Trinidadian-born Maxine Williams has lived by these words “Just Try A Ting”. At the age of 16, Maxine left Trinidad and Tobago for the US. Her journey led her into a new environment with many challenges.
After arriving in the US, Maxine set her sights on the prestigious Yale University. She applied and was called in for an interview. But things didn’t go well as planned. In the middle of her interview, she felt that she was not creating a good impression perhaps nervousness got the better of her. Instead of giving up, Maxine “tried a ting”; she asked the interviewer several questions and the end of the interview, Maxine had restored her confidence.
Shortly after, she received a letter a letter stating that she was on a waiting list but Maxine decided that she wasn’t going to give up on Yale. Maxine recorded a video (VHS as this 1987, no Youtube or Facebook) and mailed it to Yale. Standing in front of the camera, she used showed her Trinidadian wit mixed with some seriousness and telling why she would be a great addition to Yale.
Maxine was accepted into Yale and started her journey down the road of remarkable accomplishments. There are several that must be mentioned to complete this chapter of her story. She auditioned for an improv comedy group at Yale, created her own major in Caribbean studies, won a Rhodes Scholarship, and started acting while studying law at Oxford University.
You might have seen her high profile title, Global Head of Diversity at Facebook and perhaps ask the obvious question how did a Trinidadian land this big job?
To answer this question, you should look at Maxine’s story as a perfect example of how important it is to live by the words “Just Try A Ting”. These Trinidadian words will help us to overcome the many challenges that we face each day and perhaps great things will happen.
Here is Maxine talking about her role at Facebook
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