April 23 , 2008 Joe Nairn '79, speaker Senior Associate Director, Enrollment Services Rochester Institute of Technology "Joseph said that learning is like breathing, you should never stop.  He said to be passionate about something and that besides winning the lottery, luck is usually directly related to hard work.  He told us that in a position of power you need to remember that everyone matters and has feelings and that the greatest gift you can give or receive is true friendship." ~ Sam Swartzfager "Lessons learned: 1.  Success is personal. 2.  Kindness is empowering. 3.  Value your relationships because the organization won't love you back." ~ Jennifer Peterson "Joe made a very odd point, then tied it in perfectly, 'do something uncomfortable.'  When you do something uncomfortable, you begin to get more comfortable with it because you are learning to get better at it.  An example was public speaking." ~ Jacob Siegel "Mr. Joe Nairn was very emotional and took what I thought was a different approach than any other speaker throughout the entire semester.  He told us countless stories of his life and travels which I really enjoyed because it made him seem like a friend of mine.  With each story, there was a lesson and some good advice for me to take and use in my life." ~ Derek Benedict "I asked two questions: 1.  Why did he choose Thiel?  He chose Thiel because of the close knit family atmosphere, small campus and good liberal arts. 2.  Do you sometimes think you would have made a different career choice, or are you doing something you enjoy? He said he always wanted to be in higher education and to this day does not regret staying at Thiel as an Admissions Counselor after he graduated.  He has had great experiences and is happy with the career choices he made." ~ Eric Ester