Business Icon for the Ages
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Our INDIVIDUAL SPOTLIGHT series writeup looks at one of the most admired business executives and what he stood for that contributed to this masterful achievement. No one could have expected an orphan infant, Steve Paul Jobs, who was adopted as a baby, to spearhead and lead a company that sold to more than 1.65 billion customers worldwide.
When Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco on February 24th, 1955, he became an orphan at an infant age due to his biological parents’ grinding decisions. He was subsequently raised in a stable, lower-middle-class adoptive family in Cupertino, California, in what is now known as Silicon Valley. Steve grew up in a setting conducive to developing an interest in computers. His adoptive father, Paul, was a machinist whom Steve called “a genius with his hands.” Steve’s adoptive parents were warm and loving, making him feel special. They promised the birth mother to send Steve to college, where he dropped out after one year to pursue other life passions.
“There’s some notion that because I was abandoned, I worked very hard so I could do well and make my parents wish they had me back or some such nonsense, but that’s ridiculous,” he insisted. “Knowing I was adopted may have made me feel more independent, but I have never felt abandoned. I’ve always felt special. My parents made me feel special. They were my parents 1,000%,” a response Steve Jobs shared about his adoption.
Our Foundation continues to look forward to working with our worldwide partners, our ambassadors, and our troop of dedicated volunteers to bring the best in the empowerment of our orphaned children’s communities in Myanmar. We learned from Steve Job’s orphan childhood that children cannot stop enjoying regular and purposeful life. Orphan children can be loved and emotionally supported during their early years of development, even if the upbringing must be under the guidance of adoptive parents.
Our board will continue to provide hope and love to all underserved children in Myanmar. Our goal remains to reach vulnerable children and integrate them well into their communities. Steve Jobs had shown that he, too, could live everyday life and be emotionally secure and confident of his abilities even when he was adopted.
