GIVING BACK
Joe McElligott ’02 with Robert M. Gardiner ’40
Focused On The Next Generation JOE MCELLIGOTT ’02 IS MAKING GOOD ON HIS PROMISE - PAYING BACK GENEROSITY BY EXTENDING SOME OF HIS OWN BY KATHRYN SLATER
Joe McElligott ended up at Trinity-Pawling by way of the Boys’ Club of New York, and if you ask him, through the generosity of the mentors that crossed his path. In 7th grade, his basketball coach suggested that he try out for the Academic All Stars, a tryout basketball team at the Boys’ Club of New York offering full-ride scholarships to prep schools all over the country. McElligott took his advice and tried out with over 1,000 other kids. Only 12 were chosen, and McElligott was one of them. “The Boys’ Club knew which school would be best for each kid. But in the end, Trinity-Pawling was my choice,” McElligott said. “It was like hitting the lottery. I came home one day and I told my parents that I got a full scholarship offer from T-P to attend high school. There was no looking back from that point.” McElligott’s life has been shaped by a series of opportunities, and his willingness to seize each one. His time at Trinity-Pawling taught him the importance of providing these opportunities to other people. “The relationships that I developed and the growth that I experienced as an individual while I was
at Trinity-Pawling,” McElligott said, “there’s nothing I could compare it to, it was so significant for me.” After graduating from Wesleyan University, McElligott began work at Guggenheim Partners in New York City, where he is the co-head of business development for Guggenheim Investment Advisors. Outside of Guggenheim, a name that goes hand in hand with philanthropy, McElligott is busy making good on his promise to give back. McElligott sits on the board of directors for four nonprofits and is the co-founder of Narratio, an organization providing a global platform for youth empowerment. But one of his biggest commitments is to the Boys’ Club of New York, where he remains an active mentor and coach to kids of all ages. “That’s a life-long relationship,” McElligott said. “I will never stop being involved with them. I was a product of encouragement–someone telling me that I should go through the program, stick with it, and see where it takes me. I’m trying to instill those same ideas in the kids in the communities where I live.” FALL 2017 41