Dear Students,

To start, I would like to thank each and every one of you that came to listen to my presentation, ‘Profitability and Purpose: How Young Professionals Are Reshaping America Through Social & Digital Entrepreneurship’.  It has been an honor to meet such respectful, ambitious, and curious audiences across all five classes.  Having listened to your questions and read through your reflection letters, I can say that you are all very brilliant and have very bright futures ahead.

I was happy to be met with warm welcomes in each class, and to be a part of some engaging conversations, answering some unexpected questions that truly changed the way I see the world.  It was from speaking with you all which informed me of the challenges young entrepreneurs and students alike face in the country of Cambodia.  While I am not an expert (yet), it was this experience that has now motivated me to dive deeply into issues of limited capital access in countries like Cambodia; to make our institutions across the globe more just.

 While those discussions opened my eyes to global challenges, my own challenge came in a more personal form: the fear of presenting.  As I explained to a few classes, I was very nervous about presenting this past week.  Before my first presentation at NUM, I had a panic attack and considered giving up the whole thing.  But, I quickly realized that doing so would only hinder my learning and rob every class of an exciting experience: the alignment of and interaction with differing world views.

In fact, had I given up on this project, I would have gone against many of the lessons that I presented to you guys.  First, to expect nothing of the environments you enter—no matter how familiar or novel they may be.  Second, to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Finally, to treat every opportunity as a privilege. 

I was only nervous because I expected every class to judge my every move, and this made me uncomfortable with the prospect of speaking.  Even just the thought of giving up would mean turning down an opportunity to improve my confidence and public speaking skills; and—most importantly—connecting with amazing groups of students.  In the end, it was following those three rules that made me work up the courage to face my fears.

This has been an experience of a lifetime—one I will reflect on for years to come.  I hope you all learned as much from me as I learned from you.  I hope you all achieve your personal and professional goals and reach the ultimate goal of life as I see it: happiness.  To end, I would like to share with you all a quote I was asked to share in my last presentation at NUM:

“Seek out opportunities in fields you are willing to fail in. To fail is an opportunity to learn new things—not to dwell in the past on ‘what could have been’. Failure builds character.”  

Respectfully yours,

Angelo Wells