I describe myself as a Black Queer (gay) man. I am currently living in Columbus, Ohio, but I went for my undergrad in Fort Collins, at Colorado State University where I competed as a track and field student athlete.

I got my Bachelors of Science in Health and Exercise Science with a concentration in sports medicine and then went off to do a graduate program in Nutrition Sciences as well at Colorado State University.

My first sport was soccer. My family's Jamaican so I pretty much grew up playing the national sport, which they call 'football' over there -- not the American football, but football in general. As I was getting into soccer, I started to fall in love with running. I did cross-country and after cross-country, one of my coaches was telling me that I should run track. So I played soccer, ran cross-country and ran track all my years throughout high school.

I decided to take my running career on track and field a bit more seriously during my junior and senior year. During that time, it was absolutely amazing. I fell in love with track, I was a hurdler. I couldn't have asked for a better experience, being at Colorado State University for pretty much almost five or six years.

I started my journey in collegiate athletics at Portland State University in Oregon. And that's when I spent two years there, and that's where I started to figure out my identity.

My time at Portland State University really challenged me and allowed me to just be my true authentic self on leading up to the greater years.

My transfer to Colorado State University is a time I hold onto very passionately. I definitely felt I was able to be myself as a whole – all my identities in their intersectionality, just came together, which was really nice.

[As told to @Ragi Gupta — continued tomorrow]