Robben Island to Wall Street

28 Searching for a career

0DERSDQH ZDV ZKHUH ZH EURXJKW XS RXU FKLOGUHQ LQ WKH HDUO\ V 'HVSLWH WKH WKULYLQJ FRPPXQLW\ RI D JRRG PL[ RI \RXQJ SURJUHVVLYH SURIHVVLRQDO $IULFDQV ± QXUVHV WHDFKHUV GRFWRUV DQG ODZ\HUV D VHQVH RI GHSULYDWLRQ VWLOO SUHYDLOHG IXUWKHU DJJUDYDWHG E\ WKH FOHDU DQG YLVLEOH FRQWUDVW EHWZHHQ EODFN DQG ZKLWH OLIH DQG OLYLQJ $ ORZ OHYHO ZKLWH ZRUNHU VD\ D UDLOZD\ SROLFHPDQ RU D IRUHPDQ LQ D IDFWRU\ RU DW WKH R൶FHV RI WKH PXQLFLSDOLW\ ZRXOG OLYH FORVHU WR WKH FLW\ LQ D KRXVH WKUHH WLPHV WKDW RI PLQH +H ZRXOG RZQ SURSHUW\ WZLFH ZKDW , UHQWHG DQG FRXOG RQO\ UHQW EXW QRW RZQ DOO WKH URDGV DURXQG KLP WDUUHG WKH DPHQLWLHV VXSSRUWHG D FLW\ KDOO FOLQLF DQG ¿UVW ZRUOG VFKRROV DW KLV GLVSRVDO $W WKH HQG RI WKH \HDU KH FRXOG D൵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skin. ,Q , OHIW WKH IDPLO\ RZQHG SDSHU DQG SXOS FRPSDQ\ LQ 3UHWRULD DQG MRLQHG RQH RI WKH ODUJHU ¿UPV WKH 6ZLVV RZQHG &LED *HLJ\ LQ 6SDUWDQ MXVW RXWVLGH -RKDQQHVEXUJ DJDLQ DV DQ DFFRXQWLQJ FOHUN %XW WKLV WLPH , UHSRUWHG WR WKH &KLHI $FFRXQWDQW 0U %DVVL 7KDW ZDV E\ WKH GD\V¶ VWDQGDUGV D YHU\ SUHVWLJLRXV RSSRUWXQLW\ 7KH 6ZLVV ZHUH WU\LQJ KDUG WR FUDFN WKH GHOLELWDWLQJ MRE UHVHUYDWLRQ UHVWULFWLRQ DQG , ZDV WKH ¿UVW EODFN SURIHVVLRQDO DW WKLV ¿UP WR EH EURXJKW LQWR WKH FRUSRUDWH KHDG R൶FH DPRQJ D VHD RI ZKLWH IDFHV ,W EHFDPH REYLRXV WKDW WKLV ZDV D GHOLFDWH H[SHULPHQW DQG , IHOW OLNH WKH SURYHUELDO JXLQHD SLJ +RZHYHU , ZDV FDXWLRXVO\ ZHOO UHFHLYHG E\ WKH PDMRULW\ RI WKH SHRSOH WKHUH ,W ZDV TXLWH LQWULJXLQJ WKDW ZKLOH ZH KDG WKDW FRPUDGHVKLS DQG SURIHVVLRQDO IUDWHUQLW\ RQ WKH MRE FRPH

222