Donald’s early college years felt more like wandering than pursuing a dream. Without a clear roadmap or support system, he bounced from class to class, unsure of his direction and unsure of himself. “I started at 18 or 19, taking classes, thinking I knew what I wanted, but I really didn’t.” The transition from high school to college hit him harder than he expected. Soon life’s distractions pulled him completely off the academic track, and Donald put his degree on hold.
He had heard about the Alray Scholars Program when it launched in 2008, but never imagined he would apply—until he did. The first try didn’t go as planned. “The Applications Committee deemed me not ready,” Donald says, laughing. “They actually knew me better than I knew myself, because I definitely wasn’t ready.” At the time, he admits he was still unsure of what he wanted, juggling classes without a clear goal, and not fully prioritizing school. “I wasn’t taking it too seriously,” he admits, “I was one foot in, one foot out.” Looking back, he now sees that moment not as being turned away, but as being given the opportunity to become ready.
A few years later, a friend persuaded him to try again. This time, the timing was perfect. COVID‑19 had hit, life had slowed, and Donald was ready for change. He reapplied, was accepted, and met his Alray mentor, who was a great match. “It wasn’t just ‘Is your schoolwork done?’” Donald explains. “He asked about life, ‘What will it take for you to get from point A to B?’ Seeing his success and hearing his story made me think, ‘If he believes I can do this, what’s stopping me?’”
Together they set a single and simple goal: finish his bachelor’s degree. Donald chose the major Business Administration for the same reason he is now pursuing an MBA: “I’ve always been curious about how to build something from the ground up.” Whenever doubt crept in, his mentor returned to one question: Why? “Everybody wants a degree or a promotion—but why? He kept challenging me to know my reason.”
The breakthrough came when Donald texted his mentor: “Hey, I’m done. Completely done.” The reply still echoes in his mind: “This is monumental. You set a goal and achieved it, now take that same mindset into everything else.” Donald considers that mindset his greatest victory. “Most people point to the degree as their biggest accomplishment, but mine is perseverance. I didn’t know I had it in me.”
Looking back, the Alray Scholars Program is woven into every chapter of Donald’s story. “It shaped me into a better person and a better leader,” he says. Today, Donald proudly calls himself an Alray Graduate, not just because he earned a degree but because he proved to himself and others that with the right support and a clear “why,” success is possible. “It gives you another level of confidence,” he says of earning his degree. It became tangible proof that setting goals and staying consistent pays off.
Professionally, Donald is diving deeper into the finance sector while pursuing his MBA. Personally, he has embraced a new role as an informal mentor to friends who watched his journey from pause to persistence. “I want to start my own business in the next year or two, and teach others how to get from point A to B, whether that’s in business or in school. Some people call that mentorship but I look at it as a form of leadership.”
Donald’s story was captured and written by Julianne Stein.
“It wasn’t just ‘Is your schoolwork done?’ He asked about life, ‘What will it take for you to get from point A to B?’ Seeing his success and hearing his story made me think, ‘If he believes I can do this, what’s stopping me?’”