|
Damian Dalla-Longa, W'06
By Kelly J. Andrews
Shortly before graduation, Damian Dalla-Longa, walked unannounced into the
Wharton External Affairs suite for the first
time. Undergraduates spend little time in
Vance Hall since Jon M. Huntsman Hall
opened, and the few who venture into
External Affairs are usually lost. But Dalla-Longa had a purpose—he was there to
donate his signing bonus to the School
that made it possible. Dalla-Longa realized early how much Wharton meant
to him. In December 2005, he finished degree requirements
for a finance concentration, and his responsibilities
as president of business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi were
wrapping up. He had accepted a fantastic job offer with
Bain Capital in Boston, but he wasn't due to begin until
July 2006. A Canadian citizen who had spent a semester
in Australia, Dalla-Longa wanted to see more of the world,
and took the opportunity to spend three months traveling
across Asia and Europe.
"It definitely gave me new perspective," he says. Not
only did he learn to appreciate the cultures he was exposed
to, but also what he left behind. "Away from Wharton, I realized
the value of social relationships—the strong bonds
with classmates, the other people in my fraternity. That's
what I missed."
When he returned to the United States to participate in
graduation festivities, he already had the bittersweet perspective
of a young alumnus. Then a colleague who had
graduated a few years ago from another school told him
that he had donated his signing bonus to his alma mater.
Dalla-Longa's first thought was that it was a lot of
money. His second thought was that it was worth it. "I
hadn't heard of anyone doing this at Wharton, but I wanted
to start something," he says. "I feel very fortunate to have
had such a great undergraduate experience at Wharton,
and I feel an obligation to reciprocate and give something
back to the School."
That's what landed him in Vance Hall that day in May. He
has since set up a long-term partnership with Wharton, and
plans to donate in many ways for years to come. To maximize
the impact of his generosity, he pledged his bonus as
an unrestricted gift to The Wharton Fund.
"More undergraduates should consider doing this," he
says. "They say they'll donate when they've been working
a few years and they're financially stable. I thought, why
wait?" After living the unencumbered life of a student and
traveler, Dalla-Longa had little to give up. His apartment is
barely furnished and the ink on his degree is barely dry, but
he's already a Founder in the Benjamin Franklin Society, and
a member of the Young Franklins. In fact, he's the youngest
member, a peer of alumni with ten years of career success
behind them.
"I'm ready," says Dalla-Longa. "I've closed that college
chapter, and I'm going to miss it, but I'm ready for the next
step. My gift is just a symbol of that."
|
