When Michael Tolentino ’85 named SI in his estate plans, he did so in part to honor his late mother, who raised him and his sister by herself. Born in Manila, Michael immigrated to the U.S. at a very young age with his family after his parents’ divorce. His mother, who worked as a social worker for the City, made sure that her children were educated in Catholic schools — first at Mission Dolores and then, for Michael, at SI.

“My mother valued education as she was part of the first generation to go to college. My mother attended the University of the Philippines and graduated with a degree in education,” said Tolentino.

When Michael attended SI, he received financial aid “through the generosity of benefactors, that ensured that my family could afford to send me to a Jesuit prep school.” SI, he added, “opened my eyes as to what was possible for an inner-city kid like me. The school’s student body was socio-economically diverse, and that allowed me to see different possibilities for my future. I named SI in my estate plans to pay it forward — to give a promising kid from a disadvantaged background a quality education that can open them up to possibilities.”

At SI, Michael sang with the Liturgy Group, directed by Rev. Robert Walsh, S.J. — SI’s former president who passed away last year — and Dave Lorentz. 迈克尔也是服务俱乐部的成员。 “The Jesuits, lay teachers and my classmates held themselves to a high standard,” he added. Teachers who inspired him included Peter Devine ’66, Tom Murphy ’76, Bill Isham and Matt Barmore ’76. “The Jesuits also fostered in us to make the most of our talents and to serve others. That still resonates with me.”

在芝加哥联邦储备银行任职期间，迈克尔帮助确保我们金融体系的安全和稳健。 "I don’t want to see people hurt by financial crises, as happened in the Great Recession, when so many average Americans were adversely impacted.”

Tolentino prepared for this role as a political economics major at Cal and at Georgetown, where he earned his master’s degree in foreign service international finance and trade. 在大学里，他研究了拉丁美洲债务危机，这使他在银行和金融领域从事职业。 “My cultural anthropology and sociology classes also inspired me to work for social justice. At the Fed, I found my work helping the economy and people recover from the Great Recession very gratifying.”

他补充说，他计划向SI赠送礼物的部分原因是他母亲去年去世后继承的遗产。 “This gift is from both of us — not just me — and is in honor of her legacy and what she did for me. It’s my desire now to pass this on to others in the future.”

迈克尔希望他的榜样能激励其他人给予。 “If I can do this, so can others.”

If you are interested in joining the Father Carlin Heritage Society, contact Annie Reilly, SI’s planned giving coordinator, at (415) 731 - 7500, ext. 5122 or at areilly@siprep.org.