Rick,
I somehow made it through the University of Chicago. My mother reminded me of the time you came to visit me on campus early on when I was having a rough time. I remembered with tears in my eyes desperately wanting to come home. First, I would like to thank you for not only taking the time to come talk with me, but for convincing me it was time to grow up and I could make it through if I truly wanted to. I did extremely poorly freshman year and didn’t realize how important this school would be for my future. Speaking with you kept me at U Chicago, and I am forever grateful.
Secondly, I want to share something my dad always said about you. He said that you were an accelerator. If a student was going 50 mph already, you could speed them up to 75. You were clearly able to do a lot for me, but this analogy made it clear that you weren’t going to do it for me. You gave me the tools to succeed, but what I did with those tools is what allowed me to get to 75. This is when it all came together for me.
As you predicted, U Chicago was a great fit for me. The social atmosphere in Chicago helped me to get to exactly where I wanted to go. The competitiveness of the other students began to sharpened my game. Knowing I had my family’s and your support gave me the courage to compete with these kids. Sophomore year I figured it out, and realized how possible it really was. I never looked back, and finished with the best econ GPA of all the football guys in my year.
Finally, we always talked about working on Wall Street, and now I couldn’t be more excited to begin my journey there. I am truly grateful for everything you have done for my family and me.
Thank you again for everything you do and have done. It made a huge difference in my life.
Forever grateful,
Paul Comet