Introducing Board Member Dr. Serginio Sylvain: For the Love of Education

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Serginio Sylvain to our Board—a leader who believes, without hesitation, in the transformational power of education.

For Serginio, education has always been more than a pathway; it has been the defining thread of his life. Raised in Haiti, he moved to the United States during his high school years, carrying with him the rigor and high expectations of the schooling he experienced growing up. That early foundation, he says, gave him resilience and confidence—qualities that propelled him to MIT and later to the University of Chicago, where he earned his PhD in Economics with a focus on Financial Mathematics. He jokes that his success can be partially chalked up to a natural “knack for numbers,” but it’s clear that the determination and grounding shaped by his early schooling played just as significant a role.

Despite his academic journey taking him far from home, Serginio’s heart has always remained in Haiti. Even in college, he kept a letter taped to his wall—a written vision of a future built in and for his home country. Over time, that vision grew into a personal mission. He began sponsoring students at the middle and high schools he once attended, finding ways to support young Haitians who, like him, had big dreams shaped by their communities.

That commitment ultimately led him to the Haitian Education & Leadership Program. For Serginio, supporting education in Haiti is more than philanthropy; it’s a way to stay connected to the people and place who shaped him. He speaks with immense pride about the warmth and kindness of the Haitian people—a generosity of spirit he hopes to pass on to his two young children as he and his wife raise them in the greater Boston area, ensuring they are surrounded by the same familiar scents and comforting rhythms of his childhood.

When talking about the values that guide him, Serginio is steadfast. Education, he believes, is the first and most essential step in expanding one’s world. Once you open the mind, everything else becomes possible. Leadership, to him, is rooted in humility: the deep understanding that no person is inherently better than another. He strives every day to treat everyone with equal warmth and respect, echoing the example set by his family and teachers.

As he steps into his role on the Board, Serginio is driven by a singular hope: to bring new partners and supporters to the table who believe, as he does, that young Haitians deserve every opportunity to learn, to lead, and to become the people they were always meant to be.

We are absolutely honored to have Dr. Serginio Sylvain join us—and excited for the passion, perspective, and purpose he brings to our mission.