Chase Chavin, a 1997 U-High graduate, shared his experience about his academic career and the process of building connections, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and figuring out what to pursue during the Maroon Mentors Series lunch event Feb. 15. 

Mr. Chavin began by recounting his experience and personal connection to U-High before attending college in Michigan and then leaving for New York City afterward.

He mentioned his academic path did not take a linear course. He transitioned from wanting to pursue pre-medical education, to investment banking and finally, real estate.

When Mr. Chavin returned to Chicago after graduating from business school, he was finally convinced to pursue real estate.

Dedicating himself to many different fields in various cities has been essential for Mr. Chavin to figure out what career to seek out.

Additionally, Mr. Chavin talked about his current real estate partnership, which he has been working at for 13 years, and its important work-life balance.

He credits his process of experimentation and the close connections he keeps with former classmates as significant factors for his success in real estate.

According to Henry Auxenfans, a ninth grader who attended the event, the significance of forming long-lasting relationships and connections resonated with him.

“One takeaway I got from this was that, like, it’s really important to have a good group of people around you to support you,” Henry said. 

Kriti Sarav, junior, believes one of the most interesting aspects of the speech was how Mr. Chavin was able to share his life story and the formative experiences he went through.

“I thought it was cool how he told his whole life story,” Kriti said. “His experience at Lab and how he went to college and then his journey into investment banking and how this led to real estate and what he does know, and how he gives back to like the […] community.”