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Georgia Tech president: “Do what you can with what you have in front of you”

March 23, 2023 | 341 views

Dr. Ángel Cabrera, the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the first native of Spain to serve as president of an American university, was the 19th speaker in Darlington's annual Class of 1953 Lectureship Series today. 

“It was an incredible opportunity for our Upper School students to connect with someone who has had an incredible career,” said Vicki Vincent, director of alumni relations. “We appreciate Dr. Cabrera for taking the time to share his insights with our young people here at Darlington and are grateful to the Class of 1953 for establishing this annual lectureship that has brought so many interesting people to our campus." 

Cabrera earned his B.S. and M.S. in computer and electrical engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid before earning his M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology and cognitive science from Georgia Tech, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. 

"When I'm asked about my own career, I could tell you I had a perfect plan growing up. I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what had to be done ... but if I told you that, I would be lying," Cabrera told students. "Nothing like that happened ... I went to a school most of you have never heard of and I'm president of Georgia Tech. I did OK. So do not obsess with where you go to college. What you need to be worried about is when you get there ... make sure you take advantage of every opportunity that is given to you.

"Follow your passion. Have you heard that before?" he asked them. " ...The problem is, many of us ... have no idea what our passion is. It's not very useful advice ... My advice, which may be a little more practical, is instead of following your passion, experiment ... Try to find things that will be fitting to you, where you can find sense of purpose. Take classes in things you may not know about, maybe never even imagined that you were interested in. Experiment ... In college, you will find a whole world of activities you can sign up for."

As president during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cabrera led Georgia Tech through one of the most critical times in its history to break records in student applications and enrollment, graduation rates, and research awards. Today, the institution is one of the fastest-growing and most research-intensive universities in the nation, serving more than 45,000 students and receiving nearly $1.3 billion in annual research awards. 

Prior to his work at Georgia Tech, Cabrera spent seven years as president of George Mason University (GMU) in Virginia. During his presidency, GMU joined the top tier of research universities in the Carnegie Classification and was the fastest-growing institution in the state. Before leading GMU, he was president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, now part of Arizona State University, and dean of IE Business School in Madrid.

Reflecting on his own career experience, he advised students to be ready for adversity. "Some of you may have already had your ups and downs, and some of you are still young enough that you may not have had to face the downs of life, but you will," he said. "The reality is none of our lives will be what they are today because we deal with pain. We deal with failure. It is in dealing with those difficult moments of failure, of loss, of pain that we become who we are. So be ready for that ... Fail and deal with it because you will be a better person as a result of that."

As a business educator, Cabrera has played a key role in advancing professional ethics, internationalization and corporate social responsibility. In 2007, while serving as a senior advisor to the United Nations Global Compact, he was the lead author of the “Principles for Responsible Management Education” (PRME). A United Nations–supported initiative that advances sustainable development through management education, PRME has been adopted by more than 800 schools around the world. He is also a co-founder of the University Global Coalition, a global network of universities working in partnership with the United Nations in support of its Sustainable Development Goals.

Cabrera has been named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, a “Star of Europe” by Bloomberg Businessweek, a “Henry Crown Fellow” by the Aspen Institute, and a “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He has received honorary degrees from Miami Dade College and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and serves on the boards of the National Geographic Society, Harvard College Visiting Committee, Atlanta Committee for Progress, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Bankinter Innovation Foundation in Spain. 

"[In college], my obsession was to fit in. I was the foreign student. I was the guy with the funny accent, the funny name ... Most of you have gone through situations like that  -- whatever makes you different you sometimes wish didn't make you different," he said. "... As it turns out, it is not what makes you the same, it is what makes you different that will give you opportunities throughout your career and life ... It's not about fitting in; it's about standing out." 

In closing, Cabrera advised students, "Do what you can with what you have in front of you."

"Push yourself to do better," he said. "Experiment. Look for different paths. Test yourself. And have fun. Life is just absolutely a wonderful journey."

Click here to watch the full lecture, and click here to see photos from the event.

The Class of 1953 Lectureship Series was established in 2003 to commemorate the class’s 50th reunion.