Why an M.B.A. and Why Now?
Underdogs, improbable outcomes, perseverance, hope and the undefeated human spirit.
Go Fund Me and help me get my MBA https://www.gofundme.com/f/mylifeplus25
Some of you have asked the question, why an M.B.A. and why now? Instead of responding individually, I’ll devote this post to addressing your question. As I previously posted, when I graduated in 1999 with my B.B.A. I had every intention of pursuing my M.B.A. and J.D., but I was exhausted from the tedium of the classroom. In fact, in my final academic year I completed 30 credit hours in a single semester by moonlighting at another college and transferring the credits. I yearned for real world experience, and the classroom felt like so many life boxes on a form that I needed to check before my dreams could finally take flight.
Back then my aspirations were centered on the egocentric and materialistic nature of achievement, instead of the far more important question of how I could make the world a better place. But I didn't get the chance to see them through because of the lived tragedy, almost twenty years ago, of being falsely accused and convicted for a murder I didn't commit.
Which meant that the energy and passion that would have led to the achievement of my academic goals were instead devoted to the informal study of the law, for the purpose of filing my appeals in pursuit of justice, exoneration, and freedom. I spent years nestled away in dusty and forgotten prison law libraries reading outdated law reviews from Georgetown and Harvard, trying to understand how the Constitution’s Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment could somehow be ignored in my case for the purpose of convicting me—wrongfully—and how every court and court appointed attorney could so easily ignore the fact that I was never allowed to confront my only accuser. And through all those years spent in law libraries—some of the size of the broom closets—my academic dreams never died; in fact, my mental acuity was as sharp as ever. It was just that, given my circumstances, my priorities were centered on the injustices that had robbed me of my life, and luxuries like advanced degrees would have to wait.
A decision that was sort of made for me because on several occasions when I did speak with directors of education, administrators, and even the educators themselves, at the various prisons where I happened to find myself, about wanting to continue my academic pursuits the responses were always the same: “unfortunately, Mr. Chávez, we don't have funding for someone like you.”
What they meant to say was that an education requires time and resources and there is no point in devoting either of these things to someone who is already deemed dead by the courts. At least, that was the state legislature’s point of view as it allocated funds to prisons.
Yet, despite their inability to help me pursue higher academic achievements they presented me with other opportunities like tutoring ESL students in mathematics as they prepared for their GED exams. In exchange for my efforts they allowed me to request almost any nonfiction book from public libraries through an interlibrary loan program. It wasn’t ideal, but at the very least it allowed me to stay relevant on current thinking, policy, and politics. I studied calculus, quantum theory, economics, political science, philosophy and literature. And oftentimes felt like a living, breathing Edmond Dantés from the Dumas classic “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
Throughout the years I kept thinking and hoping that my next appeal would prove successful, and that regardless of my age I would immediately return to academia in pursuit of my M.B.A. and J.D. It might seem counterintuitive that I would want to return to a classroom after having endured so many years in a prison cell for something I didn't do, but this experience has hardened me in some ways while also softening me in others.
Hardship has taught me empathy and determination. On the one hand, I am a convicted murderer, a title that I will forever wear, even after I am exonerated. But, on the other hand, I am also a person who has never accepted defeat as the obvious reality of my circumstances.
I firmly believe that tragedy is always an opportunity. The question really comes down to whether or not we can stomach the tragedy long enough to bring about the changes we so desperately need. I frequently consider the omnipresence of tragedy, in that it's seemingly everywhere, but so is the human resilience that smiles at whatever tragedy brings and says, BRING IT ON!
Which brings me to why this M.B.A. opportunity is so important that I feel the need to reach out to all of you, and say, please help me.
This is not about finding an expensive way to pass the time, it's about honing my critical thinking skills so as to better understand the language of business and commerce in relation to our societal construct. Because it's never enough to just identify problems, we must also be willing to challenge ourselves into becoming the solutions we collectively seek.
One of my life goals is to be published in the New Yorker. Another is to do a TED Talk. And, another is to transform my life experiences in a wounded and broken criminal justice system into a non-profit truly devoted to its cause—justice, equality, innovation, and above all empathy.
An M.B.A. will help me better understand the current socioeconomic realities, and how the language of commerce can be translated into the needed reforms that will ensure our survival, prosperity, civil liberties, and freedoms. An M.B.A will also add credibility to my voice as a writer, speaker, activist, and creator of change.
If you believe in underdogs, improbable outcomes, perseverance, hope, and the undefeated human spirit, then, take a chance on me. If you believe that, we all possess extraordinary abilities for making the world a better place for everyone, then, invest in me. If you believe that tragedy and hardship are irrevocably what makes us successful, then, please help me and I will pay it forward with everything I am.