<\/p>\n
Billionaire Ken Griffin, left, answers Sebastian Mejia’s question as he speaks to students during an assembly at Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Miami. <\/p>\n
Carl Juste<\/p>\n
cjuste@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
After teaching a lesson on billionaire investor Ken Griffin, Booker T. Washington Senior High teacher Malik Padgett decided to take a chance and reached out to Griffin\u2019s firm, Citadel, to see if the financier might speak to his students. To his surprise, the company replied with a yes.<\/p>\n
Griffin took the stage at the Overtown high school on Tuesday for a wide-ranging conversation about money, artificial intelligence and opportunity, joined on stage by Padgett and students SkyyLynn Windhauser and Sebastian Mejia.<\/p>\n
Since purchasing a $75 million Miami<\/a> home on Star Island in December 2021, Griffin moved his global hedge fund Citadel to South Florida and began getting involved in the community. He has since donated millions<\/a> to local charities, established Partnership for Miami<\/a>, a group of prominent local leaders who come together to solve social issues, and gotten involved in Florida\u2019s school choice movement by lobbying to bring Success Academy<\/a> charter schools to Miami.<\/p>\n Griffin, whose net worth since starting Citadel in 1990 has grown to $51 billion, offered students advice on finances and told them that young people should avoid credit card debt and learn the importance of investing.<\/p>\n \u201cEntrepreneurs really are the life of the American business community,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cMany of you in this room are going to be future entrepreneurs. You\u2019re going to have an idea and a business that you will create, and you\u2019re going to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n The audience reaction was mixed. Some attendees appeared unfamiliar with Griffin, while others listened quietly and reservedly.<\/p>\n Jacob McLeroy, a 10th grader who took Padgett\u2019s class, had been following Griffin\u2019s work for some time. McLeroy, a Miami Shores native, asked Griffin what he did to grow his fortune over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see a lot of people with thousands or millions of dollars,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to know what he was doing that helped him pass thousands and millions and make it into the billions.\u201d<\/p>\n Griffin responded to McLeroy\u2019s question with the example of a pro football player, noting that young people often spend too much money in a short period of time. To avoid that, Griffin believes that planning is essential for accumulation of wealth.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something to be said for deferred gratification,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cThere\u2019s something to be said for thinking about 30 or 40 years down the road and to make sure that you\u2019re setting aside money for that moment in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to Padgett\u2019s question about gentrification and Miami\u2019s changing economy, Griffin spoke glowingly about Miami\u2019s future. Even though tech layoffs have affected an industry that was considered highly stable, Griffin believes those jobs will play a vital part in Miami\u2019s future.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody in this room has a much better chance of landing a really well-paying job in this city today than ten years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cThe most important thing we can keep in mind is that as this city becomes more prosperous, the number of us in this room who will call Miami home in the prime of our careers, will increase.\u201d<\/p>\n Windhauser asked Griffin about the challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) can present to workers. Griffin emphasized the need to learn how AI can improve one\u2019s work so that a person can stay competitive in the job market.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you need to think very clearly about how AI will transform this field, and where I want to go in this field with the threat of AI transformation happening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Griffin believes that there is a continued strengthening of the economy and that there is a \u201cneed to solve for the issue of higher housing prices\u201d that can be addressed by building more houses and condos. Roads can also be improved and he also believes that self-driving cars will improve the quality of life for Miami residents, though he did not say how.<\/p>\n \u201cAutonomous vehicles will help tremendously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As hundreds of students filed out of the auditorium and back to class, their chatter filled the room before gradually tapering off.<\/p>\n Moments like this underscore Griffin\u2019s growing presence in Miami and his efforts to invest in the city\u2019s next generation.<\/p>\n This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 3:56 PM.<\/p>\n Ken Griffin, third from left, during his visit to Booker T. Washington Senior High School. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Sophomore Jacob McLeroy, 16, asks a question to billionaire Ken Griffin during an assembly at Booker T. Washington Senior High School. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Ken Griffin, third from left, answers questions from student SkyyLynn Windhauser, left, teacher Malik Padgett, and student Sebastian Mejia, right, during his visit to Booker T. Washington Senior High School. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n