‘’Harvard is only for rich kids’’. Or not? Read Alan's story!
This interview is a part of the Millennial Champions series featuring the most creative, hard-working and successful young people globally. More info here. Brought to you by HeySuccess.com .
1. Alan, you a proof that incredible results can be achieved without being from a rich background and having all resources available. Can you share your amazing story with us?
My parents had promised to finally be present tonight so I wanted to surprise them.
That night, I did not choose to cook those “can-never-go-wrong” dinners like vapid fettuccini or customary pizza. Guided by my Italian grandmother’s secret recipe, I made my own version of her “Special Italian Lasagna,” my parents’ favorite, by adding cured ham to the mix. Embellished with an oozing four-cheese sauce, the final result was destined to make parents’ mouths water—or anyone else’s for that matter.
While I was cautiously placing the silverware on the table, the phone rang. “Ali, Dad and I will be skipping dinner tonight,” my mom remorsefully said. It was Friday and they had been doing so since Monday. As I stared at the neatly served, although empty, dining table I felt unfathomably grateful. I knew my parents’ reasons for being absent and, thus, I saved the remaining lasagna on the fridge, leaving them a note, which read “I love you, Alan.”
Due to my family’s humble financial background, paying for one of Argentina’s top bilingual schools was an arduous endeavor for my parents. The country’s economic instability pushed them to work extra hours, missing dinnertime for weeks in order to earn the required money. Most days, they would arrive home at ungodly hours, bearing obscure eye bags that reflected the painstaking pressure they endured. Still, they would enter our meager living room with a dazzling smile asking about my day. I was utterly curious in discovering where they found the strength to stay cheerful even through the harshest crises.
At the time of my graduation, December 2011, my family was subjugated by loans and mortgages due to my school’s fees. I was faced by a complex dichotomy, one that separated “the boy” from “the man” as in a rite of passage. I could either enroll in college and leave the economic burden to my parents, or delay the start of college to help them through.
Meditating on the issue, I realized my parents had given up on luxuries, vacations and eating lasagna with me to finance my schooling. This was because they had had faith that my bilingual education would lead our family to a better future. Abruptly, everything made sense: the reason behind my parents’ unyielding smile was me. After understanding that I was their source of hope, I was ready to commence manhood.
After graduating, I took a full-time job to help my parents–a decision I will never regret.
My work environment, however, had dauntingly different rules when compared to school. In fact, I no longer was the spoiled top-of-the-class student. As a result of this dissimilarity, I developed fresh new traits. The first few months, for example, helped me improve my reaction to setbacks–I learned to deal with being blackmailed, discredited and threatened as I escalated my way through the basics. Following my parents’ footsteps, I practiced keeping a radiant smile during chaos. Propelled by my desire to vanquish my family’s never-ending economic disorder, I learned to never give up hope.
Fortunately, I was able to work hand-in-hand with the internet to keep myself academically active. Online college courseware videos, on behalf of free websites like edX, Coursera and MIT Open Courseware, turned into my classroom during weekends and nights. This “informal” learning literally changed my life. Just to set an example, it was due to an MIT course called “Challenges of Global Poverty” that I ventured into applying for one of the 100 internationals seats at the South American Business Forum; not only was I accepted but my essay, which was based on what I had learnt at my online course, was distinguished and I was invited to be one of the only 6 student speakers of the conference. Likewise, thanks to Delft University of Technology’s “Solar Energy” online course I was invited to the Young Leaders Debate, an energy-oriented student-run debate forum.
Additionally, through internet and youth debate platforms, I came across compelling stories and inspiring young people from all over the world. With the help of these stimulating experiences with students who shared my interests and passions, I was able to learn about different cultures and fields of study, experiment with entrepreneurship and even launch my own personal projects. Similarly, I also worked with local volunteer campaigns, mostly related to teaching in underprivileged regions of Buenos Aires city. These experiences radically shaped me as human being too. I came across, for example, young students who, even surrounded by the harshest conditions, wanted to study more than anything else because they had total faith in education as a tool for success; they were true embodiments of hope.
