Finding Your Greatness: A Journey to Purpose and Impact
Searching for a New Direction
In the mid-2000s, as I neared the end of my career at New York Life, I found myself reflecting on how to spend my retirement years. With a varied career behind me, I was seeking to discover a new direction—one that could combine my passions and my faith.
My path had been unconventional. In the early 1970s, after earning a degree from Amherst College, I taught junior high school while working toward a master’s degree in mathematics at Wayne State University (WSU). Fast forward thirty years, and once again, I was searching for meaning in the next phase of my life.
An Evening of Inspiration
During this time, WSU President Irvin Reid invited my wife, Sue, and me to dinner and the opera in New York City. As we chatted about WSU’s educational initiatives—especially the Math Corps program—I was inspired.
The Math Corps, founded by WSU professors Steve Kahn and Leonard Boehm, works with underprivileged students, helping them master calculus while still in high school. It’s a program that not only improves academic outcomes but instills a belief in each student’s inherent greatness.
Math Corps isn’t for the gifted; it’s for ordinary students who might otherwise be labeled “remedial.” It helps them build skills, confidence, and, most importantly, self-respect. The success of this program reminded me of the 1980s movie Stand and Deliver, where an inner-city teacher empowers his students to achieve unprecedented success in mathematics.
Witnessing the Impact
The Math Corps has worked wonders in Detroit, and I was fortunate enough to witness its impact firsthand. A few years ago, Sue and I visited a fifth-grade class at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, where Leonard Boehm was teaching. Despite being just weeks into the school year, the students were engaged, motivated, and mastering difficult concepts. Watching Leonard in action reignited my own passion for teaching.
But I also began to question myself: Was I using my gifts fully? Was I making a lasting impact?
A Life-Changing Conversation
The answer came unexpectedly a few months later when I attended a Detroit Tigers game with Steve Kahn, one of the Math Corps founders. As we sat together, the conversation veered into a profound discussion of purpose.
Steve shared how, as a young teacher, he had been assigned to work with a group of troubled, inner-city students—kids who had been expelled and were sent to a special, detention-like school. At first, Steve felt overwhelmed and unsure of his ability to make a difference.
But it was in confronting that challenge that Steve discovered his own gift for teaching and realized a universal truth:
“Every human being has inherent greatness,” he said.
He went on to share inspiring stories of students who, against all odds, went on to earn college degrees and become teachers or professionals in math-related fields.
The Message Becomes Clear
As I listened, I was deeply moved. Steve’s passion was palpable, and his belief in the potential of each individual was inspiring. He explained that the real strength of the Math Corps wasn’t just the academic success but the personal transformation it fostered. The program emphasized mutual respect, self-confidence, and, most importantly, discovering and using one’s own “greatness.”
As I absorbed his words, my emotions surged. Here was a man who had found his purpose and was changing lives. And in that moment, God’s message to me became clear: Find your greatness. Use it for the greatest good.
That day, as I left the game, I knew what I had to do. I could no longer neglect my spiritual growth or my family. My “greatness” wasn’t about what I could achieve in business or personal success—it was about making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. I had to find a way to use my gifts to serve, uplift, and impact those around me.
It was a life-changing realization that continues to guide me today.