Lee Yih
Stanford Business School Reunion Essay
I think many would say that my life falls short of conventional expectations of what the life of a GSB grad should look like, 25 years after graduation; but I am content. I am currently the majority owner of the Kaplan Educational License in Hong Kong and China, a little "mom and pop" operation which struggled in the beginning but is now emerging as a cash calf.
After aborted stints in securities sales at Goldman Sachs (5 years), Morgan Stanley (4 years) and Lehman Brothers (3 years), I now spend my time pouring gasoline on local Chinese hopes of getting into the GSB, by training them to take a standardized American test called the GMAT. (Had I known in 1973 what I now know in 2,000, about scoring higher on this test, I would probably have felt less insecure about walking around with the Greatest Class ever.) Unfortunately, with approximately 7,000 applicants vying for only 360 spots, the task of gaining admission to the GSB is a bit more complex today, than merely achieving a 700 GMAT score. For lack of a better term, we are now saying it takes something called "EQ" (as well as IQ) to get into Stanford.
By my own standards of a "high" EQ score, my life also falls short. However, my capitulation to the sovereignty of God in my life and the embracing of redemption through Jesus Christ has brought me progress, albeit slow and difficult. In the area of SELF-AWARENESS and SELF-CONTROL, I realize that I can only achieve gains through the help of God's indwelling Spirit. In the area of MOTIVATION, I have changed my goals away from temporal ones (which do not satisfy) to eternal ones which represent the biggest balloon payment (and therefore the biggest gamble) in life. In the area of EMPATHY and SOCIAL SKILLS, I try my best to shed religiosity and become "real" in order to help people prepare for eternity after this very very short sojourn on this planet.
Yes, I face tension every day as I talk to aspirants to the Business School, in my daily work. On the one hand, I want their tuition fee, so I reminisce about being with the greatest people ever, in a most stimulating educational environment and gaining a degree which has opened so many many doors for me. On the other hand, I think about eternity and the real preparation they all must make in life.
Highlights:
30 year marriage to Miltinnie, my soul mate and best friend.
3 very special children:
David (24 autistic) attends Hong Kong Vocational Center
Christie (22) graduated from Harvard and working at Zefer as a consultant
Michael (21) a junior at Northeastern and the most electrifying Asian basketball player ever.
- Lee Yih