As a first-generation college student, NYU Gallatin alum Chris Maguire didn’t have a lot of guidance when it came to navigating the college selection process—or what to study when he got there. While he knew he was interested in art and computer science, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to set himself on a direct path to either. Then he found the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study. There he discovered he didn’t have to choose just one path. Instead, he could take art and computer science classes across the University.

“I was really trying to cobble together some sort of video game developer major. But I wanted the liberal arts as well,” says Chris. “Gallatin was a place where I could do all of that. It felt like I’d found a loophole.”

Chris checking on Etsy’s network servers.
Founding Etsy

You may not know Chris by his name. However, you likely know the website he helped create while still at NYU Gallatin: Etsy. Etsy is a global digital marketplace for unique and creative goods, and it has over 400 million visitors each month. While Chris crafted an NYU Gallatin concentration that included his interests in art and computer science, he says, “the most valuable part of my education was the extracurricular connections I made at Gallatin. They brought together everything I was doing in the classroom in a way I could use in the real world.”

At the time, the internet was still in its early days. So, Chris and a few close friends began helping their peers with web projects. They even supported staff at Gallatin by developing and implementing a number of web forms and forums. Meanwhile, Chris’ interdisciplinary seminars showed him how to examine topics and beliefs more deeply. He learned how to be receptive to others’ ideas and how to communicate with them effectively. “It was wonderful to bring ideas to class and present and defend them,” he says. “People would disagree, but the disagreements were always where I learned the most.”

As Chris continued to bring his coursework and external projects together, a Gallatin professor led him to connect with a community of makers. Following several initial iterations, Etsy was born. For Chris it was a natural—albeit surprising—evolution of the work he was already doing. Bringing together creators, innovators, and doers made sense. After all, that’s what Gallatin is all about.

Chris and “Shef” Steve Wright Jr., co-owners of Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory.
Forging a New Path...in Ice Cream!

After several years Chris left Etsy. And before long, he turned his focus to his next creative endeavor: ice cream. In 2017 Chris and his childhood friend, “Shef” Steve Wright Jr., opened Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory, a homemade ice cream parlor in Philadelphia. Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory incorporates two of Chris’ favorite things: ice cream and video games. “I’ve eaten a lot of ice cream,” says Chris. “But I’d never done food service, so it was something new to learn.”

Looking back, it’s easy to see why Chris felt right at home at NYU Gallatin—and how Gallatin provided him with the foundation and community to pursue his passions after graduation. As a Gallatin student, he was able to dive deep into the subjects he cared about most. What’s more, he built a framework to approach new ideas and learned how to compromise and communicate effectively. Surrounded by a community that provided real, tangible opportunities for growth, he developed the knowledge and skills to approach his postgraduate life with confidence—whether that meant developing and running an internet start-up that’s grown into a global marketplace or opening an ice cream parlor a few blocks from his home.

Note: NYU Gallatin originally published this story. Read it in its original format here