"I needed for him to see me applying myself, so that hopefully the example I would set for my 3-year-old son would tra…"

"It was not an affirmation for my ego. It was just an affirmation for who I was, as a little Black kid in this all-whi…"

"Entering into State, I was going through certain professional challenges and frustrations in my career"

"In light of that ... I knew I had to utilize my time very effectively and efficiently to get my work done"

"What that meant for me: It meant bringing everything — every single thing that I had accumulated at that point in my …"

"In the final analysis, our humanity was front and center"

"It knocked me sideways for a second"

"But what I can also tell you is that I had to pick myself up and keep moving forward"

"I will not allow those kinds of disappointments, those kinds of snubs, rejections"

"I needed my son to see me put the work in. I needed to set an example"