Tons of random thoughts going through my head today. First, what a tragedy it is to today mark the one-year anniversary of #BringBackOurGirls. Second, April 15--tax day--is tomorrow, such a day of demarcation for so many in the U.S. In the light of things, this is not that tragic and so many people need to accept that. I, thankfully, have for years done my taxes on or around February 14. If there's going to be such a ridiculous holiday in existence as Valentine's Day (sorry to all of the devotees out there--but why can't every day be... nevermind), then I'd better use it to my benefit. Love not having the stress of one more deadline. Numbers...numbers...this year for me sees three weddings to attend, one baby on the way (not mine, thank you, but thrilled to be another "auntie"), and several of my projects which I protect like children--set to be birthed. Yes, it's a good spot to be in but the year is flying by possibly too fast to enjoy the fruits of my labor. It's April. And with the recent climb in temperatures to 60+ degrees on the East Coast, it's finally Spring. There's a lot that has been dragged over from the previous year and there's a lot still left to do. Here's a number I'm proud of: 4. We have officially launched Hack4Hope as the Hackathon + Hack4Hope Academy to little by little usher in the youth from my childhood neighborhood in North and East St. Louis into the booming tech scene downtown St. Louis now has become. This has been almost two years in the making. More details to come soon... In the meantime, I'm proud of my hometown. I'm aware of our issues. Since Ferguson has exposed our wounds, I'm grateful for the group that has rallied together with me to help turn around a stack of tragic situations and keep hope in the hearts of our youth with tangible paths through technology to problem-solving and success. We can quantify that success later for posterity. For today, on this date of great stress, let's just be assured that as bad as things may seem, there will always be a young person who needs us to be strong, focused and prepared to fight for their future.