I figured since there’s all this buzz about Facebook and Google+ right now, it would be the perfect time to spotlight Facebook’s own Mark Zuckerberg.
Born to Jewish parents, Zuckerberg describes himself as an atheist. He excelled academically throughout high school and college, though he dropped out of Harvard University after his sophomore year to focus on the Facebook project. But hey, we’re all familiar with his climb to success. I’d like to focus on what he’s done since he’s been successful.
In September 2010, Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to Newark Public Schools in Newark, New Jersey; this is supposedly the first project of an initiative he dubbed the Startup:Education Foundation. He is committed to “a bold and thoughtful program for improving education.” I look forward to seeing what comes of this program.
But that’s not all. As of December 2010, Zuckerberg’s name is featured on the list of signatories of the Giving Pledge, a list of billionaires who have “pledged to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.” And by majority, they mean majority: these people have pledged to donate at least half of their wealth to charity throughout their lives. He is the second youngest person to sign the pledge (the youngest being Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz). Did I mention that the pledge became a public phenomenon due to billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, also non-theists?
I have my eye on Mark Zuckerberg and am looking forward to seeing what he’s up to next.
