Meet Kyle Carter

We recently connected with Kyle Carter and have shared our conversation below.

Kyle , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic stems deeply from my experiences with sports during my childhood. Participating in swimming, cross country, and basketball not only instilled in me the values of discipline and perseverance but also nurtured a desire to excel and be the best version of myself. These sports demanded rigorous commitment, resilience in the face of challenges, and a constant striving for improvement, which have all shaped how I approach my professional life.

My drive to succeed in finance and engineering is fueled by the same principles I learned on the sports field: the importance of hard work, strategic planning, and continual self-improvement. This foundation has taught me that true success comes from effort and the determination to be the best in any room. I’ve carried these lessons into my career, pushing myself to achieve excellence in highly competitive fields.

In essence, my work ethic is a reflection of my sporting experiences, where I learned that being driven and dedicated are essential for attaining the results I aspire to.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

In life, there are two things – reasons and results; but results seem to be the only thing that matters. Why is that? In reality, your reasons are colored by who you are and who you want to be, where the results are a direct representation of your commitment to said reason. On one hand , the reason is the sole thing that is holding you back and seems to prevent you from becoming your best self: on the other, the reason is what is pushing you to wake up determined to become a better version of yourself each day. Nobody desires to be mediocre, their reason just wasn’t big enough to push themselves to surpass mediocrity. When you find your big reason, the daily tenancies are only able to motivate you. My big reason is that I want to be able to put the people that I love and myself in a better position, and to be able to express myself openly in any given situation. Given that, each decision that I make, I keep those two things in mind.

Early in my adolescent years I knew that I couldn’t settle for mediocracy: I just couldn’t accept that for myself. Starting in elementary school, I woke up before school each day to read for 30 minutes, attend all of my classes, then went to practice. It was a routine, and I got the hang of it. I stuck to this same routine all through elementary school as well as middle school. Through those years, I never once had more than a single B at any given time and I was ranked as one of the fastest swimmers in the state. I was just beginning to find myself.

Before I knew it, I was encountering one of the most anticipated moments of my life – High School. Without knowing what to expect, and with rumors of the hardest years of my life consistently being whispered into my ear, I can admit I was scared. The mentors that surrounded me during this time, assured me that through hard work and self belief, only I can limit myself: and they were right. In high school I averaged a 4.5 GPA and was within the top 5 percentile of my graduating class. I was on the board for 3 different organizations within my school and was the captain of both the swim team as well as the cross country team. I graduated with over $500,000 in scholarships, and over 22 college acceptances. At the end of my senior year, I did a speech at the Black Engineer of the Year awards in Washington D.C. When it finally came time to choose where to go to school, I chose to go to North Carolina A&T State University on a Full ROTC scholarship.

When it came time to go to college, I was full of excitement. My first semester of college I joined four different organizations, was invited and became a member of three different Honors Societies, and became an ambassador for two separate programs. At the end of the semester, due to physical and external issues, I had to drop out of ROTC. That news was devastating to me because not only did my funding for school come from ROTC, but I also would have to find a new
passion. When it became time to start the second semester, the school had already been informed that I had dropped ROTC and then later awarded me with an academic scholarship. Before my freshman year ended I had already received three internship offers all coming from Fortune 100 companies. After I received the first offer, I was admitted into the MLT Career Prep Class of 2024. When it came time to pick where I would spend my first internship, the choice for me was clear, Northrop Grumman. While at Northrop Grumman for ten weeks, I saw, learned and developed technology that makes a difference. At the end of the internship, I was informed that I was the recipient of the Apple Innovation Award and also was granted the opportunity to intern there for summer of my sophomore year. Each semester that I have been in college, I have been on the chancellor’s list or dean’s list and I currently have a 3.7 cumulative GPA. When it came time for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new engineering building that was named after the chancellor, I was asked directly to host the event for the politicians of North Carolina, North Carolina A&T staff, as well as invited family and friends.

Now let me talk about my college experience a little bit. Even with my major being computer engineering, I still wanted to diversify myself in the skills that I had. As a result I learned how to invest in the markets, this quickly became a hobby for me, then a passion. After two years, I became a profitable trader. Now I opened an organization where the purpose is to teach and educate people on how to engage in the financial markets and to get individuals to start investing at an early age. On average I spend over 15 hours a week volunteering for this cause. Whether in the form of one on one sessions with my members, working on the powerpoints, hosting the weekly sessions we have, or answering questions in the chatroom– I am doing my part. I believe that the road to financial freedom is through financial education and the African American communities and minorities alike have been lacking in this area for too long. Therefore I started an organization where we aim to not only impact middle aged individuals, but also the youth. My organization raised enough money to fund as of right now two highschool seniors brokerage accounts and I started the organization two weeks ago (the money made from subscriptions gets directed to the hbcutrades scholars foundation). My passion for stocks started my passion for finance. I started college nervous to speak in front of large crowds. Last semester alone I was able to place in four out of four case study pitch competitions and win two of them where I was also able to win over twenty-five thousand in cash.

In a world where the opportunities are endless, setbacks and disappointments can ultimately lead to uplift and unprecedented results if your reason is big enough. When the results are uncertain, is when your reason is put to the test. When you’re not sure that all of your hard work will lead to the outcome that you have painted in your head, is when you fall onto your reason, and believe in your ability to attain that for yourself.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Resilience: Learning to see challenges as opportunities has been crucial. My advice for others is to embrace difficulties, using them to build strength and persistence.

Strategic Thinking: Efficiently managing resources and anticipating challenges has been vital, particularly in demanding fields like finance and engineering. Setting clear, prioritized goals and regularly evaluating your progress can help hone this skill.

Effective Communication: Overcoming my initial fear of public speaking to succeed in high-stakes environments underscores the importance of clear and persuasive communication. Practice, feedback, and active engagement in diverse speaking and writing opportunities are essential for improvement.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Currently, I am facing the challenge of navigating the uncertainties of real life. This includes the unpredictability of events and the realization that despite our best efforts, some outcomes remain beyond our control. Accepting how the cards play out is a challenge in itself, but I’m learning that the journey is what truly enriches our experiences. It’s not just about reaching a destination but appreciating and learning from each step along the way.

To address this, I focus on putting my best foot forward every day, ensuring that I am as prepared as possible for whatever the future holds. This means continuing to develop my resilience, strategic thinking, and communication skills. By doing so, I can adapt more easily to changes, make informed decisions, and communicate effectively in various situations. Embracing the journey with a proactive and positive mindset allows me to navigate life’s uncertainties with more confidence and less fear.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: kyletooraw
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-carter-9a6711200

Image Credits

All were taken by my photographers, in the green suit the image is taken from the screenshot of the live feed from the Black engineer of the year awards.