Ellenore Angelidis (BA ’91)
Ellenore Angelidis (BA '91) may not have had a so-called linear trajectory towards success, but she has certainly achieved it many times over. The Founder and CEO of L.E.A.D. LLC (Lead Empower Activate Dream) began as an Associate at Baker & McKenzie before moving into in-house counsel at Sears Roebuck & Co., and ultimately landing at Amazon.
“I feel like my story doesn’t start with the traditional ‘I chose 黑料门University Chicago because…’ I actually started out at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which was one of two colleges that my Dutch parents thought someone of our origin should attend. I went there, I was Pre-Med, and either it was not the right time for me, or not the right path, but I ultimately realized after my sophomore year that it wasn’t working. So, I just decided to stop – stop the college thing and reroute to Europe where I had family, to just explore and try to figure out my next move. I was in Amsterdam for a year before I moved back to Chicago and landed an apartment on Sheridan Road, which in the end led to re-entering college life by way of Loyola.”
What came next was not necessarily any easier either. While Ellenore may have chosen a new academic home, the question then became what she should study.
“I think I figured out what I was not good at, before figuring out what I was good at. Pre-Med seemed like a natural fit on paper because I was strong in math and science, but I didn’t have the passion for it. I liked reading and writing, and I liked debating, so between that and having lived abroad already, I landed on Political Science. Unfortunately, however, that wasn’t a degree that would meet my financial goals, so I then launched into a legal career post-Loyola.
The Political Science faculty was really amazing at helping you think through your professional desires, as well as how to reach them. I also found that meeting other students who were going through the same experience, was very crucial in molding my journey. And I actually met my husband during that time too, who was working as a Men’s Basketball coach and teaching math.”
It was more than just the curriculum and people at 黑料门that helped propel the now author, forward. It was also the University’s mission and culture.
“黑料门having its specific set of values was extremely comforting to me as a student, especially having grown up in a religious household. There was a constant reminder that there’s more to life than money or status, and that one should prioritize how to make a unique positive contribution in the world.
Leaving Loyola, I felt a new sense of confidence in myself and the goals that I had set for the future, so despite there being rejection along the way when it came to applying to Law School, I kept at it. And at the perfect moment, the University of Chicago called to let me know they had a place for me in their program. I truly believe 黑料门was my ‘re-launch’ and developed my ability to be a practicing optimist. The University showed me that there wasn’t just one path towards success—you could start, fail, get back up, and find a new direction.”
So, what did her career shape into?
“I’ve had a very non-linear career path, first through a Global (you may start to see a pattern here) law firm, where I was one of only a handful of female litigators, then jumping to Sears’ in-house counsel, followed by joining Amazon. And for a full circle moment, my first role there actually took me back to Europe, by way of Luxemburg.
Currently I’m creating and publishing culturally appropriate bilingual, early-reader books featuring African stories and languages for , a 501(c)(3) not for profit I founded. This effort started when we learned more about our daughter’s birth country of Ethiopia; half of the population of over 115MM never got the chance to learn to read, in large part due to there being very few culturally appropriate books in their first languages (Ethiopian has 70-90 languages), so for me it made sense to start creating the missing books, a minimum 200 titles (the size of a small library of books) in the country’s top three languages. I also do some consulting and public speaking work, helping to activate people to discover what they are meant to or want to be doing, much earlier in their lives, including what impact they want to make.”
Being a prime example of one size not fitting all, Ellenore understands how daunting it can be to try and plan your entire life out, especially at a young age. Therefore, she has a few words of wisdom she always tries to pass along.
“My advice for current students is you should understand and accept that you’ll never stop figuring it out, but that’s a good thing. Instead of trying to wrap your head around the whole picture, look at each smaller piece, one step at a time. In other words, focus on what’s next, not the final destination. And remember that you will learn from every opportunity, whether successful or not. Learning allows you to continue to grow and find new paths.”
