Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

For Anthony Patrick ’19, accounting isn't just about crunching numbers or balancing ledgers: it is a narrative tool. Currently serving as a financial analyst at Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Patrick approaches his career with a philosophy rooted in storytelling, connection and purpose.

 

"I like the idea of being able to tell a story through numbers and being able to show people's individual contributions through the language of numbers," Patrick says. "I've been able to understand how individual people make an organization and community, and how we can express and understand that through numbers."

 

Patrick’s interest in business and finance was sparked during high school through summer programs, leading him to Miami University after graduating from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. There, he completed an accelerated "3+1" program, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy in four years. During his time at Miami, he immersed himself in student life — joining the National Association of Black Accountants and the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, and tutoring fellow students — while completing four

 

high-impact internships at Nationwide Insurance, Ernst & Young, KeyBank and Protiviti.

 

Following graduation, Patrick gained consulting experience as an internal audit and financial advisory business consultant at Protiviti, served as a staff accountant at Heinen’s corporate headquarters and transitioned to his current role at Goodyear in May 2024.

 

Looking back at his time in Gates Mills, Patrick credits Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ with instilling a "legacy-oriented mindset" that guides both his personal and professional life. He highlights the Academy's approach to treating students as "emerging young adults" as pivotal in fostering agency and accountability.

 

"One of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s greatest things is they treat us like emerging young adults," Patrick reflects. "Over the four years, you find yourself asking, 'What are the things that I can do?' and you are given the tools to build your own legacy."

 

Key aspects of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ curriculum — Socratic seminars, the annual Self-Assessment process and inspiring mentorship — left a lasting mark on how he communicates and grows. Socratic discussions taught him how to articulate ideas while actively listening to find "beauty and genius" in others' perspectives, a skill that now serves him well in corporate team dynamics. Meanwhile, Self-Assessments fostered a lifelong habit of humble reflection.

 

When reflecting on the faculty who shaped his trajectory, Patrick points to his English teacher, Mr. Fowler, with whom he took classes throughout three of his four years at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.

 

"He helped to really instill a passion for lifelong learning," Patrick shares. "It was specifically through literature, through conversation and through our random social discussions on the nature of human beings. Learning was never a chore. I never felt like I did anything without purpose in his class. It made me try to find the beauty and value in all tasks, big or small."

 

Beyond the classroom, participating in food drives, math club tutoring and campus volunteer work broke the classroom "bubble" and instilled a deep communal mindset. That passion for service carried into college and his post-grad life. During his two years as a tutor, Patrick found true joy in fostering "aha moments" for others, an experience he says builds empathy by teaching you to view the world through someone else’s eyes.

 

Today, Patrick resides in Cuyahoga Falls, where he lives out a "work to live" philosophy. Outside of his financial career, he stays grounded by spending quality time with family, hiking local trails, gaming, caring for his two parakeets (Blue and Pep), and pursuing a personal goal to visit every U.S. state and every major zoo.

 

When offering advice to current Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ students and fellow alumni, Patrick encourages a daily approach to building a legacy:

 

"One of the most profound things you can do is leave a place better than how it was when you started. Legacy is not just about all the achievements you've had; it's about the people who you've impacted along the way. Your legacy is built by the little acts of goodness, charity and excellence that you embody every day, not the single award you get at the very end. It's the little gestures along the way that give those achievements value."