Delta Kappa Epsilon - Colgate University

4 Yon Clarion Bell SCHOLARSHIP DOLLARS IN ACTION A Reflection from Scholarship Recipient Mike Abrahamson '11 I started graduate school in public policy last year in order to pivot career paths from public/nonprofit communications to work that could more significantly help improve the lives of people in my community, and to learn the quantitative and economic skills necessary to succeed in that. After my first year of studying, I was selected by the Chicago Mayor's office as a mayoral fellow, which has the dual advantage of being the country's most prestigious municipal fellowship and to have amazing access to work on issues that affect millions of people in Chicago—pretty much exactly what I wanted to do (and what DKE helped make possible). Through the fellowship, I completed several high-level projects for various offices and sister agencies throughout the city, using both my marketing/ communications background and the quantitative skills I'm learning at UChicago. I'm still working on many of these projects, as I've been hired on through the year in addition to my full-time studies. The highlight has been working to implement my New Ideas proposal for Chicago, which I presented this summer for the city's top policymakers. If successful, the project has the potential to help many more under- resourced Chicago students earn a fully funded college education by enhancing the marketing of an amazing scholarship program. The work is ongoing, hence the lack of specifics, but I'm happy to talk more about this with anyone who's interested. Graduate school has also been going incredibly well. Despite not having taken a math class since I was 17 (and being really worried about that), I've excelled at UChicago's quantitative curriculum, and am on track to graduate with honors. It turns out that I really like microeconomics, statistics/econometrics, finance, and game theory. As much as it makes me question why I was strictly an English major at Colgate, I already find the combination of skill types useful in policy work. Outside of school last year, I was a senior editor of the Chicago Policy Review (one of the few first-years to hold that position) and I consulted with a legal aid organization, a new school initiative, and an ed-tech startup throughout the year. This year I'm working on a consulting team with Booth MBA students to train policy consultants from my school on how to work with local nonprofits. Thanks again to the scholarship committee for helping to make all of this possible, and for the opportunity for further support as I continue along this path. Barry ridings '74 reflects on His Mu of DKE experience A lthough Barry Ridings '74 has hundreds of memories from his years at Colgate, there are a few that will always stand out: Whit, the Chapter cook, serving as a motherly figure; showering with cold water when the boiler broke; meeting his future wife; and taking roadtrips with brothers to name a few. "Although college was only four years, all those memories are still vivid 40 years later." Barry treasures these memories and continues to make new ones with DKE brothers he's kept in touch with. "The bonds we formed at the house are still strong," he said. During his time, everyone had a nickname, his being Bronco. Today, the group of friends continues to get together at an annual fishing trip in Cape May. Some in attendance have included Bill Johnston '73 (Bunky), Steve Bajus '73 (Mad Dog), Mitch Umanoff '73 (Mitchie), Robert Risley '73 (Ratso), Jim O'Brien '73 (Roast), Paul Hayes '73 (Leo), Sam Lee '73 (Skin), Dave Desmond '73 (Desi), and Ron Carrigan '73 (Ozone). "There's a bunch of guys who still talk and email each other and I see a lot of them, like Henry Stimson '78, Tad Aery '74, Jim O'Hara '74 and my brother, Keith Ridings '81," he said. Barry joined the Deke house in 1970 with a group of friends and knowing a few of the upperclassmen brothers. Throughout his collegiate experience, he held offices within DKE, was vice president of the senior class, an IFC officer, and was part of the senior honor society, Konosoni. "As an officer in the Deke house, people looked up to you to lead the Chapter," he said. "I developed leadership and interpersonal skills and learned about teamwork with friends and colleagues. Those traits have been important in everything I've done since." After graduation, Barry earned his MBA from Cornell and landed his first job out of school at the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City. He then spent a number of years working on Wall Street and the last 20 years with Lazard as the vice chairman of the investment bank and co-head of the restructuring group. "I've seen a lot of problem companies doing restructuring for the past 45 years," he said. "Lehman Brothers, Fruit of the Loom, TWA, to name a few." Barry and his wife, Ann, have five grown sons and seven grandchildren. He is semi-retired, lives in Princeton, N.J., and spends his time babysitting his grandchildren. Barry can be reached at barry.ridings@lazard.com.

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