Nowadays, I firmly believe that hope is the difference between a vacuous and blissful life. Hope inspires us to expand our limits, to impact our community and to innovate. Imagine being sentenced to eat tasteless fettuccini every night; that is what a life without hope would feel like, insipid! We need hope to free us from our fear-of-failure and to motivate us to cook some delicious Special Italian Lasagna.
After almost two years of unrelenting hard work, on August 2013, my parents and I finished paying all the debts my education had amounted to. That night, as I stared at the neatly served, but this time crowded, dining table I, again, felt unfathomably grateful. Moreover, the celebratory Special Italian Lasagna on my plate stood as proof of my accomplishments and reminded me that it was now time to head to college.
It was at that point that I thought “Why do I have to keep on studying via internet? Cannot I apply to study at these wonderful universities instead of just watching their videos?” At first it seemed like a joke, but it slowly became a reality. I practiced day and night and sat for my standardized American examinations; then, I wrote and re-wrote day and night my application essays, trying to make them fully reflect who I was as a person; lastly, I waited day and night for the college decisions to be released. After getting rejected by multiple colleges, I received an unexpected letter on March 27th around 8:15 pm Argentine Time: “Dear Mr. Bidart, Congratulations! I am delighted to inform you that the Committee on Admissions has admitted you to the Class of 2018.” I cried, and then laughed, and then cried again; after being rejected by all the colleges I selected as “safe choices” Harvard College, one of the masterminds behind the edX platform, invited me to join their class of 2018. I even received a congratulations video from Mark Zuckerberg, who was studying at Harvard too when he created Facebook.
But that was not all, the acceptance letter was unfortunately not enough for me to attend. I hugely depended on financial aid. The next day I was contacted by the Financial Aid Office, who requested multiple documents from my family in order to estimate how much aid I will be receiving in case I accepted my offer of admission. I had heard from other people that dealing with scholarships would be really hard. Hence, because of my family’s limited budget, I started preparing an appeal letter as soon as I submitted the financial documentation to Harvard because I was afraid they would not understand what my financial need was. Exactly one week later, the university sent me a financial aid award letter and I showed too my father. He is a very stern man, but he immediately broke into tears: in a big red box the university had highlighted that my family’s expected contribution was $0—my father quickly understood that despite his limited level of English.
A deeper look into the letter explained I had been granted 100% financial aid, the most special award, and that my package includes tuition, board and rooming, money for personal expenses, travel allowance, and a high quality health insurance (something my parents could never afford to cost for me in Argentina). That day, a dream came true.
2. Why you never accepted giving up as an option? What gave you courage to fight for better future and better you despite initial disadvantages you experienced? If you try to imagine yourself without taking that path you took, but accepting a “reality” that you can’t go to University instead, how would your life be different and you as a person?
When I was a kid, my parents wanted me to learn English. My father had been a 20th century entrepreneur since he finished high school, and, having worked through countless jobs, he always felt he lacked English proficiency in order to qualify for better positions within the work environment. Thus, I was enrolled me in a demanding but expensive bilingual school. Despite their humble background, my parents thought, characterized by an outstanding entrepreneurial urge, that they would be able to tackle the cost of my education with hard work and dedication. Sadly, crisis struck: 2001 was probably Argentina’s most economically-chaotic year in history and my father’s business went bankrupt. We quickly lost our house and assets and were forced to rent a very small house.
At this point, my family had to debate between switching me to a public school, because the increasing fees were becoming unbearable, and fully investing in my education, without knowing how long the crisis would last. My family picked the latter, and, thanks to the compelling sacrifices of my parents, grandparents and even step-brothers, we endured the Argentine hyperinflation.
