"As I look back on my conversations with Baruch alumni over the past few months, what impressed me most were those who not only overcame adversity and achieved success, but those who chose to embrace who they are and their true passion," writes Baruch President S. David Wu.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of being Baruch’s president is the opportunity to talk with a variety of alumni and learn about their unique Baruch story. I have found many of these conversations awe-inspiring and heartwarming and found myself wishing to share them with you, our students, because it feels as though their experiences provide a window into your future.
The alumni I have spoken with are diverse as well as rich in their perspectives. Most of them come from families of limited means—some are from the boroughs of New York City, some from underserved neighborhoods, and many are immigrants or from immigrant families that had few options to attain higher education, and the majority of them worked to support themselves while attending Baruch.
I realized they share something else in common: many are original and creative thinkers who refused to accept their lot in life and took a rare approach to tackling the challenges they faced. I believe their perspective as “outsiders” allowed them to think outside the box. Or perhaps they were not raised ever knowing the box existed—providing them the opportunity to see something others could not.
Lessons from the Past
I know I won’t be able to do justice to the narratives I have heard, so I will share with you how these stories remind me of my own past.
As I reflect on my life, I recognize that it hasn’t been extraordinary, but it has been enough for me to appreciate those whose circumstances are extraordinary. I realized that the most difficult trials I’ve experienced are where I draw my inspiration and strength.
In college, I took on various odd jobs to supplement my expenses. Among my first jobs was making deliveries in the busy streets and back alleys of Taipei on a motorcycle, which is when I developed a kinship with people who made the city work—street vendors, sanitation workers, custodians, manual laborers, etc. Whenever I see a bicycle “dasher” in New York with a big storage bin on the back, it reminds me of that time in my life.
Following college, I completed a two-year mandatory service in the Taiwanese Navy, where I was assigned to a frigate—a swift-moving, refurbished U.S. World War II–era warship. As a college graduate, I had the opportunity to take an officer exam but chose not to do so because I was curious about what it felt like to start from the bottom. In making this decision, I didn’t realize I would start, quite literarily, from the bottom—in the sweltering boiler room of the ship, which was constantly over 100 degrees and permeated with a strong smell of diesel, both of which combined with the stomach-churning up-and-down motion of the violent sea. It does not help that missions in the Taiwan Strait restricted each seaman to a daily ration of one bucket of cold water, which was to be used for all aspects of personal hygiene—from brushing teeth to taking “showers.”
When our frigate went to the shipyard for a major repair, every seaman was given a specific labor assignment. Mine was to strip the paint and rust from an inner hull chamber of the lower deck. For several months, I crawled into a 5ꞌ x 5ꞌ narrow metal tunnel, laid flat and stripped every inch of paint and rust around me. That small, dark space lit with a dim work light and combined with the sound echoing from my hammer and chisel still occasionally appears in my dreams.
These experiences never felt like hardships, however, but more like layers upon layers of memories and life journeys—until I had something of more value than anything I could ever imagine. I learned that when your life is stripped down to the bare minimum, we as humans need relatively few material things to survive and can still be quite fulfilled and happy.
Do It Willingly
My father once told me, “If you are going to do something, do it willingly.” It took me years to appreciate what that meant. When going through a hardship, you can either complain and hope it ends soon or you can do it willingly—making it feel as though you chose to take the challenge on intentionally and will accomplish the task with your best effort, grace, and an appreciation that you were offered the opportunity to experience life. Either way you will cross the finish line, but you will walk away with a completely different outlook—depending on your attitude.
As I look back on my conversations with Baruch alumni over the past few months, what impressed me most were those who not only overcame adversity and achieved success, but those who chose to embrace who they are and their true passion. What seems to make it work for them is their stubborn optimism and grit, combined with an outsiders’ out-of-box creativity and fresh perspective. I realized that what they have in common is a genuine sense of gratitude for being given an opportunity, a love of what they do, and the common belief that the future holds endless possibilities. If they were poor and living with limited resources, they did not seem to notice or care—which is a mindset that I share and understand.
Your Mindset, Your Choice
We may not have complete control over our destiny, but we do have control over our mindset. With practice, we can choose to be flexible and adaptive rather than irritated and frustrated; to be appreciative rather than judgmental; to have a sense of humor rather than be worried and anxious; to be hopeful, optimistic, and resourceful rather than defensive, insecure, and self-righteous; to be creative, innovative, and insightful rather than angry, hostile, and stressed. To be grateful rather than resentful.
My younger self used to consider these words as platitudes and was rather impatient with those whom I considered to be priggish, until I realize that positive attitudes and emotions help us focus our minds on harmony, love, and creativity—the real possessions that make life worth living. The outlook we take not only helps us feel differently about ourselves, it also allows us to experience life differently—that is what I found “successful” people have in common.
Those who approach life with an optimistic outlook, and a mindset that is true to themselves, feel a sense of purpose with fulfillment and freedom, which allows them to overcome adversity and realize their potential as human beings. They are grateful for their lives, opportunities, and experiences, and they want to share and give back whenever possible. And that is what success looks like.
26 Comments
Excellent article Mr. Wu. I will takeaway your father’s quote at the least from reading this.
