‘Defend an underdog’
Suffolk CEO advises Curry grads
A dyslexic student turned billionaire businessman — John Fish, the founder and CEO of Suffolk Construction — advised Curry College graduates to “be vulnerable” and take chances on people who don’t mesh with the status quo.
“Defend an underdog,” the 58-year-old insisted, during a speech to 2019 graduates before receiving an honorary degree Sunday at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield. “Take a chance with somebody because you see them for who they really are. And by all means, don’t feel pressure to change the world. Instead, change one person’s world.”
The Hingham native, who founded Suffolk Construction and grew the company into one of the most successful private building contractors in the nation, earning more than $4 billion in annual revenue, told his personal story of growing up with a learning disability and how he overcame the odds.
He told the crowd that he felt comfortable speaking at Curry College, which is located in Milton where he lived for 30 years, but pointed back to his struggles with dyslexia as a student, adding that he “could never have imagined,” being in front of a live audience reading a speech at a podium.
“I am very comfortable speaking to you today,” Fish said, “but, when I was a student, I wasn’t comfortable speaking in front of anybody. … Because, honestly, I couldn’t read at all.”
“I started to realize that my dyslexia was a special gift, rather than a disability,” he said, “and that shift in thinking became my launch pad for a brighter future.”
The school awarded Fish an honorary doctor of business administration degree on the same day that Curry student Solanyel Perez, a scholarship recipient from the Scholar Athletes program founded by Fish, graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Fish spoke about Perez’s resilience, fighting against odds, much like he did.
“Solanyel didn’t come from a privileged background,” Fish said. “In fact, the odds were pitted against her. She was raised by a single mom and lived in the Dominican Republic until the second grade. Spanish was her primary language. Money was tight and the prospect of going to college was distant. But, she was determined to make something of herself anyway. Solanyel was not afraid to fail.”
He added: “Solanyel’s story is proof that love has a ripple effect that has no boundaries. If you change one thing, you can change many others.”
In addition to Suffolk, Fish currently sits as board chairman of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is part of the executive committee of Partners HealthCare. Fish also is the chairman of the Boston College Board of Regents.