We tell people to follow their dreams. But you can only dream of what you can imagine.

And your imagination is only as big as the world you've seen.

I grew up in St. Louis from 1999 to 2018. Crime and violence weren't things I sought out. They were just part of the environment. Background noise. The way things were.

I knew there was more to life than what I saw. But I had no clear vision of what those possibilities looked like. No roadmap. No examples.

I knew the obvious routes to success: athlete, entertainer, doctor, lawyer. That was about it. If you weren't throwing a ball, rapping, or saving lives, what else was there?

I didn't know. No one around me knew either.

The Moment My Imagination Expanded

Then I went to a private school in one of the wealthiest parts of St. Louis. And suddenly, my perspective exploded.

Sitting in classrooms with kids who lived completely different lives from mine, I started to hear things that sounded foreign but fascinating.

Someone's dad was a CEO. I had never heard that term in my life.

Another's family owned a trucking and logistics company. People could own companies? Not just work for them?

Some kids' parents ran restaurants, real estate firms, investment funds. Things I didn't know everyday people could own.

I learned that some moms didn't even have jobs because their husbands made enough money for them to stay home. That concept was mind-blowing.

I didn't envy them. I was intrigued.

It wasn't just about wealth. It was about options. These weren't just jobs. They were entire worlds I hadn't realized existed.

And once I saw them, my imagination ran rampant.

The Realization That Came Too Late

Even with all this new exposure, I still didn't learn about my current career until I was 20 years old.

Software engineering. Twenty years of life and I had never considered tech. Never knew what cloud computing was. Never heard of DevOps. Never imagined myself in a field where I now thrive.

Why? Because no one around me had ever talked about it.

And that's the danger of limited exposure. If you don't see it, you don't dream it. If you don't dream it, you don't pursue it.

What I Couldn't Imagine at 20

At 25 years old now, I've done things I couldn't even imagine at 20.

I didn't know this type of life could exist.

I didn't know what Software Engineering was. What was AWS? Compound interest in stocks? Working from home? A Georgetown MS in Finance? A Computer Science degree? I didn't even know Arlington, VA was nice.

I've been to more countries than it's worth counting.

I did not know. I could not imagine this life. I could not even dream this big.

Breaking the Cycle

This is why representation matters. Why mentorship matters. Why kids in environments like mine need more than just "follow your dreams" speeches.

They need to see more. Hear more. Experience more.

Because you can only chase what you can imagine. And you can only imagine what you've been exposed to.

If no one had ever shown me that there were CEOs, business owners, and engineers in the world, I might have spent my whole life thinking success only came with a jersey or a mic.

The Invisible Ceiling

The most dangerous ceiling isn't the one that stops you. It's the one you don't know exists.

When you grow up in an environment with limited exposure, you don't feel constrained. You feel like you're seeing the whole world. You don't know what you're missing because you don't know it exists.

That's why exposure is so powerful. It doesn't just open doors. It reveals that there are doors.

What You Can Do

If you've broken out of your own box, don't just celebrate it. Show someone else what's possible.

Mentor a kid from your old neighborhood. Talk about your career at a local school. Share your story. Be visible.

You might be giving them a dream they never knew they could have.

Because somewhere right now, there's a 15-year-old who doesn't know what software engineering is. Who doesn't know what private equity is. Who doesn't know what options exist beyond the five careers they've heard about.

And if no one shows them, they'll never know.

The Compounding Effect of Exposure

Exposure compounds.

One conversation opens a door. That door leads to a book. That book leads to a mentor. That mentor leads to an opportunity. That opportunity leads to a career. That career leads to a life you couldn't have imagined.

But it all starts with exposure. With someone showing you what's possible.

At 20, I couldn't imagine my life at 25. At 25, I can't imagine my life at 30.

Not because I lack ambition. But because I keep getting exposed to new possibilities. New worlds. New dreams.

And every time I see something new, my imagination expands. My dreams get bigger. My sense of what's possible grows.

The Responsibility

If you've made it out, you have a responsibility. Not to go back and save everyone. But to show what's possible.

Be visible. Be vocal. Be accessible.

Talk about your career. Share your journey. Explain how you got where you are.

Not to brag. But to expand someone's imagination.

Because you can only dream of what you can imagine. And you can only imagine what you've been exposed to.

Be the exposure someone needs.

You might be giving them a dream they never knew they could have.