Special Thanks & Inspirations
This capstone project would not have come to life without the profound insights, courageous voices, and transformative work of individuals and platforms who challenged me to see beyond my lived experience. Their contributions stirred something deep within me: fueling this project with purpose, clarity, and compassion.
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These thinkers, writers, and spaces met me at different points in my journey and helped turn a question into a commitment. Their wisdom influenced this capstone and fostered significant personal growth, shaping the leader and thinker I am becoming. I am deeply thankful for their wisdom. They did not just influence this capstone—they gave it direction.
Mentor Acknowledgements
This capstone would not have been possible without the remarkable mentors whose insights, encouragement, and lived wisdom illuminated every step of my path—through academia and over thirteen years in the IT world. I am profoundly grateful for your time, guidance, and, most importantly, your unwavering belief in this work, even when unsure of its full shape. Your support has been profound and deeply felt.
Thank you for reminding me to challenge assumptions with curiosity and rigorously root the foundation of my interdisciplinary process.
Thank you for pushing me to think critically and expansively and modeling integrity and heart in academic spaces. This project found a strong voice thanks to you.
Thank you for grounding me with your presence, supporting this project during dark times, and showing me that vulnerability is a superpower. (And guiding me to interdisciplinarity to solve problems)
Thank you for modeling courage and bravery, which became critical to the core of this work.
Thank you for believing that even "dumb infantrymen" like me could succeed in IT and for helping me step into this technology with unexpected confidence in 2013.
Thank you for reviewing every first draft and never hesitating to push me to sharpen the core of the argument and dig for more sources.
To, my parents
Without whom, none of this would be possible. For reading every draft through we sharply disagree.
Thank you for your leadership, helping me bridge theory and action with a human-centered lens. For being an exemplary role model. For grounding this work in the real-world practice of inclusive, data-informed leadership. Thank you for encouraging me to embrace complexity and innovate through challenge.
Thank you for helping to make my return to academia, after a decade away, a safe, challenging, and transformational experience, for pushing me to explore all of my education, formal and informal, and pushing me to Interdisciplinary Studies.
In Memoriam:
Royce
Holliet
Overton
I dedicate this capstone to the memory of my uncle:
Royce Holliet Overton, who first sparked my curiosity and taught me how to build my very first computer. Long before classrooms or mentors, I had him—a goofy teacher with calloused hands, limitless patience, and a belief in my potential that never wavered.
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His only wish for me was to complete the formal education he never had the opportunity to pursue. I carry his legacy forward—not just in degrees and accomplishments but in every moment I choose to teach, build, and uplift with the same joyful dedication he once showed me.