Aminah West

At just 30 years old, she became the first Black woman known to earn a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from MIT. Her name is Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden, Ph.D.. Snowden enrolled at Florida A&M University originally as a business major. In Spring 2011, she graduated from FAMU with a B.S. degree in Physics. At Florida A&M, she said: "They were upfront about the fact that if you excel at a high level, you'll likely be breaking barriers. They prepare you for that reality and its emotional consequences, so I was fortunate to have established that foundation to help me move forward." In 2017, Snowden graduated from MIT with a PhD in nuclear science and engineering at age 30, becoming the first self-identified American Black woman to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT. She walked across the commencement stage on June 8, 2018. She was often the only Black person or woman in her nuclear engineering classes at MIT. She joined several affinity groups for minority students and surrounded herself with images of women who had made strides in STEM before her. This isn’t just an individual achievement, it’s a seismic shift in what’s possible for representation in one of the most exclusive and challenging STEM fields. Nuclear engineering has notoriously low diversity. Being the only one in the room has been the norm for far too long. Mareena didn’t just earn a degree. She carved out space, proved brilliance, and widened the door for every young Black woman who dreams of following in her footsteps. Her success at 30 proves that groundbreaking career moments don’t require decades of waiting, they require determination, excellence, and the courage to be first. This is what real change looks like in STEM. Every first becomes a foundation for the next generation. Mareena’s achievement sends a clear message: you belong here, you can excel here, and the path is now a little brighter because she walked through it. To Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden, Ph.D.: Congratulations, Doctor! Your milestone is historic, inspiring, and deeply meaningful. Thank you for leading the way with such brilliance and courage. The question I want you to sit with today: What “first” or seemingly impossible dream are you preparing yourself for, and what would it look like for you to keep pushing with the same determination as Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden? Drop your honest thoughts in the comments. I read every single one. Tag a young Black woman in STEM, a student, or someone chasing big dreams in a tough field who needs this inspiration today. Let’s celebrate Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden, Ph.D. while committing to create more historic firsts in every profession. P.S. If this historic milestone made you proud and hopeful, share it. Some young girl right now dreaming of a career in science or engineering needs to see that her place in those rooms is being prepared. #TradeNotAid #TheAfricanCFO

You want to be there to help shape who they become. But you also want to work to provide, to set a good example. Moms, we see you. We’re with you. In case you haven’t heard it recently, you’re doing an absolutely amazing job, at all of it.

Born and raised on the South Side. I’m running for Mayor because the city is at a turning point and we have an opportunity to move Chicago forward without leaving people behind. The next four years will shape the next forty. Follow our campaign here and join us at mattbrewer.com. #brewer4chicago

I am really grateful for my life. May God's blessings move you to fruit. Joyous Sunday to my LinkedIn Community . We are in this together✝️✨💜 #KingdomSong |365.

When negotiating an LOI with a business seller, many buyers are forced to make a difficult choice about working capital that will have serious implications later in the process when structuring their SBA loan. If a seller is unwilling to include a "normalized level of working capital" in the purchase price, some buyers will be forced to structure the LOI that way (without working capital included). Think of it like buying a car without the wheels included. This means they'll need to fund that part (the permanent working capital) of the "effective price" of the business from debt. And most buyers think, that should be easy. That's where it can get sticky. Bank credit approvers can be very unwise and stingy with working capital if they view it as "giving the borrower their equity back" rather than financing the wheels on the car. In my experience, most credit approvers still don't understand this dynamic and will feel put out by the working capital part of the loan request and will actively try to eliminate or reduce it, thus unknowingly setting their own loan and borrower up for dramatically increased risk. In the example below, you can see that the math is virtually identical for a deal with working capital included in the price and one without, yet one is a much safer bet with the bank and loan approval process. At Viso, we are experts in working capital loan structuring for business acquisitions. We are able to get both of these structures approved when needed, but getting the bank to fund the necessary working capital is always harder with many banks, and they control the final permanent working capital amount that gets funded, which can be risky.

My father was in ICU on life support last week, and I did not drive to Fresno to be with him. For days, I wrestled with that decision. I called friends, talked to God, and sat with the discomfort of my truth. Part of me wanted to be there...to be the dutiful daughter who showed up no matter what. But another part of me knew the reality. My health has been stretched. My resources are limited as I'm investing in growth. My business needs my attention, and driving several hours to sit beside a hospital bed would not have changed the outcome. What made the decision so difficult wasn't the decision itself. It was the guilt. My father and I have always had a complicated relationship. Drugs and alcohol consumed most of his life, making him absent for much of mine. For most of my life, I've been trying to make sense of what it means to love someone you barely know. The wild thing is that for most of my adult life, I always assumed I'd get a call saying they found my father dead in an alley after an overdose. Instead, he's in a facility. Nurses call me with updates. Doctors are doing their best. People are standing in the gap. His condition is improving. I was able to honor my needs and still see a positive outcome. It's a constant battle to remind myself that my needs matter too, that it isn't all on me to carry. I know many leaders just like me who struggle the same thing. They know what the right decision is. But they make a different one because they're afraid of disappointing people, of the criticism, of being judged. So they perform the guilty action instead of taking the hard action. I've done that more times than I can count. This time I didn't. I chose reality over guilt. And while it didn't feel good, it felt true. Sometimes the breakthrough isn't finding the answer. It's finding the courage to trust the one you already know. Have you ever made a decision that you knew was right, but worried others would judge you for making it?