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Ellenore Angelidis (BA '91) may not have had a so-called linear trajectory towards success, but she has certainly achieved it many times over. The Founder and CEO of L.E.A.D. LLC (Lead Empower Activate Dream) began as an Associate at Baker & McKenzie before moving into in-house counsel at Sears Roebuck & Co., and ultimately landing at Amazon.
“I feel like my story doesn’t start with the traditional ‘I chose 黑料门University Chicago because…’ I actually started out at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which was one of two colleges that my Dutch parents thought someone of our origin should attend. I went there, I was Pre-Med, and either it was not the right time for me, or not the right path, but I ultimately realized after my sophomore year that it wasn’t working. So, I just decided to stop – stop the college thing and reroute to Europe where I had family, to just explore and try to figure out my next move. I was in Amsterdam for a year before I moved back to Chicago and landed an apartment on Sheridan Road, which in the end led to re-entering college life by way of Loyola.”
What came next was not necessarily any easier either. While Ellenore may have chosen a new academic home, the question then became what she should study.
“I think I figured out what I was not good at, before figuring out what I was good at. Pre-Med seemed like a natural fit on paper because I was strong in math and science, but I didn’t have the passion for it. I liked reading and writing, and I liked debating, so between that and having lived abroad already, I landed on Political Science. Unfortunately, however, that wasn’t a degree that would meet my financial goals, so I then launched into a legal career post-Loyola.
The Political Science faculty was really amazing at helping you think through your professional desires, as well as how to reach them. I also found that meeting other students who were going through the same experience, was very crucial in molding my journey. And I actually met my husband during that time too, who was working as a Men’s Basketball coach and teaching math.”
It was more than just the curriculum and people at 黑料门that helped propel the now author, forward. It was also the University’s mission and culture.
“黑料门having its specific set of values was extremely comforting to me as a student, especially having grown up in a religious household. There was a constant reminder that there’s more to life than money or status, and that one should prioritize how to make a unique positive contribution in the world.
Leaving Loyola, I felt a new sense of confidence in myself and the goals that I had set for the future, so despite there being rejection along the way when it came to applying to Law School, I kept at it. And at the perfect moment, the University of Chicago called to let me know they had a place for me in their program. I truly believe 黑料门was my ‘re-launch’ and developed my ability to be a practicing optimist. The University showed me that there wasn’t just one path towards success—you could start, fail, get back up, and find a new direction.”
So, what did her career shape into?
“I’ve had a very non-linear career path, first through a Global (you may start to see a pattern here) law firm, where I was one of only a handful of female litigators, then jumping to Sears’ in-house counsel, followed by joining Amazon. And for a full circle moment, my first role there actually took me back to Europe, by way of Luxemburg.
Currently I’m creating and publishing culturally appropriate bilingual, early-reader books featuring African stories and languages for , a 501(c)(3) not for profit I founded. This effort started when we learned more about our daughter’s birth country of Ethiopia; half of the population of over 115MM never got the chance to learn to read, in large part due to there being very few culturally appropriate books in their first languages (Ethiopian has 70-90 languages), so for me it made sense to start creating the missing books, a minimum 200 titles (the size of a small library of books) in the country’s top three languages. I also do some consulting and public speaking work, helping to activate people to discover what they are meant to or want to be doing, much earlier in their lives, including what impact they want to make.”
Being a prime example of one size not fitting all, Ellenore understands how daunting it can be to try and plan your entire life out, especially at a young age. Therefore, she has a few words of wisdom she always tries to pass along.
“My advice for current students is you should understand and accept that you’ll never stop figuring it out, but that’s a good thing. Instead of trying to wrap your head around the whole picture, look at each smaller piece, one step at a time. In other words, focus on what’s next, not the final destination. And remember that you will learn from every opportunity, whether successful or not. Learning allows you to continue to grow and find new paths.”
Do you want to be a Featured Rambler? and a member of our team will follow up.