals. My layover allowed me to stretch my legs (I flew economy) and buy a new water bottle for the remaining 4 hours. For shorter flights, I’ve found ginger supplements are sufficient in preventing motion sickness plus they are non-drowsy, so I was comfortable taking it on top of what I had when I left New York. Coming back, I planned to follow the same pattern of taking the ginger supplement on the shorter leg which was first up, then Dramamine with Melatonin on the longer leg that followed. However, I was so tired from my 8 days of adventure that I could not stay awake on my 4-hour flight which made it extremely difficult to fall asleep on the 10-hour leg. That was my mistake – being awake during the longer portion meant I felt the Dramamine start to wear off and when that moment happened, I started to feel dizzy, and nausea started to creep in. I quickly got my water and went to the bathroom in case I had to vomit but more importantly, I needed to center myself. Thankfully, I didn’t throw up but dealt with a slight headache the rest of the flight which made me incredible antsy. I tried a few more times to fall asleep but I couldn’t manage to do anything longer than a cat nap. I'm not quite sure what I would've changed. I'm just happy I survived and was able to feel comfortable for most of the ride. Being hyper-focused on my well-being also taught me that most of the stuff in my carry-on was useless when I faced a moment of panic. As a result, below are my travel essentials. If you see me carrying anything else, it's just for decoration (😂😭). My Carry-on Essentials Dramamine – To mitigate motion sickness symptoms (Note: Consult your physician before taking any medication) Melatonin – Aids in falling asleep (Note: Consult your physician before taking any medication) Ginger Supplements – Natural remedy to mitigate motion sickness symptoms Blackout Eye Mask – Blocks out lights to help you stay asleep (i.e., sun or reading lights) Wired Headphone – To listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks without having to worry about losing an Air Pod A Salty Snack – Helps curb the active feeling of nausea and settle an upset stomach Water – To stay hydrated Disinfect Wipes – To kill germs (my overpacked bags)

I had the opportunity to start 2023 outside my comfort zone by taking my first solo long-haul flight across the globe! Just a year ago, I explained to my therapist my nerves regarding solo travel and my desire to live a full life. Looking back, this trip feels like a testament to growth and I'm excited to see where life takes me next! "To experience time travel, we must travel the world!” Why Dubai? Dubai has been on my travel list for a couple years now, but I didn’t prioritize it because I thought I needed to be wealthy to enjoy the experience. But I’m happy to share that I was wrong – I’ll share my realization in a moment. But let me explain how this destination got moved up on my list. In the middle of October 2022, one of my close friends texted that her MBA classmates were planning a trek through Dubai. Once I saw it was a pre-planned group trip, I checked the price and immediately responded, “I’m down” without checking my bank account. However, I associated group trips with group discounts and saw the itinerary hit all the major tourist attractions plus included personalized group activities so that made it an easy decision. Once my friend confirmed that she was planning to go, with or without me, I drafted a quick saving plan to ensure I could afford the trip and then paid the deposit. Managing Logistics? The trip was hosted by Tour Hero. I hadn’t heard of this company before, but they are a full-service agency. They managed our group’s itinerary, booked the hotel, and coordinated all our transportation, including transfers to and from the airport. So, the only thing I was responsible for leading up to this trip was my airfare and packing. What I Packed? Since Dubai and the U.A.E is notoriously known for their conservative dress code, I spent a little time ahead of my trip researching other people’s experiences by watching vlogs on YouTube. I was also grateful that Tour Hero developed and sent us a pre-departure guide with some packing tips. Overall, my rule of thumb became the more touristy the activity, the more relaxed the dress code would be with the exception of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I ended up packing 2 outfits per day with the morning set including some type of Bermuda shorts (~9” inseam) and a blouse then a nice maxi dress for evening events. This formula plus swimsuits, PJs, workout clothes, and shoes filled one suitcase and a carry-on. I also had a personal duffel bag for the items I wanted easy access to on the plane. Because of our jam-packed itinerary, most days I only wore one of my planned outfits, and I usually preferred the maxi dress because I found them the most comfortable. How I Spent My Time? Day 1 – Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023 Unfortunately, my flight landed at 1 AM and the hotel couldn’t accommodate an early check-in upon my arrival, so I had to spend a few hours in the lobby waiting for a room to become available. