Business Roundtable: Elijah Lewis, Engineer, Published Author and Motivational Speaker (ONLINE)

I know what it’s like to be lost on the journey of life. It can be a dark and lonely feeling, but with the right help you can get back on track.  ~ Elijah Lewis

Every other month, HCLS collaborates to host an online Roundtable aimed at highlighting a local business owned by a Person of Color in Howard County. These sessions provide a platform for the business owner or entrepreneur to share their unique experiences and the challenges they faced while establishing and operating their business. The discussions are moderated by Nat Alston, Chair and Founder of the Ujamaa Business Roundtable, and include dedicated time for Q&A.

Explore the intricacies of launching and sustaining a successful business by participating in the Roundtable discussions. You will have the opportunity to ask questions of individuals actively managing local businesses, gaining insights that may serve as invaluable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. Who knows, their stories and expertise might just ignite the spark that inspires you to embark on your own entrepreneurial journey! 

Our guest in February is Elijah Lewis, a person who had a 2.58 GPA in high school but went on to  became a successful engineer with a master’s degree, a published author, and a dynamic motivational speaker. Much of his journey was paved with the support of the right people who provided him help along the way. Join us to hear his inspiring story.

Who is Elijah Lewis? Born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Baltimore, MD, he is a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Tuskegee University, and Morgan State University. In addition to being an author, Mr. Lewis is an engineer with NAVSEA in Indian Head, MD. Growing up, Elijah knew he was blessed with knowing he could be successful, but he definitely knew there would be challenges, and that he would make his fair share of mistakes. However, he adopted the philosophy that life is a "journey," and along that "journey," you can find a lot of "jewels" if you look hard enough for them. Also, Elijah knew the importance of helping others and that everyone has a story to tell. He went from being a person with a 2.58 GPA in high school who really didn’t have the brightest future, to becoming a successful engineer with a master’s degree, a published author, and a dynamic motivational speaker. A lot of his "journey" was paved with the right people who provided him help along the way. That "journey" was the ultimate decision for him to write his first book, Elijah wanted it to be an insightful blueprint that everyone had the potential to be successful, no matter what their circumstances are. Your Jewels are In Your Journey was written to inspire readers to the point where they realize the power that they have within them, and like a "jewel," realize the brightness they have. Ultimately, the vision for readers is to realize life is the biggest teacher, and if you pay attention...you might just learn something. In the spirit of helping, Elijah Lewis volunteers his time with various worthy organizations, and is an advocate of sponsoring service dogs for Veterans who are battling PTSD.

In partnership with Ujamaa Business Roundtable, a roundtable of African-American business owners from the counties of Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Baltimore and Baltimore City.

If you have questions or if you are business owner that would like to be featured at one of our bimonthly Roundtable discussions, please email us: HCLS.BusinessRoundtable@hclibrary.org.

This session is part of HCLS' Black History Month series. Please click here for the complete schedule of classes and events.

Register with an email address to receive the link to join the webinar and a class reminder.