[Student Reporters] Former Disney CEO Receives Standing Ovation at Lawrenceville Community

Ah Ra Yoo / 10th The Lawrenceville School

"My strength is coming up with two outs in the last of the ninth" the former Chief Executive Officer of Disney quoted.

On January 14th Michael Eisner former CEO of Disney and also member of the Lawrenceville class of 1960 presided over the podium to share his impressive career and also his surprisingly less-than-impressive record as a Lawrenceville School student to the Lawrenceville School community in New Jersey.

Michael Eisner is the former CEO of Disney where during his 20-year tenure he transformed Disney into world's leading entertainment and media enterprise. He successfully purchased ABC ESPN the Muppets and other profitable properties and had reanimated the animation department. Eisner is known for his "magic touch" for turning a company going down hill into a great company. Prior to his position as a Chief Executive Officer at Disney it was Eisner who directed the box office hits such as Saturday Night Fever Grease Raiders of the Lost Ark Beverly Hills Cop and Airplane as a Senior Vice President in the Paramount Pictures.

Despite his majestic performances Eisner revealed to the thrilled crowd that undoubtedly he was a late bloomer. In fact during his times as a student at Lawrenceville he was neither a genius nor a bright student. The headmaster of the Lawrenceville Bruce McClellan quoted Michael as "[someone who] plays the angles to get away with what he can" and broke rules. After graduating from Lawrenceville he pursued to Denison College a small liberal arts school and began his career as working as a page of NBC. Remarkably upon his graduation he worked steadily up the ranks to become a senior vice president of NBC being in charge of programming and development.

Eisner explained his secret recipe behind his success was allowing himself to be courageous by taking the initiative and to be present at locations. He said "Showing up is half the battle." He justified that once one is present one does not have to fret because what really matters is one's courage that has already allowed one to "show up." Furthermore Eisner inspired each student to take the chance to be ambitious in showing-up to places.

Toward the closing of his speech the Lawrenceville Community cheered and applauded for Eisner being granted of the highest honor by the School and Alumni Association the Aldo Leopold Award which is presented to an alumnus who has demonstrated "brilliant life-long work in a specific field of endeavor."

As an advice for students Eisner said. "Anything you do do it with excellence. How could you make every moment excellent?"

The ceremony was undoubtedly an "excellent moment" in that sense of the word and it was an unforgettable moment for all to be converged as a Lawrenceville community and to take part in this remarkable milestone in Lawrenceville's history.