Growing up in this hard-work atmosphere which recognized education as a priceless blessing had a huge impact on me. For example, I witnessed my parents coping with multiple jobs and never-ending extra-hours, all because they wanted me to learn English and go to college, something they could not do. Following their steps inspired me to always work at my best and never give up, just like they did not give up their dream due to the economic crisis and its long-lasting implications. Furthermore, whenever I need courage to succeed, all I have to do is recall images from those days: they fill me with positive energy because my family pragmatically demonstrated me that nothing is impossible.
It is actually ironic that my family now claims I have proven them that nothing is impossible with my Harvard acceptance letter and scholarship, when they had already proven that to me years ago. They were particularly surprised with the result of my college applications mainly because I had not picked a typical path after leaving school. As previously explained, I chose to focus on helping my family and I will never lament that decision. Had I chosen to give my main attention to college instead, my family situation would have probably sorted out due to my parents’ efforts, but their health would be carrying part of that burden. On top of this, if I had not picked an unconventional path, I am certain that I would today know very little about life itself, about the importance of a resiliency, and I would have never shown anyone that dreams do come true when you fight for them.
3. You are starting studies at the Harvard University in few months. Can you tell us more about it? What are your future plans? How will you seize your four years at the Harvard?
I will be starting my studies at Harvard in less than a month and I know that the transition will be hard; for example, saying “goodbye” to your family knowing that you will not be back for a long time is something no one is prepared for. However, my family’s love and my friends’ support have made me strong and I am positive that I will soon overcome the mixed feelings of departure.
As soon as I get to the United States I will participate in Harvard’s orientation programs. Luckily the university has one for International students and another one for pre-freshmen: because both education and culture are very different in my country, I know I will need a lot of guidance in order to make the best out of my 4 years in Boston. Finally, after the orientation programs, I will pick my courses and move to my new college dorms with my roommates.
I also plan to buy a guitar as soon as I get to the United States. Despite the fact that academic courses will be very time-consuming I also want to devote some my time to music, and I know that the campus will be a great environment to start a rock band. Music has been crucial dealing not only with the American College application process, but also with all of the daunting problems that have affected me in the past.
In fact, given that my last name is “Bidart,” my close friends always tell the following story: Like Yin and Yang entwine to control the universe in Chinese philosophy, there are two opposing forces that steadfastly struggle to lead me: “Bid” and “Art.” Bid pushes me towards challenging myself and expanding my personal horizons, while Art inspires me to express my feelings and communicate with others. Under the influence of music, however, these forces, which my friends conjured up as a joke to explain my multidimensional personality, cease to clash. For instance, when playing an instrument or listening to a record, both Bid and Art—my analytical and creative brain hemispheres—feel utterly enthused and, thus, cooperate. When my complementing personalities unite, I can attain peace of mind; encouraged by music, I can think clearly and work unremittingly. This extracurricular activity will be a must to manage stress while living on campus.
All I can say is that understanding our inner selves is crucial in order to realize our full potential. Music helps me do this. Actually, if it was not for it, I would always be Bid or Art, but never Alan Bidart. This is why I must that stress that everyone should engage in at least one activity with the ultimate aim of getting in touch with their inner selves—this could be anything, ranging from drama to yoga.
Besides my long-term plans related to keep up with music and playing on a band, I dream of obtaining a Bachelors Degree with a major in Mathematics or Physics. I am also considering a double major. The truth is that during the last years my only connection with the realm of numbers and vectors has been through online courseware; now I am thrilled to finally start and focus in studying what a love, in a non-virtual class environment where I will be able to fully interact with my teachers and classmates.
The University also gives tons of paid-work opportunities to students. Personally, I look forward towards becoming a research assistant at some scientific project, this will be crucial in order to make my first steps in the field of science and investigation. Moreover, being a little bit older than the normal college freshman and having passed through multiple tough life situations and work environments, I think I have the preparation needed to deal with a challenging job like this during my first year in Boston.
