Mikael Pyrtel is the founder and CEO of Pyrtel Global. He also sits on the Board of Trustees for MassBay Community College. He came to MassBay in 2013 after having completed a substantial project as an independent research analyst.
He had some ideas for starting a new business and MassBay provided the creative space that he needed to flush out these business ideas as an entrepreneur. MassBay has committed and passionate professors ready to challenge their students to take on new directions and ask the hard questions. Mikael needed access to mentoring and internship possibilities. He found all that at MassBay.
He says one of the pinnacle moments for him at MassBay was the opportunity to work with a group of students and prepare them for a roundtable discussion and mentoring session with former U.S. NATO Ambassador, Nicholas Burns. He coached the students and worked with faculty and staff over a number of months. During the question and answer session with Ambassador Burns, one of the students stated that she knew she couldn’t change the world but…, and it was during this pause that Ambassador Burns interjected and said, “I think you can. I believe that you can change the world.” Everyone paused. What Ambassador Burns did to this young student, and in fact, to the entire room, was that he empowered everyone with a growth mindset. The idea that our traits are not fixed and that the true potential of a human being is not known. Whatever we want to achieve can be done through hard work, passion and training.
As a good friend of Mikael’s said, “Progress, not perfection.” Now, as a MassBay trustee, Mikael has the opportunity to give back to this outstanding institution and help other students experience the same level of satisfaction that he has known. The idea of growth and transformation is in MassBay’s mission. It’s in our value statement and in our strategic plan. It’s how MassBay positions ourselves in the region to current and prospective students, to our industry and community partners, and now globally, because we serve a substantial international population as well.