Personal Summary:
At about 6 and one half years old I emigrated from Petionville Haiti to the land of opportunity. America. Living in a lower to middle class neighborhood in Elmont, New York, my parents were indoctrinated with the “employee mentality.” Investments were too risky, yet they played the lotto. If you were wealthy, then you were evil. They seemed to also think that the key to success was very long hard work and social security benefits. I thank them dearly for paving the way, and giving me something to rebel against.
At Binghamton University I cultivated my ability to work smarter not harder. It works! Through a group called SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) I have learned to think as an employer. As a 20 year old sophomore in college I met good friend Arel Moodie, and soon after started an online college real estate business, Placefinder.com, helping college students find off campus housing, roommates and sublets.
I am now a 23 year old graduate at SUNY Binghamton University and a Political science major. In February of 2006 I was awarded the Rothman Institute’s East Coast Entrepreneur of the Year Award and received $2000 in capital for my business. This has opened many doors including an opportunity to compete in the global student entrepreneur of the year competition. I have been a guest lecturer at SUNY Binghamton’s Entrepreneur class and have done volunteer work with youth organizations such as Gear Up. My biggest fear growing up was being different. Embracing that part of me has meant wonders. I hope through my experiences to be able to learn more about being an entrepreneur and to teach these lessons to others. One of my biggest influences was my mentor Angel Mastrangelo and he is largely responsible for my succeses.
The website my roommate and Arel started is Placefinder.com, and online property search geared towards the college rental market. We started the business to solve housing problems for a couple friends and ourselves and we now envision ourselves as a national company helping college renters across the United States. My journey will be profiled in two books due out in winter of 2007, “Student Entrepreneurship: Graduating with a profit”, and “The Gen Y Project.”
Life Plan Summary:
Life Vision: Live a life of Gratitude, meaning taking actions that help keep me humbled, appreciative of success while enriching the lives of others, as well as maximizing my talents which are the ability to motivate, my ability to learn and teach complex ideas, and my ability to communicate
Core Values: Loyalty, Ethics, Respect for others, Persistence
Strengths: Thinking outside the box
Passions: Music, Entrepreneurship, Presentations
Goals:
- Assist in Building Place Finder into a 10 million dollar business, by 2012
- Be adequately qualified for and operating in a consultative role for new startups, by 2012
Education:
SUNY at Binghamton
Bachelors Degree, History, Aug 2003 - Dec 2007Clubs: President of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE)
