I GREW up in a lower-middle-class environment, usually the lone minority among my classmates. My parents, both immigrants from Haiti, had a Romeo-and-Juliet type of story. My maternal grandfather, a doctor by training, was in the Haitian government. My paternal grandfather was in the opposing military. As young adults my mother and father came to New York, where their romance was able to flourish.

Both of my parents were college-educated within the curriculum in Haiti. When they came to the United States, both had to learn English.

My mother worked in retail, and continues to do so today, working as the lead sales representative in a fine-jewelry store. My father became a machinist.

As a child, I envisioned a career in the hard sciences. In sixth grade, I was buying college chemistry textbooks.