Michael Osheowitz

Founder of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and Chairman Emeritus of the Edwin Gould Foundation for Children

He didn’t just open doors.

He built hallways where none existed....

Getting into SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) was harder than getting into Harvard Business School.

That’s not an exaggeration.

When I initially applied to the SEO Career Program in my sophomore year at Baruch College in New York, I didn’t get in.

But I reapplied the next year, and was accepted.

And that second shot completely changed my life.

That summer, I interned in investment banking at Salomon Smith Barney.

But more importantly, I met Michael Osheowitz, the founder of SEO.

He wasn’t loud.

He wasn’t flashy.

He was soft-spoken, humble, and kind.

And yet, this one man quietly transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people, by creating opportunity where there was none.

After my SEO internship, I got full-time offers from Goldman Sachs Asset Management and DLJ.

I chose DLJ and after two years of investment banking, I attended Harvard Business School for my MBA.

But the impact of SEO was bigger than one internship or job.

It was in the effect the internship had on me.

The discipline.

The polish.

The professional confidence.

I learned how to carry myself.

How to speak to CEOs and MDs.

How to ask questions in rooms I never imagined I'd be in.

SEO gave me identity. It gave me a track. It gave me belief.

Michael Osheowitz and the team at SEO made all of that possible.

And it wasn’t just for me.

SEO has empowered thousands of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and first-gen professionals to thrive in finance, law, consulting, tech, government.

Michael created an ecosystem of excellence.

A talent pipeline that transformed Wall Street and beyond.

Some names you know today, executives, investors, public servants, started with SEO.

Because of Michael.

And here’s the part that matters most.

He never did it for the credit.

He led with generosity, not ego.

Vision, not vanity.

So what do we do with a legacy like that?

We carry it forward.

Whenever you can, create opportunity for someone else who’s putting in the work.

Be the person who opens the door.

Or builds the hallway.

Just like Michael did.

Rest in power, Michael Osheowitz.

Your light shines on through all of us.