My daughter at Pre-College

Back to School

In September 1979 I came to Pratt Institute after a couple of stints at two community colleges. Even with a little junior college under my belt and scholarship money in my pocket I was still not prepared for Pratt. Not the program per se, or the talent that oozed out of every student but the opportunities the school presented and the diversity of the faculty and student body. Maybe I was too fragile, or stupid, or unaware at the time because for the prior couple of years I wasn’t up against much competition. Now I was among the talent elite, from around the world and I was a “neighborhood guy” who was lucky to be there. I was brought down to earth pretty quick and that was a good thing.

My family was from the Clinton Hill area and I grew up only a few miles from the school and up until then my entire life revolved around a few squares miles that surrounded the borders of Queens and Brooklyn. Even though I was on campus many times I had no idea, or for that matter conception, of what the school would mean to me in the future. The truth is that without Pratt I would have not amounted to much. I wouldn’t teach. There is no design office. There are no trips abroad or other cities to work on projects. I have a set of skills that were honed at the “Institute” and those skills have allowed me to enjoy a diverse life, one that has been enhanced by my ability to “see,” and enriched by the gifted and talented people I have met there. This is what Pratt bestows on to you. You grab it and run with it!

It’s been 30 years since I started, and today will mark the beginning of my 25th year teaching but what’s more significant about today is that it’s my daughter, Stephanie Bridget’s first day at Pratt. “Pratt gives you more than an education,” a close friend from Pratt remarked yesterday at breakfast. I hope that’s true for my daughter, much the same as it is for me.