I still remember when, on August 9th, 2012, along with my two giant 29-inch suitcases, I left the 2500-year-old city Suzhou, where I was born, raised and lived for my entire 18 years of life. I took that 15-hour flight, napped a couple times, and landed in America. I knew I had always been interested in business, and wanted to go into the private sector after graduation. Little did I know that after I entered college, I would start to act like a zombie. Surrounded by thousands of aggressive students who also wanted to go into business, I spent less and less time with my friends, took classes that I was not interested in, and become more and more competitive. Even though I was truly passionate about what I was doing, I felt like I was losing myself. Neither did I know that two years later, I would be interning at a non-profit in Seattle and how much this experience would influence and reshape my career path.
I did not realize how Seattle has changed me until I had this one-on-one conversation with the CEO of my nonprofit partner Solid Ground this Thursday afternoon. Having worked at and served on the board of Boeing for over 20 years, Gordon started his career in the public sector in 2009. When we were talking about the differences of working in the private and public sectors, Gordon mentioned the different types of pressure he has experienced. “At Boeing I reported to my VP, and the job was definitely stressful. My supervisor, like most other ones, was unpredictable, and my job was to make him happy. While now there is no one directing me at Solid Ground, I’m responsible for people who don’t have a house to live, who cannot feed their children, who are in desperation and call Solid Ground for help.”
Throughout our conversation, I could still feel Gordon’s strong passion for business, which made this conversation more intriguing to me as I was able to connect myself with that. But Gordon’s words made me reconsider my choices. While the Boeing job definitely brought him glamor, his achievement came solely from the increasing numbers on the balance sheet and a bigger market share that Boeing holds. The impact he was making was obviously huge and rewarding - he helped shape one of the world’s biggest company, and has travelled to numerous countries to deliver Boeing’s message. However, if saying that the impact he made at Boeing was helping transfer wealth among the top 5% richest people in the world, the impact he is making at Solid Ground now is way more meaningful – to save the poor from hunger, homelessness and the poverty cycle which will influence generations to come.
I remember how surprised our group was to see the nice facilities and working environment when we visited the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I also remember talking with Barbara, Roshni, and my supervisor Mike about the differences between corporate sponsored non-profits and those who mainly rely on government funding. Corporate sponsored non-profits tend to have better employee benefits, and in contrast with the queries they have received, these organizations have been doing an amazing job in providing public services. Good employee benefits help attract talented people to the public sector, motivate them to work harder, and have in turn brought more benefits to society. But sadly, very few people, or only those wise as Bill Gates, are aware of that.
One of the biggest reasons I chose DukeEngage Seattle was because I wanted to take a break from the business track, to rediscover myself, and to retrieve my passion. I will still pursue my interest in business, but my experience in Seattle has made me realize why and how I want to do it – maybe in 30 years, I will have my own foundation.
Vera Zhang
Duke Student '16
I did not realize how Seattle has changed me until I had this one-on-one conversation with the CEO of my nonprofit partner Solid Ground this Thursday afternoon. Having worked at and served on the board of Boeing for over 20 years, Gordon started his career in the public sector in 2009. When we were talking about the differences of working in the private and public sectors, Gordon mentioned the different types of pressure he has experienced. “At Boeing I reported to my VP, and the job was definitely stressful. My supervisor, like most other ones, was unpredictable, and my job was to make him happy. While now there is no one directing me at Solid Ground, I’m responsible for people who don’t have a house to live, who cannot feed their children, who are in desperation and call Solid Ground for help.”
Throughout our conversation, I could still feel Gordon’s strong passion for business, which made this conversation more intriguing to me as I was able to connect myself with that. But Gordon’s words made me reconsider my choices. While the Boeing job definitely brought him glamor, his achievement came solely from the increasing numbers on the balance sheet and a bigger market share that Boeing holds. The impact he was making was obviously huge and rewarding - he helped shape one of the world’s biggest company, and has travelled to numerous countries to deliver Boeing’s message. However, if saying that the impact he made at Boeing was helping transfer wealth among the top 5% richest people in the world, the impact he is making at Solid Ground now is way more meaningful – to save the poor from hunger, homelessness and the poverty cycle which will influence generations to come.
I remember how surprised our group was to see the nice facilities and working environment when we visited the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I also remember talking with Barbara, Roshni, and my supervisor Mike about the differences between corporate sponsored non-profits and those who mainly rely on government funding. Corporate sponsored non-profits tend to have better employee benefits, and in contrast with the queries they have received, these organizations have been doing an amazing job in providing public services. Good employee benefits help attract talented people to the public sector, motivate them to work harder, and have in turn brought more benefits to society. But sadly, very few people, or only those wise as Bill Gates, are aware of that.
One of the biggest reasons I chose DukeEngage Seattle was because I wanted to take a break from the business track, to rediscover myself, and to retrieve my passion. I will still pursue my interest in business, but my experience in Seattle has made me realize why and how I want to do it – maybe in 30 years, I will have my own foundation.
Vera Zhang
Duke Student '16