Hey, Camp Fans!
You know who else is a fan of summer camp? Michael Dell of Dell computers. That’s right. The founder and chief executive of Dell computers was a summer camper just like you when he was your age. He may be an accomplished, incredibly successful business mogul NOW, but back in the day, he was just like you: a kid at summer camp.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Michael went to Camp Champions, a co-ed summer camp located along the shores of Lake LBJ which is nearby Marble Falls.
Michael sold ‘Houston Post’ subscriptions as a 15-year-old high schooler. And, by simply reassessing and retargeting his prime clientele, Michael made about $18,000 that year (which was more than some of his teachers made).
A businessman before he grew up, Michael showed promising skills in taking apart computers and putting them back together. He attended college at the University of Texas studying pre-med. And while there, he started up an informal business that put together and sold upgrade kits for personal computers.
As insignificant as it was at the time, this was actually the very early beginning of Dell Inc. By the time he was 27, Michael had become the youngest CEO of the top 500 corporations. Dell is now the world’s third-largest computer hardware manufacturer.
Ranked in 2012 as the 41st richest person in the world, Michael puts his mountains of money to great use having founded the educational program called Breakthrough Austin. Helping underprivileged students to be all they can be, Breakthrough students receive personal, thorough, complete, and continuous support.
Unfortunately, it’s a fact that, in comparison to families that are better off, students who come from low-income families are less likely to attend college by a factor of seven! A family man himself, Michael understands how important it is that every child (independent of their family’s financial status) has an equal opportunity to receive an education. Everything Summer Camp couldn’t agree more.
Summer camp was an excellent experience for Michael Dell. What does it have in store for you? As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!
- John