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone, and they were plenty of couches to relax on. Since arrival times varied across our group, this day was intentionally left free. Once I received a room, I was finally able to take a nap to recover from my 14-hour flight before dinner. For dinner we went to Avli in Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC) followed by drinks at the award-winning Galaxy Bar. Day 2 – Wednesday, January 4, 2023 The trek immediately hit the group running on the second day. We started the day at the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo located inside the Dubai Mall. Then toured the 124th and 125th floors of the Burj Khalifa which is currently the tallest building in the world (standing at 2,722 feet from base to tip). We ended the night with a private yacht party. The party included a lot of dancing on the Marina followed by dinner at Siddharta Lounge at Grosvenor House Dubai. We also got lucky because this lounge was offering an AMAZING ladies’ night deal – 3 drinks and 1 appetizer for $40 USD/120 AED. Day 3 – Thursday, January 5, 2023 Despite our late night, everyone was up early on Thursday for a full-day tour of Abu Dhabi. The bus ride was about an hour and a half, but it was well worth the trip! Our first stop was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which was breathtaking. The mosque had a specific dress code that required women to have full-length sleeves and pants/skirts with a hair covering. I opted to purchase a traditional abaya, which covers the entire body from head to toe. After the mosque, we explore the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Fun fact: Abu Dhabi paid the French government $525 million (€400 million) to use the “Louvre” name for 30.5 years. Following the Louvre, we went to the Saadiyat Beach Club to enjoy the sunset before our candle-lit outdoor dinner at Em Sherif. Needless to say, we were all knocked out on the ride back to Dubai. Day 4 – Friday, January 6, 2023 On Friday, we ventured into the desert. Unlike the days prior when our whole group was together in a bus, we were picked up in SUVs this morning which was essential for dune bashing. The SUVs also brought us to a desert camp where we had the option to participate in various activities like ATVs and Camel rides. The day concluded with a BBQ Dinner and live entertainment. Day 5 – Saturday, January 7, 2023 Saturday was very culture-focused; we had the opportunity to tour Old Dubai, and learned about the native way of life before the country’s current modernizations. As part of this tour, we went to the spice and gold souks (“souks” translates to markets) for some good ol’ bartering and shopping. I didn’t know Dubai was known for its gold trade, so I was underprepared for this but still managed to successfully negotiate a great price on a gold chain. We transitioned from old to new by visiting the Museum of the Future where we learned about Dubai’s ambitions for the year 2071! The night wouldn’t be complete with drinks at Soho Garden and some dancing at the Soho Garden Club. Day 6 - Sunday, January 8, 2023 Initially, Sunday was meant to be another free day and the only thing pre-planned were 60-minute morning boat tours. Knowing that I scheduled spa treatments for me and my best friend at the Anantara Spa on Palm Island. We both enjoyed relaxing Turkish baths which I guess worked because when we met our group at the dock for our Dhow dinner cruise, everyone commented on how zin we appeared. Day 7 - Monday, January 9, 2023 On our last day, we visited the Atlantis Waterpark. I’m proud that I went down most of the slide because I couldn’t swim so I’m always extra cautious at waterparks. Then for our final dinner, we went to Gaia which was in Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC) so we ended the trek where we started. Day 8 - Tuesday, January 10, 2023 This was our departure back to the states and I had an early flight. In my next post, I’ll share how I survived my flights as someone susceptible to motion sickness. Unexpected Moments? First, during our day in the desert, I didn’t expect the wind to be chilly. I’ve always associated the desert with heat, but January is considered part of Dubai’s “winter,” so the temperatures, even in the desert could hit a low of ~60 degrees Fahrenheit. Second, I fell in love with the customer service. Dubai is striving to be the world’s premier tourist destination and it shows in its expectational attention to detail in service. I felt so welcomed, safe, and catered to that I even said to myself, I could imagine coming back to Dubai on my own. Lastly, I experienced jet lag on both ends of my trip. However, I felt like it worked to my advantage when I arrived in Dubai because waking up felt easy which allowed me to maintain my morning workouts. But now, being back for a few days, I’m still having a little trouble staying asleep through the night. I tend to wake up awake 2-3 AM EST and I’ve been having to force myself back to sleep -- I'm over it. Would I Do It Again? Short and sweet, YES! This was my first trip where I didn’t prioritize laying on the beach all day which allowed me to expand my definition of travel. I enjoyed the people I met on this trip and with every activity, I was intentional about putting my phone away, absorbing my surroundings, and reflecting on my life. Based on my recap, would you go to Dubai?