DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Alum de Anda Always Looking to Help Others
5/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | DEPAUL ATHLETICS FUND
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CHICAGO -- Listening to Michael de Anda express his desire to help others and taking note of his kind and selfless acts, you clearly see a connection between the DePaul alumnus and the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul.
In the highly competitive world of investing where he is at the top of his profession, de Anda attracts a steady stream of ideas and proposals. Although most are not a good fit, he will nonetheless go out of his way to hone an entrepreneur's idea and connect him or her with the right investor.
The 1988 graduate with a degree in accountancy shies away from publicity and you won't see his photo on any company website of the numerous organizations where he serves on a board of directors.
What lights his fire is the expression of humanity that took place last December during a Blue Demon practice at Stanford before coach Dave Leitao's team played the Cardinal.
A family friend had a 10-year-old boy who suffers from the same Sickle-cell disease that junior guard Billy Garrett Jr. has battled throughout his career.
"Mekei has the same Sickle-cell condition, and for those who aren't aware, it is a painful disease," de Anda said. "I brought him out to meet Billy.
"It was a super-special moment, a Vincentian way of giving for a young boy to see a talented Division I basketball player like Billy doing so well while managing Sickle cell. Billy talked to him and literally gave him the practice jersey off his back. That's the kind of guy Billy is, and Mekei wears his DePaul stuff all the time.
"It was such an extraordinary moment, and I remember feeling so proud to be affiliated with DePaul. What Billy and the team did for him, it's just an amazing program. They didn't have success on the court, but with the new coaching staff, it's just a matter of time before they'll be back on top."
Especially with continued help from people like de Anda, a Golden State Warriors minority owner who has created the de Anda Family Endowed Scholarship for men's basketball. Senior Myke Henry was this year's recipient.
"I actually got a chance to meet him when we went to Stanford last season," Henry said. "He had his Golden State Warriors NBA championship ring on from winning the title in 2015. It was really cool to meet the person who has donated money to the school and I talked to him. He is a very humble person.
"I appreciate the donation he gave to me and DePaul. It helped me get through college by paying my tuition. He took care of it. I hope to meet him again someday."
Henry is among the Blue Demon student-athletes who are benefitting from Scholarship Month in which alumni and alumnae from DePaul's athletic programs engage in a spirited competition to see who can bring in the most scholarship gifts along with raising the most money. Gifts of $25 or more count towards the total.
De Anda has some fond memories of his time in Lincoln Park.
"Going to DePaul was fantastic for me," de Anda said. "Everyone there was so great to me. I couldn't have picked a better school to receive a great business education and be involved with the athletic department where I made some lifelong friends."
He played on the soccer team and spent his third year at DePaul studying abroad in France.
Those were the days when legendary coach Ray Meyer was finishing up his Hall of Fame career and DePaul was transitioning into the Joey Meyer era. The Blue Demons were 27-3 in de Anda's first year and 28-3 in 1986-87.
"As a student, I got to know guys like Tyrone Corbin, Rod Strickland, Dallas Comegys and Kenny Patterson," de Anda said. "I used to play ping-pong against Corbin in the lobby of Clifton Hall.
"DePaul could not have been a more perfect place for me with such caring people and teachers. I could do all these cool things like play soccer and work at the radio station---it was just awesome. I knew Jeanne (athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto) and she knew me. I still have relationships with some of my teachers and try to see them when I'm in town.
"I still remember going over to Alumni Hall to work out or play ball and running into people like Marquette coach Al McGuire or Notre Dame's Digger Phelps. They all came by to pay homage to coach Ray. I've always been a big basketball fan, and it was a thrill to meet all these people."
When asked about the impact of his experience at DePaul, de Anda said: "I pride myself on always helping people however I can. It comes back to you in so many different ways.
"I am so happy to help people. It's this whole notion of giving to receive. You don't always know how it will come back to you, but it will. Coach Ray and the athletic department were so wonderful to me that I will always give back to DePaul."
With the construction of the McCormick Place Event Center that will house the Blue Demons' new basketball arena, there was never a better time for alumni to support the athletic department.
"It's a funny thing about people who give back to DePaul based on the success they have on the basketball court," de Anda said. "Right now is when the school needs it the most and when donors can have the most impact with the building of a new arena and everything. This is when your money can make the most difference. Once we're back in the Top 10, everything will be rolling."
DePaul can become an even better place if more alumni follow his lead. Actually, our world would be an even better place if more of us lived our life like Michael de Anda.
