Tom Tesauro ’08

Tom Tesauro ’08 grew up down the street from Lawrenceville but had always planned to attend Lawrence High School. That was until he was approached by the assistant baseball coach at Lawrenceville, who suggested that Tom check out their program. “I did,” Tom says. “I loved the School; I took the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test), and that’s how I found my way to Lawrenceville.” He played baseball all four years and went on to play at Villanova on scholarship, where he graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

“I had come from public school,” Tom says, “and I had to work a lot harder to figure out my way. Lawrenceville was a pivotal point—it showed me you have to be prepared and work hard to do better. When I struggled a bit my freshman year, I used baseball and the people I met to help me succeed.”

In gratitude for that success, Tom is giving back to Lawrenceville by naming the School as beneficiary of two whole life insurance policies. “At this point in my life, I wanted to give back as much as possible,” Tom says. “Making Lawrenceville a beneficiary of the policies and a portion of my 401(k) are two easy ways I can do that.”

Tom, who has worked at Goldman Sachs for the past 7½ years and is currently a vice president in credit sales, has stayed very involved with and connected to a number of people he graduated with. He founded a group called the Lawrenceville Finance Society, and he is the young alumni chair for the John Cleve Green Society.

“I hope to lead by example and start this tradition so that other young alumni will see that it’s not a huge cash commitment right now,” Tom says, “but you’re still helping the School. Hopefully, when you have time and the ability to give back in a bigger way, you will do that as well.”

Tom believes that a Lawrenceville education is among “the best in the world.” But most important, he says, is the access one gains to “an amazing alumni group and people who want to help other Lawrentians.”

“Going to the Harkness table, there’s no place to hide,” Tom says. “It prepares you well for the real world, particularly where I am now, out in the open on the trading floor you can be exposed in a real way. You’re either prepared or not. I want to see Lawrenceville continue to do well, evolve, and grow. Any way possible I can help to keep that going is important to me.”

Tom encourages other young alumni to consider how they might leave a legacy of support at Lawrenceville. “It doesn’t have to be a massive commitment right now, but it’s incredibly impactful,” Tom concludes. “It’s important to pay it forward and give back. Remember your Lawrenceville experience. We collectively as an alumni group need to do the same for future generations.”