What an honor to be the keynote speaker at Fayetteville State University’s 4th Annual Student Research Symposium. The hosts, students, faculty, facilities and even the food was incredible! It is always refreshing to see students enthusiastic about presenting the research they have worked hard on. My keynote, titled “Adversity is Inevitable”, detailed the adversity I had exepeirence in my career and how overcome these situations. I was also asked to speak to the College of Health, Science, and Technology with a tak titled “STEM Off the Beaten Path” where I presented the unusal path I’ve been on throughout my career. Overall, I showed peple that it is not about where you come from, but moer about the work you put in, the reputatino you build by doing great things, and how preparation allows you to take advantage of chance encounters. Nearly every stop in my careers came from being in the right place at the right time.