Outside the college, I also expect to continue my work with international student organizations. Entrepreneurship has been a vital piece of my life; an adventurous mindset was fundamental to face all the hindrances I encountered and to establish strong bonds with other youth that inspired me. I currently work in Pangea, an international student-run platform that has the aim of empowering people in the 16-25 age range. Similar youth-oriented platforms, like Hey Success or the South American Business Forum, helped me flourish in the past. Hence, I am now glad to be working in a startup whose goal revolves around unleashing the power within young students from all over the world. This is the best way to show gratitude for and celebrate all the motivation I received from other student organizations which ultimately led me to fulfill my college dreams.
Unfortunately, there is not much more I can say about my future. Because Harvard endows its undergraduates with myriad and diverse growth opportunities, everything is now covered by a veil of uncertainty—and I mean this in a good way—, so only God knows where I will end up. Nevertheless, there is one thing I can say for sure: my friends and family have made a lot of sacrifices for me to earn this invaluable scholarship and now I am compelled to work at my best to get the most out of my 4 years at Boston and make them proud.
4. What would you advice to all young people globally who are discouraged to believe in their own dreams and who are pessimistic about their future?
Let me start by sharing a personal story called the “Bid/Art Duality” that was crafted by some of my closest friends back in Argentina:
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Like Yin and Yang entwine to control the universe in Chinese philosophy, there are two opposing forces that steadfastly struggle to lead me: “Bid”[1]and “Art”[2]. Bid pushes me towards challenging myself and expanding my personal horizons, while Art inspires me to express my feelings and communicate with others.
Under the influence of music, however, these forces cease to clash. When playing an instrument or listening to a record, for example, both Bid and Art—my analytical and creative brain hemispheres—feel utterly enthused and, thus, cooperate. When my complementing personalities unite, I can attain peace of mind; encouraged by music, I can think clearly and work unremittingly.
Understanding our inner selves is crucial in order to realize our full potential. This is why I devote time to music. In fact, if it was not for it, I would always be Bid or Art, but never Alan Bidart.
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One of the most important features of a well-thought plan is understanding. This does not involve just comprehending what are the steps that need to carried out as part of the plan, but also having a clear idea of the why, when, where, how was the plan originated, which ideas, hopes or cravings led to its creation.
Realizing our dreams is also usually a long-term and demanding (although completely possible) plan that we design on our own. Thus, it is vital to fully recognize the why, when, where and how of our project as well if we want to make the most out of it. However, in order to see this characteristics we must first understand our inner selves. It is only then that we will be able to weave a well-thought plan that will drive us forward towards our goals.
Again, this is the reason why I play music. When I sit down and practice, there is something special in the air. There are no extravagant daydreams of being an influential guitarist or drummer, but rather the will to spend time with myself; I ask myself question and, somewhat magically, my inner self responds with some combinations of chords and rhythms (sometimes even throwing in some unintelligible lyrics along). Those seemingly trivial moments have always been a source of personal equanimity as well as the starting point of all of my past ventures.
If you are feeling discouraged, unstable or unpassionate, chances are that it is because you owe a talk to your inner self. And please do not get me wrong, by saying this I do not mean that everyone should go straight away to buy a bass guitar and a book on introductory music in order to improve their lives. If tennis is what you like, then you should spend more time practicing tennis and drop some other commitment, trying to connect with your deep feelings; if it is gym, then go to gym; if it is math, then do math.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, should find and spend at least 7 hours a week in that one activity that makes them feel special. Otherwise, communication within our inner thoughts and feelings will falter sooner or later. If you are still wondering what that activity may be, you can start by asking your friends, family or even teachers, they will probably have some interesting suggestions for you, given that they now you well.
Enhancing inner-communication is the first and foremost step towards identifying who we are. Once we learn to understand our inner selves, we can gradually redefine our dreams, based on what we truly desire/need, and discover the courage and determination to explore fresh new viable endeavors. Like in every team, better communication between the members implies a better project design/management capability, and this, in turn, optimizes the performance as well as the odds of success.
[1] According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word “Bid’ can be defined as “an attempt or effort to win, achieve, or attract”
[2] Again, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Art” can be defined as “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”