Thanks for sharing.
This indeed an extraordinary and humbling article that was posted by President Dr. Wu. I do believe that in times of hardship, education has alway been a catalyst for change. Education has and will always be the essence of upward mobility, regardless of circumstances. This article teaches us to continue to hope, search for knowledge and continue to grow not only as individuls, but as a family. The wisdom presented in this post is fulfilling and sets a pace for motivation, reflection and change. Thank you for allowing me the opportuntiy to gain insight and another perspective. I am proud to be an alumni of Baruch College.
Yes! As Mr. Shiplu commented, a great article, especially the father’s quote. Not one word, not even a hint, of structural racism or people of color. Mr. Wu’s military service helped form him as did mine in the Marine Corps. I do not favor a draft but many would be well-served by “serving”.
Life requires a lot from most of us. On the other hand, very little is needed for a happy life.
These are genuine words I have not listened for a while. They used to come straight out of my parents’ and some elders’ mouths. What I have learned from my grassroots-born parents is that hardship increases status. “Perseverance, character, and character, hope.”
It’s good to connect to my school for the updated information of its ongoing developments.
Great story. I would like to add this
My Saying of the Day-
“ A negative mind will Never give you a positive life.
Thank you. You connect with the students and alumni in ways that previous Presidents did not. I loved Baruch so much as a student that I spent 40 years there as a faculty member. I loved my students. I loved and respected my colleagues. I had a wonderful career at Baruch. I wish you the same.
love it, thanks Dr. Wu
I hold Baruch in high esteem. I arrived in NYC as a political refugee and had to work odd jobs since a teenager. But once I graduated from Baruch my career took off in corporate America and then overseas with multinational corporations. My story is similar to the experience of others at Baruch as the above stories confirm. I am proud of the Baruch student body, its professors and organization
Very thoughtful and inspiring.!!!
While I loved going to and graduating from Baruch College was a tremendous celebration forme and my family as I was the first college graduate in my family that I know of. My success after college was not what I expected. I did try thru countless interviews and resumes to get into my field but that came to nothing. I had to settle for a career in retail mangement which was not what I wanted. I did get into the law industry Lateran as a Office Service Manager, and work for a truly amazing law firm (Pavia & Harcourt LLP) but that was in 1999 thru 2016 (due to employee downsizing job was eliminated). Now looking back at retirement it was bittersweet in terms of success.
Humbling. They say life is what you make it and I have no doubt about it. Great read!
Spirit-lifting story.
A positive mental attitude is really what we all need in these times.
Thanks president Wu.
What an absolutely wonderful and inspiring story, thank you for sharing, Sir!
Your story and those of many other alumni resonates with me, and I’m proud of the types of experiences that bring us all together.
Since graduating from Baruch, I’ve worked across 5 countries, also become an alum of Harvard Business School, and now back to Bangladesh after 28 years – to do something fun in financial innovation for the masses that are underserved. I will share your write-up with my teenage boys who are soon to go to college.
Thank you.
The perspective of alumni is always helpful
Great post Dr. Wu, thank you for sharing!
Attitude Awareness Action=AAA, together creates great energy!
Gratitude and positive mindset are key foundation in every aspect in life!
Great post, Dr. Wu. Love your Dad’s quote. I moved to NYC at age 14 as a political refugee and worked my way through a Baruch education. Took remedial courses for a year and I was super grateful to have Pell Grant pay for my tuition in full. As a school full of immigrants and first generation college students, I remember most my classmates and friends working hard with an optimistic mentality of achieving our own definition of life successes. We didn’t see any limitations or structural socio-economic disadvantages, – we just opportunities.
Hello Mr. Wu – We very much appreciate your eloquent words and family story. I actually read the latter in the magazine recently mailed out. Baruch is an iconic beacon in New York City, galvanizing generations through education. My affinity coincides with your words and is the very reason I continue to connect through the mentorship program. It’s important for us as alumni to support the generations ahead.
Great read.
This article is truly inspiring and it is something I wanted to remind myself about. Thank you
Thank you for sharing an uplifting story. Hardship is definitely an ingredient to building perseverance and grits. It is heartwarming to know that our leader understand and can relate to some of the struggles of the student body.
An excellent article Dr. Wu
I loved your inspiring post – vividly written with great details and applicable to us all. I will never forget what your father said – “If you are going to do something, do it willingly.” The Baruch Community is lucky to have a president who writes “positive attitudes and emotions help us focus our minds on harmony, love, and creativity—the real possessions that make life worth living.” Thank you!
President Wu,
I’m really enjoying your blog posts! I especially appreciate that while I don’t always agree with everything you suggest, I do always feel that your conclusions are reasoned, reasonable, and grounded in personal as well as professional experience. An interesting and common thread I see in many of your posts is the question of what it means to live a good life that is also an ethical life, and how higher education and employment relate to that central question. Americans tend to equate their value as humans with their work ethic or with their career success. How can we as educators help our students think beyond this problematic belief even as we exist in part to offer our students the tools they need for social mobility and rewarding and lucrative professional lives?
Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom. Very inspiring words.