50 Stories for 50 Years: George Patterson ‘94, ASSIST Board of Directors

To celebrate our 50th anniversary year during 2018/19, we collected stories and profiles of people and institutions that have helped us build our organization, which first began as one person's dream in 1968. We will feature one story per week on our blog. Please enjoy these “50 for 50” profiles featuring ASSIST's dedicated board members, dynamic staff, welcoming host families and enthusiastic ASSIST Scholars.

George Patterson ‘94
Australia, Northfield Mount Hermon & ASSIST Board of Directors

In the second half of my final year of high school at Melbourne Grammar School, my parents and I began discussing alternatives for a so-called GAP year. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is essentially a year-off between high school and university during which many Australians would travel to and/or work in the UK. Almost thirty years later, my mum still explains the rationale for my GAP year as "George was too young for his class and needed to grow up!”

Collectively we decided to pursue the road less-traveled and decided to head to the US. Following what I considered to be a brief application, asking a few teachers to write recommendations and then a short phone interview, off to Northfield Mount Hermon I went as an ASSIST scholar in the class of 1994.

I finished my ASSIST year in what seemed like the blink of an eye, spent my obligatory year back in Australia, then went to Brown University in the U.S., having been recruited as an oarsman for the crew team. After graduating from Brown, I got a job in New York, got married, moved to San Francisco then back to New York then to London then back to New York, becoming a father of three along the way.

And then in 2014, I joined the board of ASSIST. It was then that I realized that what I remembered to be a pretty straightforward application exercise was anything but!

In 2015, I traveled to Australia as part of the interview team for the ASSIST class of 2017-2018. I met close to 30 candidates in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. And almost without exception, (i) had to ask myself why was I qualified to interview this candidate given their caliber, and (ii) questioned how ASSIST ever accepted me as a scholar!

You have no doubt read many accounts of how ASSIST has created lifetime experiences. In my case, that whirlwind 1 year would never have happened. And without ASSIST, I’m sure my mum would still be making the observation that I need to grow up.

Today, I am proud to say that I volunteer for an organization that helps create lifetime experiences and perhaps also gives opportunities for scholars all over the world that they wouldn’t have without ASSIST. And perhaps also helps some young adults to grow up.

About George:
George is currently the head of Technology Investment Banking for HSBC based in New York City. Previously, he was a Partner at CODE Advisors, a technology and media focused boutique financial services firm headquartered in San Francisco and with offices in London and New York. From July 2013 to July 2015, he served as the Co-Head of Software, Systems and Solutions Investment Banking at Barclays Investment Bank, based in New York. From January 2009 to June 2013, George was Head of Technology Investment Banking, EMEA, for Barclays, based in London. He has volunteered on the ASSIST Board of Directors since 2014.