The Letter that Changed it All.
What a hotel job, an appeal letter, and my mother’s words taught me about belonging
There was a time when I was working at a hotel answering phones. It was senior year. I was exhausted. Restless. And every part of me was whispering, “This cannot be how my story goes.” I had bigger dreams—but no clear path. Then something unexpected happened: I saw an opportunity at ABC News. The internship deadline had passed. But instead of walking away, I wrote a letter to the internship coordinator and asked for a chance. They let me in.
My Mother Told Me I Belonged
My mom had always said, "You have a place at any table." She created a monster with that line. Because I believed her. Even when the evidence around me said I shouldn’t. That belief carried me through the doors of ABC News. And that internship? It was magic. I watched the news happen in real time. The world saw the broadcast—but I saw the chaos, the care, the urgency behind the scenes. There was always a story breaking. And somehow, I was inside it.
The Tension of Being Seen—and Misunderstood
But the experience wasn’t all shiny. I didn’t come from a middle-class background. I didn’t go to an Ivy League school. People noticed. Assumptions followed me into every room: that I wasn’t ready, wasn’t polished, wasn’t enough. Even the only other Black woman in a senior position kept her distance. At the time, I didn’t understand it. Now I do. Those spaces weren’t built with me in mind. And I needed to stand firm in who I was—not who they expected me to be.
The Internship Ended—But I Wasn’t Done
When the program wrapped, we were told they weren’t hiring. But I couldn’t go back to the hotel. Not after everything I had just experienced. So I did what I had done before. I wrote another letter. This time, to the executive producer of the show I interned for. I told him how much the experience meant to me. How it changed the way I saw myself. And how it would be a true honor to work there. And then? I waited.
The Call That Changed Everything
One afternoon, while I was back at the hotel, my phone rang. It was my mom. “Someone just called from ABC News,” she said. It was him. The executive producer.
Calling to offer me a job. I stood behind that hotel desk knowing my life was about to change. Because I didn’t just ask for a seat—I built my own invitation.
What I Know Now
I’ve repeated that model many times since. Missed deadline? Write the letter. Closed door? Knock anyway. No offer? Ask for one. The blueprint isn’t perfection. It’s persistence. It’s being told “no” and deciding you still belong. That internship wasn’t just my start in media. It was the moment I realized I didn’t have to be invited to show up. I could advocate for myself—and be heard.
That’s The Personal Brand Blueprint.
Belief + action. Audacity + intention. A handwritten appeal to the future I knew I deserved. You can and will do the same.
You are capable of big things.
