By Anna Villoth, Staff Writer
Having a billionaire visit your university’s campus is a rarity, therefore it was a big deal when Ray Dalio, an American businessman, gave his alma mater a visit a couple of weeks ago.
Ray Dalio is known as a billionaire alumni, who graduated from Post to do notable things in the investment world. Every business major on campus was alerted about his arrival and every student was looking forward to hearing what he had to say.
In the 1970’s, Dalio applied to Post, where he focused his education on finance. Furthering his education, he attended Harvard business school where he received his MBA.
After his first year at Harvard, Dalio established a company with his fellow classmates that later became known as BridgeWater Associates. Subsequently, he became a hedge fund manager who served as co-chief investment officer of the world’s largest hedge funds in 1975 in New York.
Dalio’s experience and education shaped his strong reputation. Many students hope to follow the same path.
Many students in the business administration program view Dalio as an inspiration. Students see him as a great representation of the type of business leaders Post creates, and that he motivates students to always strive for excellence.
During his visit to campus, he was able to give an inspirational speech to the students of Post about his principles for success. Rather than speaking on financials, Dalio honed in on motivational topics for students regarding their life.
Dalio discussed how setbacks are a part of learning and explained to students that the mistakes you make now will shape you as a person and will ultimately reflect in your career.
“I appreciated his outlook on the world, and it was refreshing to hear life advice from someone who has established such an incredible career for themselves, but also valued the importance of the journey rather than the destination,” sophomore accounting and finance major Farah Alhayek stated.
Most people would have expected Dalio to talk about his experience with all things finance, but Dalio opened up more on his personal experience and values throughout his journey in life.
“I remember him distinctly discussing how you don’t fail until the game is over. It was honestly eye opening hearing such a successful person talk about the importance of making mistakes, and to always persevere,” sophomore economics and finance major Courtney Thomas stated.
Students took away lessons from this regarding how spending an immense amount of time and energy trying to be perfect in every area of your life can sometimes lead to forgetting that making mistakes isn’t the end of the world. The event shed light on how it is always important to appreciate every aspect of the adventure rather than solely focusing on the goal.
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