Gaston Caperton, president of College Board; Katie Johnson, former secretary to Barack Obama; Liz Walker, humanitarian; and Bob Weintraub, professor at Teachers College Columbia University, chatted casually with Brookline parent Tony Friscia, who moderated the conversation.

Weintraub co-founded the 21st Century Fund in 1998, according to Faculty Director of Programs of the 21st Century Fund and English teacher Gaelen Harrington. In light of his departure last June, the 21st Century Fund’s decision to honor Weintraub became more meaningful.

“Dr. Weintraub didn’t get a chance to say goodbye the way he wanted to last spring,” Harrington said.

She said that Weintraub’s values are prevalent in all of the 21st Century Fund’s 14 programs.

“We went back to the idea of pursuing your passions because that’s what Dr. Bob was all about,” Harrington said about this year’s panel discussion.

The 21st Century Fund’s core values include academic excellence, hard work over time, embracing diversity, civic responsibility and social justice. Weintraub prioritized these values with the 21st Century Fund due to his experiences as a teacher.

The panel serves as an “intellectual dimension of the fundraising weekend,” Harrington said. “If you couldn’t afford to go to the gala or if you couldn’t make it, the panel is a way to be engaged in an event that the 21st Century Fund is sponsoring.”

Each panelist and the honoree, Weintraub, overcame hardships with certain values in mind; these difficult experiences affected their values. The panelists pursued their values through their careers.

The panelists agreed that students should not focus on a particular career or college. Students should follow the values and ideals that they are passionate about, they said, to live a fulfilling life.

“There is no formula for the future or for a particular career,” Walker said.

While recounting his journey to the present, Weintraub reflected upon the casualness with which he approaches life.

“I think everything’s serendipity; it just happens,” Weintraub said.

Johnson, who is currently attending Harvard Law School, encouraged students to take risks and expand their focus beyond a particular college.

“You’re still going to live even if you don’t get into your first choice,” Johnson said.

Weintraub agreed that students need to learn about failure.

“I’m going to quote Mick Jagger when I say, ‘You can’t always get what you want,’” Weintraub said. “Many of us have gotten rejected. And you know what? You get back up.”

All in all, the panelists felt that students could change the future with a strong basis in academics and an adherence to ideals.

“The world must catch up morally,” Walker said. “And the universe opens up when you’re ready to step out of the comfort zone.”

Sabina Lee can be contacted at bhs.sagamore@gmail.com.