My McGill experience started long before I ever arrived on campus as a student. My father is an alum, and I grew up not only as a witness to all of his achievements as a McGill graduate, but also hearing many fun stories of his time as a student. When the time came for me to decide on where to pursue my studies, McGill was at the very top of the list and, frankly, I wasn’t all that interested in going anywhere else.
I started off in the Faculty of Science but quickly realized it wasn’t for me and, at the end of my first year, I switched into Arts. Luckily, McGill allowed me to restart with a clean slate and gave me the flexibility to create my own program in Middle East studies and political geography. After graduating with an undergraduate degree, I was admitted to the Faculty of Law, but when I had the opportunity to spend a year in China, McGill again gave me the flexibility to pursue my interests in exploring the world by deferring my admission. I spent an amazing year in China where I learnt a new language and gained a deep knowledge and appreciation for the local culture, the people and, of course, the cuisine. Still, I couldn’t wait to return to campus to commence my law studies.
At the Faculty of Law, I again found many of the hallmarks of a McGill education. Most importantly, I was attracted to the dual degree program that would give me the tools to practice in almost any jurisdiction around the world. As someone who was born in Canada, grew up in Israel and finished high school in New York, I knew I could end up anywhere and I wanted a degree that would afford me that flexibility. As importantly, McGill struck the right balance between lecture hall teachings and facilitating independent learning and exploration. I also appreciate the benefits McGill afforded me by allowing me to be part of a large university environment with lots of resources, while teaching (and encouraging) me to stand on my own two feet and preparing me for the real world.
Today, I volunteer with McGill for many reasons. It started with the fact that I got a lot out of McGill. When I came to work in New York, I saw how fortunate I was to be able to work at a top-tier law firm and be recognized as a highly educated individual, but not be saddled by the debt that many of my colleagues had to incur to land the same position.
I also made lifelong friendships, and I love being in Montreal; my parents met here when my mother worked as a hostess in the Israel pavilion for Expo ’67; all of my siblings are McGill graduates; and I met my wife at McGill. We had taken classes together in our first year and even had some mutual friends, but we only really met at a Valentine’s Day party hosted by the Faculty of Management in the last year of our undergraduate studies. It was like a When Harry Met Sally story, but at McGill!
What I think motivates me most, however, is the recognition that when you’re fortunate to have had the opportunity to become successful – to have worked hard for it, but also to have had an institution like McGill, and many individuals along the way, that helped and shaped your career – that makes a big difference. Now, I want to help create that opportunity for others.
I’ve now been involved with McGill as a volunteer for about six years and I’m happy to see that I’m surrounded by other like-minded individuals who are committed to making a difference. That’s very encouraging to me, because I know that the deeper the effort, the better it will be for the University and its students in the long term.