A woman who spent time in jail and avoided school got a job at a diner, where a wealthy couple who ate there regularly offered to pay for her Harvard Business School tuition. When HBS waitlisted her, a man named Steve told her to withdraw her financial aid application because the couple would cover the cost.
How'd you get into Harvard Business School? Tell the story of your background. I'm one of three. We didn't really have parents. My two older sisters, they got really into academics and sports, and I became somebody that you would not want your kids hanging out with. I was partying all the time. I wouldn't go to school. I went to jail. I was just so disrespectful to everyone, and I got away with it because people felt sorry for me. After that, in getting my shit together, step one was getting a job. I'm working at this diner, and this couple would come in all the time. They never had kids. We just got along. That's the best way to explain it. I never told them about my upbringing. I think my coworkers probably did. This couple, I had no idea they were extremely wealthy. I always thought rich people were at fancy restaurants, but this couple's coming in, going to a diner, getting cheeseburgers each week. And when I was waitlisted, Steve said, you need to take yourself off of financial aid. They're going to take that into consideration. And I said, how am I going to take myself off aid? I have no money and this school is so expensive. And he said, we're going to pay for your school.
