MIT will always be home
Four decades in the most stimulating square mile on the planet.
When I was a student, first in Venezuela and then in the US, I never imagined that I would come to MIT. But once I got here, it quickly became clear that I would never leave.
As a junior faculty member, I was delighted by the stimulating company of MIT faculty, staff, and students. I had never seen anything like it—students who question you, push you, make you better … make you smarter. And then, of course, these inspiring students become inspiring alumni.
From the start, I saw MIT as my home. But it was different then. On several sides, the campus bumped up against empty lots and half-abandoned buildings—a far cry from the “most innovative square mile on the planet.” You could barely get a sandwich in the area, much less stumble upon countless high-tech companies, startups, and entrepreneurs.
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Much has changed at the Institute in 40 years, but not the caliber of the people who come here. The MIT community is, as it always has been, a place where bold, curious, quirky, determined people develop their talents and work together to make the world better.
I am proud to be part of this community, where I have had the opportunity to take on several roles: professor, department head, provost, president … and yet, never alumnus. All this time, and I still don’t have an MIT degree!
But I share with Institute alumni a profound appreciation for this special place. MIT is the most intense and exciting community I have ever been part of. It has been a privilege to serve as its president and to experience the energy, the vision, the sheer world-changing brilliance, of MIT’s great global family.
