Thankful for My College Advisor

 

Last month I attended a dinner celebrating my Wharton undergraduate advisor, Dr. William Whitney. It was amazing to hear and tell stories about how Dr. Whitney invested in our wellbeing during college, and how in the process he shaped our university experience and career moves and therefore the entirety of our professional lives. Dr. Whitney’s son was there and promised to bring all these accolades to his father, although I hope someday to be able to tell Dr. Whitney himself. 

It is no exaggeration that without Dr. Whitney I would not have even come to Penn let alone have the career I have had. I was dead set on going to Berkeley, a really great school less than hour from where I grew up, where I’d already spent many days and where many of my closest friends would also be attending. My parents took me to the East Coast after I got into schools but before I had to decide, and our Penn stop was on a dreary April day that was a far cry from the sunny and mild California weather I was used to. 

Dr. Whitney took the time to meet with me, and explained to me the perks of the Joseph Wharton Scholars program I had qualified for, particularly the small class sizes and that he personally taught the Econ 101 class that was identical to the version he taught MBA students (and he was quick to say the undergrads always did better than the graduate students). He also impressed upon me the many non-business offerings available at Penn, which he strongly encouraged me to avail myself of and that he would personally advise me on what was worthwhile and help me secure those opportunities. The personal touch, of small class sizes and of access to him my future advisor, was very compelling. 

While I was in his office, a student of his burst in and said she’d gotten a random invitation to study marine biology in Hawaii for the summer. Dr. Whitney enthusiastically said she should go for it. “But I’m a Finance major,” she protested, to which he said something to the effect of “those classes and experiences will always be there for you; do something wild and crazy now, and you won’t regret it.” 

The fact that I can recall this conversation, which I wasn’t even a part of, almost 35 years later, is a testament to the impression it left on me, about Dr. Whitney and about the kind of college experience and personal enrichment I could have. To that point, I had had a pretty standard high-achieving student experience: straight A’s, class valedictorian, laundry list of extra-curriculars. The fact that I was even entertaining traveling 2,500 miles from home to go to school reflected the high regard I held for Wharton, and if I were to pursue this path, surely I would want to max out on all this elite institution had to offer by way of business instruction and business opportunities. To hear him speak of growing my non-business sides, and then have this impromptu exchange with one of his students to practically insist that she spend the summer underwater in Hawaii, was truly a record-scratch moment for me. 

I did decide to go to Penn, and Dr. Whitney served as my Wharton advisor. He got me into every class I wanted to take and suggested many I never would have considered. He even, as an outspoken atheist, encouraged my newfound Christian beliefs, insisting that I use my senior thesis project to explore the intersection between faith and business, an academic assignment that has profoundly shaped how I carry myself to this day. 

I will pick up this topic in my next post, but let me stop here. Dr. Whitney, thank you for taking the time to instruct and advise and inspire me. Last month’s dinner reinforced for me the impact he had in my life, and that he positively touched so many before and after me. We are lucky to have people like this in our lives, and all we can do when given such a blessing is be thankful for it and try to pay it forward to others.