UMass Boston Gifted Cash. Graduating college is an enormous feat. It really shows that all of your hard work has paid off. It’s also the significance of you moving onto the next phase of your life. Whether you plan on going into the work force or if you decide to take some time off to figure out your path in life, it is the start of new beginnings. For several UMass Boston students yesterday, those new beginnings came with a nice surprise. Co-founder and President of Quincy-based Granite Telecommunications, Rob Hale, was the commencement speaker. He is a billionaire and he definitely put some of his wealth to good use. During his speech, he informed the class that he would be handing each of them two envelopes. One would read “gift” on it. The other would read “give.” According to Hale: “The first $500 is for you. It’s a celebration of all you have done to be here today. You’re leaders, celebrate! The second $500 is for you to give to somebody else or an organization who could use it more than you.”
As you can expect, the announcement received a roar from the very appreciative crowd. Now, if you’re trying to do the math, here you go. There are 2500 students in the graduating class of UMass Boston. $1,000 multiplied by 2500 equals 2.5 million dollars. A very generous donation for these 2500 people is only a small fraction of Hale’s net worth. Rob Hale’s net worth is $5 billion so this would only be small change for him. But small change that could really make a difference in the lives of these eager and excited students. This isn’t the first time Hale has gifted students at graduation cash. Hale in 2021 handed $1,000 to all 270 graduating students who attended their commencement address at Quincy College. Congratulations to all of the lucky graduates of UMass Boston.
