Bios

Lorne Rolston, Founder

Lorne Rolston was born the younger of two children on November 24, 1980 in Flint, Michigan. Rolston was the only sibling to have Sickle Cell Anemia. He attended Flint Northern High School where he coped with balancing the everyday perils of a teenager and dealing with his disease. He has been plagued with a host of different medical conditions like gallstones, pneumonia, sickle cell crises, priaprisms, and a hip dislocation, which led to the temporary use of crutches. After graduating from high school, he went on to pursue his degree at University of Michigan – Flint, where he unavoidably missed classes from being continually hospitalized. He eventually had to drop out. With his ambitious spirit, he later registered for classes at Oakland University and graduated in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. Rolston now works for a leading automotive manufacturer as a financial consultant.

Brandi Maxwell, Co-founder

Brandi Maxwell was born February 25, 1981 in Detroit, Michigan. Her academic career was completed in the Detroit Public School system where she was always focused on scholarship and community service. Although Maxwell was confronted with medical conditions in high school, she graduated with honors from Cass Technical High School in Detroit in 1999. She persistently followed her vision and began studying Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University. During her sophomore year, she had a stroke that left her limbs temporarily paralyzed and forced her to temporarily leave the university. She courageously returned to school and graduated with honors in June 2004 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Maxwell is currently an engineer for a leading automotive corporation and is still a strong advocate for education and community service. Her life is modeled by Ghandi’s statement, "We must become the change we wish to see in the world."

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