GAB- Game Art & Beyond: Glossophobia - n. The fear of public speaking.

This is a chronicle of my journey to overcome Glossophobia and do some good for the organizations I feel are making a difference.

A few years go I decided to face my fears and begin public speaking. I jumped in head first when I got "the" call to speak at NASA as a result of my Black Enterprise cover. I figured if I can talk tech with a bunk of rocket scientists, I could speak in front of just about anyone.

Martin Luther King Day Speech - AMES Research Center

I was invited to speak at N.A.S.A. about how Martin Luther King's work has affected my life. I was inspired by the theme "Dare to Dream. " Dr. Kings " I Have A Dream" speech changed the course of humanity and gave my parents and I the ability to dare to dream a better future for ourselves.

I spoke to NASA about how a video game based curriculum is the key to driving more youth into the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.

I was greeted at the gates with my name in lights. I have to say this was definitely a first and I'm glad that I can now cross this off my bucket list.

I work with grass roots organizations like Blacks In Gaming, Black Girls Code, and Rize Above Media who are working to get more minorities and women into the Tech fields. I was proud to raise awareness for these worthy causes. You can read the transcript of my speech here. Overall the response was passionate and welcoming. A woman greeted me with tears because my story inspired her. I even got invited to tour of the largest supercomputer in the world. (Sorry no photos).

She Will Be A Power For Change - Girls In Tech Day - Intel

Apparently word got out about my speech at NASA and I was soon asked to be the keynote speaker at Intel's Girls in Tech Day held on March 31st, 2012. She Will Be A Power for Change is a fabulous one day program for 120 7-14 year old girls filled with STEM focused critical thinking workshops lead by some of Intel's smartest minds.Terry R. Thomas and Trisha Garrett of Intel and 100 Black Women of Silicon Valley lead the program.

The girls were a shear joy to speak to and they had plenty of questions about video games and tech careers. Two notable girls from each workshop were chosen to based on leadership skills and teamwork. These 16 lucky young ladies got to join me on a tour of EA on June 15,2012. Julie Wynn, EA's Outreach & Corporate Giving Manager was more than gracious. The ladies got to tour the campus, listen in on a voice recording session for the SIMS, and buy some discounted games at the company store.