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Quincy Billionaire Celebrates UMass Boston Graduates With $1,000 Cash

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…

HARVARD GRADUATION

370735 04: Harvard University graduates celebrate June 8, 2000 after receiving degrees during commencement exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge MA. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Newsmakers)

(Photo by Darren McCollester/Newsmakers)

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.

6 of the 20 Hardest Colleges To Get Into Are In New England, #1 is in Massachusetts

Niche just came out with their yearly report of the Hardest Colleges In America to Get Into for 2023. Not-surprisingly New England takes up 6 of the Top 20 spots including the #1 Hardest College in America to Get Into. What colleges/universities are they and where do they lie in the Top 20? Let's stop the small talk and get right to it!

#20 - Cornell University

Ithaca, New York

#19 - Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

#18 - Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland

#17 - Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine

#16 - Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

#15 - Rice University

Houston, Texas

#14 - Pomona College

Claremont, California

#13 - Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire

#12 - Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#11 - University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#10 - Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

#9 - Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

#8 - Columbia University

New York, New York

#8 - Columbia University

New York, New York

#7 - University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#6 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

#5 - Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

#4 - California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California

#3 - Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

#2 - Stanford University

Stanford, California

#1 - Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

MelissaWriter
A 29 year radio veteran, Melissa has made notable media appearances including serving as a judge and correspondent on the Emmy Award-winning TV show Community Auditions, Phantom Gourmet, Chronicle and many more. Additionally, Melissa won a Gracie Award in 2019 for her work as Co-Host of The GetUp Crew with Ramiro, Pebbles, Melissa & Leroy. She volunteered coaching cheerleading for 20 years. Melissa is a social influencer who creates videos promoting area businesses, movies, concerts and other lifestyle events.