When the bell rang for second period, Career and Technical Education students didn’t rush to their usual classes to learn about Government or English poetry. Instead, they crowded in the black box to hear John Donovan, the senior executive vice president of AT&T, give a speech.
“The speaker was very insightful and helped me realize that I shouldn’t do everything for the money,” senior Sophie Wauters said.
One hundred and fifty students were selected to attend the event, which was organized by Hospitality teacher Bobbie Weir.
Donovan started by describing the hardships of growing up in a house with 14 people and sharing one bathroom with them.
“I come from humble beginnings,” Donovan said. “I was behind economically and maturity-wise.”
He told students how he started from a lower point than them and worked hard to become successful.
“He inspired me because he’s successful,” senior Jacob Hose said.
As a teenager, Donovan said he cared only about being cool and looking tough. He told students that his mindset changed when he heard one teacher describe him as lazy.
Donovan recounted how his father told him he couldn’t return home after he left for college. Four years later, Donovan graduated sixth in his class from Notre Dame.
He told students that at first, he wanted to study accounting just because his father did and that he only decided not to because he felt accounting wasn’t his calling.
“The only thing that matters at the end of the day is the bar you set for yourself,” Donovan said.
Donovan’s experiences include working with Steve Jobs on the iPhone and improving Android-based smart phones.
After they listened to the speech and asked questions, students said that Donovan showed them that their individual decisions and actions matter.
Others liked the way Donovan spoke about staying true to themselves.
“I liked his speech and how he was telling students to be themselves and not something else,” senior Chris Kelley said.
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