About the Author

My appreciation for kindness, peace, and joy began during my early years in a small, tight-knit village in Atkinson, Dominica.  It was there that I learned of the transformative power of community and friendship. I witnessed a culture of oneness where neighbors supported one another through life’s victories and challenges. These early experiences were not only heartwarming but also inspired me to trust in the power of friendship and our shared humanity. They instilled in me a strong belief in the potential of kindness and compassion to bring collective happiness and peace. At home, my parents demonstrated kindness, humility, and integrity, which further grounded me with the first seeds of idealism. Their qualities, coupled with their roles in education and law enforcement, gave me an innate sense of responsibility to elevate the collective experience. Growing up in the early nineties was an inspiring time when world leaders such as Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and Princess Diana illuminated the importance of peace and compassion. Later, in 2006, I was honored to serve as Miss Dominica and national youth ambassador, where I formalized my commitment to world peace. My outstanding success in pageantry throughout the Caribbean region reflected my balance of outer effort with inner faith in God. During that same year, I began practicing Transcendental Meditation. I then discovered how consciousness development through meditation nourished my inner calm and mental clarity, allowing me to live from a place of love and grace more easily. During my MBA at Maharishi International University, a consciousness-based university in Fairfield, Iowa, the values of peace, conscious leadership, and unity became further embedded into my value system. I collaborated closely with peers from India, Ethiopia, the United States, Canada, Iran, and Nepal, among others. These intercultural relationships did not merely broaden my horizons but also deepened my appreciation and love for people from every continent. I learned that strangers can easily form lifelong friendships and that peace becomes easier when we are willing to see ourselves in others and celebrate our common humanity through acceptance and non-judgment.  Additionally, during my PhD research with the UNEP Young Champions of the Earth, I learned that impactful and sustainable change arises when we have an opportunity to witness the experiences of others and allow our hearts and minds to unite to enact positive change. Since completing my PhD, I have taught students around the world, particularly in South Africa, China, and the United States. This gift opportunity has further deepened my understanding of the human experience across cultures and my respect for the brilliance of the human spirit, regardless of which part of the world it may originate from. I founded a nonprofit in my home country, Dominica, devoted to conscious leadership and environmental stewardship, translating theory into practice. Parallel to my scholarly and professional work, I became a mother of a loving, funny, energetic, and intelligent daughter. I envision a future in which my daughter—and every child—grows up fluent in the language of peace, love, and joy.  As a scholar and researcher, I recognize that peace begins with language and emotion. The words we use to communicate with each other and the feelings we evoke in each other leave a lasting impression that can be very transformative. The Children’s Dictionary of World Peace is my answer to this insight, for it seeks to embed love, understanding, and compassion into the very framework of language so that the next generation may build a more harmonious world.​