Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Deval Patrick ’74 enjoyed his extraordinary teachers, but overcrowding and finite resources limited his opportunities. Milton Academy saw his potential and granted him a scholarship to attend.
With guidance from compassionate faculty, he found his intellectual home. “The longest-lasting lesson Milton instilled has been integrity,” Deval shares. “Learning is a lifelong and personal undertaking, a responsibility, and citizenship was part of the expectation. You had a role in building community that went beyond being a student in the classroom. The longer I live, the more important I think those lessons are.”
Today, Deval supports Milton with a planned gift through his will. He speaks powerfully about the benefits of financial aid made possible by philanthropy. “I believe faithfully and deeply that talent exists in every city and town, and that it’s important for people to be exposed to talent that comes from diverse, unexpected places,” Deval says.
“I think it is enormously important that Milton creates opportunities for students who can’t afford it but who bring just as much energy, curiosity, and creativity to the table as students who can.”
—Deval Patrick ’74
