Hard Work Meets Luck

Recently, I had the great privilege of speaking with Guy Raz on his (wildly) popular, "How I Built This" podcast, which is a milestone for any entrepreneur. After our conversation, I found myself reflecting on my past a bit more than usual and with the curiosity of a keen-eyed observer, looking for clues as to how this all happened in the first place.

November 1996, Santa Cruz (east side, very important to note): early morning dense fog gives way to brilliant sun on glassy water dotted with ink blot patient surfers as I pull out the mail from the fire engine mailbox sitting slight askew at the edge of our front yard (an ode to my fire captain step-father).

I had applied for early admission to Pepperdine University; the idea to go there had been born by a somewhat narrow search for a small, liberal arts private colleges on the west coast which could satiate both my lifelong passion for dance and also provide the onboard ramp into a career - of which I had determined would be broadcast journalism after a short stint interning for the local anchorwoman, Dina Ruiz, at KSBW.

Reading the admission letter telling me YES they wanted ME to attend their school was thrilling and yet as I looked for more paperwork indicating there would be no financial assistance in such an adventure, my heart sank. Upon further investigation, it seemed that my family's financial status fell into the middle zone - not enough money to pay tuition and not enough lack of income to warrant financial aid. In hindsight, I realize that I was privileged, however at the time I knew I had to make other plans

Months later as I was about to send in my acceptance and deposit to another (less expensive) college, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was heading down the wrong path. My mom suggested that I write a letter to the university financial aid department explaining my situation and asking for any kind of appeal. The idea made me scoff as a 17 year old would at her ridiculous optimism that a letter could change the finite decision that was made to close the door on my ability to attend the university.

But still, I wrote about my ambitions and the way in which I felt the university could be the perfect environment for me to pursue my passion of broadcast journalism (they had a working television station serving the local community). Mailing the letter felt silly, but I did it anyway. Here's the point in the story where the great mystery remains because someone received that letter and someone read the letter and then (maybe?) that same someone decided to grant my appeal for financial aid. All I've ever known is that one day, about three weeks later, my mom walked into our house with a broad smile on her face and a very thick envelope in her hand.

Inside the envelope was a full financial aid package. Sure, it included student loan debt that would follow me well into my adulthood, a job at the Communications department where I would work for the entirety of my college tenure for free (answering the phone, "Communications Department, this is Julia" to the giggling of my best friends who had plenty of time to prank me), and still required my parents to stretch as far as they possibly could... but it was POSSIBLE and I was going.

The rest is history and available in Guy's podcast. But I will say this, my answer to his question about how much of why am I here is due to luck vs. hard work is based on the fact that there is always room for the hard working to find fortune and if you're lucky enough to find it, never take it for granted.

How did one stepping stone or one person affect the outcome of your path?

PS. If you worked in the Financial Aid department at Pepperdine in the Spring of 1997 and you read my letter, thank you from the bottom of my heart.