Despite the support from my chosen family, I still felt the sting of rejection acutely.
I decided I would indeed take the bus to my graduation ceremony, as my father had suggested. There was a certain poetic justice to it.
I would arrive by public transportation to receive my Harvard diploma and return to my office as the CEO of a billion-dollar company, while my sister cruised around Los Angeles in her new Bentley.
Two days before graduation, I received an unexpected email from the dean of Harvard Business School requesting an urgent meeting.
Concerned that there might be an issue with my degree, I went to his office immediately.
“Miss Williams,” Dean Harrison greeted me warmly. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“Is everything all right with my graduation status?” I asked.
He smiled. “More than all right. I just received a call from Forbes magazine. You have been named to their 30 under 30 list, but more significantly, they are featuring you in their upcoming issue as the youngest self-made female billionaire in the technology sector.”
I blinked, surprised that the news had broken. I had hoped to keep that information private for a bit longer.
“I understand your desire for privacy,” he said, “but this is an extraordinary achievement that brings great prestige to Harvard Business School. With your permission, we would like to recognize this accomplishment during the graduation ceremony.”
My initial instinct was to decline. I had grown accustomed to succeeding quietly, but then I thought about my parents sitting in the audience, unaware of what I had built, ready to leave immediately after the ceremony to return to celebrating Cassandra.
“What exactly did you have in mind?” I asked.
