I was spending my last year in my twenties, celebrating a major accomplishment in my career. It took a few years, but I was finally promoted to partner at my firm, as the principal architect. I worked with this company for years, including my year of internship after grad school, and I felt like they watched me grow up over time. When I first started, I was the only black woman in this office, but I made it a goal of mine to recruit more African American architects in this company. By the time I was on the payroll, I had met two other black grad students who were looking for work at an architect firm, and I fought with HR for so long to bring them on the team. They both came highly recommended by their school, multiple organizations and employers, but no one would give them a chance to show what they could do.