My Farewell Address to GAM

The following was a speech I gave at Great American Mentoring's Bon Voyage Ceremony on Thursday, May 5, 2011, upon passing the torch to a new Captain.

My Fellow GAMers and Guests,

It has been a great honor to serve as Captain of the Manhattan chapter of Great American Mentoring for these past two years. I am proud of our members and of our many accomplishments. During my tenure as Captain, GAM was awarded the Outstanding Student Organization award by the Office of Student Affairs and the Student Organization of the Year award by the Student Government Association. But most importantly, our greatest accomplishment was that we built a vast network of mutually beneficial partnerships through the exchange of value for value. In essence, we created a stronger community, not based on any immoral altruistic motives of sacrificing our needs for the needs of others, but by pursuit of our own self-interest, knowing that a stronger community is of benefit to each one of us as individuals. Why is this important? Because I have been labeled a “servant leader” by the NYIT community. A "servant leader" by definition is one who is in a position of power or influence and is compelled to sacrifice his needs for the needs of the people he serves. I denounce this label. When I became Captain of GAM, I did not do so sacrificially because it was something I had wanted and something that would benefit my life in the long-run. I had a self-interest in helping the people around me, and in providing opportunities for the members of GAM to succeed themselves, because that would give me a good reputation as a student leader and a track record of success, which it did. By the same people who falsely branded me a “servant leader,” I was awarded Outstanding Student Leader of the Year and Outstanding Club President of the Year. But there was nothing sacrificial about my leadership and the result was both myself and the members of GAM benefitted and we enriched the NYIT community as a whole. This is the virtue of selfishness. What is interesting is that most people abide by this moral code but lack the integrity to admit it not only to the people around them, but most importantly, to themselves. Integrity is an integral part of leadership.

So how did I come to an understanding of such a revolutionary philosophy? It all goes back to my sophomore year, where by chance, I had signed up for Judge Gregorek’s history class in the Fall of 2008. Upon walking into his classroom, I was a man who lacked self-esteem. Little did I know, meeting him would be a positive turning-point in my life that would fundamentally change me for the better. He explained the formation of a club, GAM,  developed on the premise of “business sense and social grace.” Having been the Vice President of my high school’s business club, DECA, (and severely lacking social grace) I was interested. That was until he held up this monstrosity, Atlas Shrugged. Suddenly my interest faded. However, it was through Gregorek’s persistence and my ambition that eventually led me to attend the first GAM meeting, where I had volunteered to be Chief Mate, the Vice President of the club. In the coming months, I would endure endless nagging to read Atlas Shrugged. Finally, after being promoted to Captain, I caved. As I turned the last page of the book in early September 2009, I knew my life would not be the same. This book instilled in me a new perspective on life based on a concrete set of values and principles, and most importantly restored my self-esteem. Selfishness is a virtue only the individual with self-esteem can truly understand and appreciate. Take note that true selfishness is not about short-term gain. A businessman who defrauds his customers will not be in business for long, and in retrospect, is acting self-destructively, not selfishly. It is about the creation of an environment that promotes the individual’s long-term survival and happiness. This can only be done through the creation of win-win, mutually beneficial relationships, relationships where both parties gain benefit. It is this premise that serves as the building blocks for a stronger community. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the legacy I leave here, and I cannot thank my mentor, Judge Gregorek, enough.  In the name of the best within us, I thank you and bid you farewell.