Alumni Accomplishments
Bill Cates ('69) delivers a TEDx Talk that has received over 100,000 views
(December 2025)
How to stop your money anxiety & start building wealth – today!
(click above to view Bill's talk)
Bill Cates, CSP*, CPAE*, is a successful entrepreneur and coach to elite financial advisors. He has helped thousands of financial professionals bring in billions of dollars, giving him a front-row seat to how money decisions are shaped – and how they can be improved. Bill believes that everyone deserves clear and educated financial decisions that are in their best interest.
As the author of eight books, Bill is a frequent guest on television and podcasts. His expertise has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Success Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bill is an avid adventurer. He has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, trekked to Everest Base Camp, camped in the Arctic Circle, and toured the country as a rock-and-roll drummer.
Bill’s talk addresses the financial anxiety that so many Americans are experiencing. This TEDx talk reveals the hidden culprit and how to create financial freedom.
Bill Cates asks the provocative question, “What if I gave you this briefcase with $1,000,000? What would you do with it?”
Bill exposes how limiting beliefs, flawed assumptions, and not understanding how money really works can quietly steal from your financial future.
He shows how transforming your “money story” (your self-talk) can open the door to confidence, stability, and long-term financial independence.
Bill provides specific examples of how you can make your hard-earned money work harder for you.
Click HERE to watch Bill’s talk
Please comment and share! He’d love to hear from you and appreciate your support for his mission of financial education.
*CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) are prestigious designations from the National Speakers Association (NSA) recognizing top-tier professional speakers for competence (CSP) and lifetime achievement/peer recognition (CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame), with CSP being a demanding earned credential and CPAE an inducted honor for the elite few. Many speakers hold both, signifying mastery and peer respect in the speaking industry.
Authors
Two Scholarships Endowed by Einstein Graduate (May 2025)
Brockett J. McBride ('08) established two new scholarships for Einstein students. Working with Edgar Trigo, Coordinator of the College and Career Information Center, Brock is using funds from the Bright Badger Fund to support the International Baccalaureate Merit Scholarship and the Janet & Burton Silverstein Memorial Scholarship, worth $5,000 each. Brock’s actions reflect values he holds about the importance of giving and of doing good deeds. Our community is enriched by such a caring individual.
The International Baccalaureate Merit Scholarship is awarded to an IB diploma graduate with a 4.0 or higher cumulative weighted GPA. The Janet & Burton Silverstein Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a student from a nontraditional family (e.g., raised by single parent, non-parent, divorced parents) with a 3.25 or higher cumulative weighted GPA.
Carol Chelemer, Alumni Association Chair, talked with Brock about why he decided to establish scholarships at Einstein. Brock grew up in Silver Spring and attended Sligo Middle School before entering Einstein in 2004. He is the only child of a working single mom, but had other supportive family members, including an aunt and uncle with whom he was close. Einstein had its IB program that Brock enrolled in as a junior; part of the entry process was to succeed academically in AP courses during 9th and 10th grades. Brock earned the IB’s Diploma Programme when he graduated. From Einstein he went on to the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI) and majored in accounting and management & human resources; he is a CPA that audits public companies for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He married a fellow UW student, Kimberly McBride, and has two children. They live close to Madison where the romance began.
Brock’s aunt and uncle, Janet & Burton Silverstein, were successful physicians. Burt, a cardiologist, passed away in 2021 and, before retiring a couple of years ago, Janet was a renowned pediatric endocrinologist. The extended family of children and cousins decided to dedicate a portion of their assets to acts of charitable giving. Brock decided to benefit students at Einstein High School because, as he said, “Einstein is not the Wootton or Whitman of Montgomery County.” He guessed that wealthier schools might have a great number of scholarships for students. He is also grateful for the education he received at Einstein, calling it “an incredible education” and “a great home for me.”
Jacob Sidlowski Awarded Commissioner’s Engineering Scholarship (December 2022)
AEHS graduate Jacob Sidlowski has been awarded a Commissioner’s Engineering Scholarship, provided by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). The purpose of this scholarship program is to “provide financial assistance to students from WSSC Water’s service district in furtherance of their engineering studies and encourage applicants/winners to consider careers in the water and water resource recovery industry.” As a student at AEHS, Jacob “excelled in a long list of AP and Honors classes, including Honors Spanish. He believes technology can play a critical role in saving water sources and possibly lives, too.” Jacob’s winning essay can be viewed at:
https://www.wsscwater.com/sites/default/files/2022-06/Essay-Jacob-31-03-2022-wet.pdf
