Embrace Open Doors with Wonder Over Fear

Sometimes – lots of times – our lives don’t unfold according to plan. But if we can stay open and receptive through the twists and turns, we may just unlock bigger, brighter, truer futures than we’d set our sights on to begin with. 

April was Community College Month, a great time to celebrate the doors Community College has opened for the 38% of all U.S. undergraduates currently enrolled in their programs. I am proud to say I am a community college graduate!

Last week I attended Waubonsee Community College’s commencement ceremony where I was honored to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award. It gave me a chance to reflect with pride on my own community college experience.

My path to finance was a crooked one, and this is a story of what can happen when you walk through the doors that open in front of you – even (and especially) if you never envisioned crossing thresholds like them before. 

I grew up in a family of five children raised by educator parents; our household income exceeded the limit for financial aid, but there wasn’t enough to fund my college education, so I was looking at accruing significant debt.

My principal, Sister Regina, told me about a scholarship opportunity from Waubonsee Community College. I had my sights set on attending a four-year college to pursue my dream of becoming a physical therapist. Community college wasn’t even on my radar. But I decided to see the process through, and I was given the incredible gift of a full scholarship to Waubonsee. 

The door was open in front of me. I walked through. 

I graduated from Waubonsee with plans to continue my path to becoming a physical therapist when a second unexpected door opened: My high school friend Marty’s sister needed a nanny in NYC for the summer and he called to see if I wanted the job.  I enthusiastically accepted, and that was the summer I was introduced to Wall Street. As I’ve said in the past – for me, learning about Wall Street was like hearing angels sing in heaven.

After my eye-opening experience with Wall Street, I left my physical therapy aspirations behind and transferred to Loyola to pursue business. I started working in wealth management after graduation, and the rest is history.

My aim in sharing this story is to recognize all the community colleges that helped so many of us start our college careers. Be open to change – when a door opens in front of you, don't slam it shut. You never know where it might take you.