Michael Langer '17 remembers the phone call vividly. It was his mother's 50th birthday, but instead of a celebration, he was calling with news no parent hopes to hear.
I told her I was dropping out of Lehigh. It just wasn't right for me," he says. "I needed something radically different, something that would push me in ways I couldn't ignore."
What followed was a journey that took him across the world and deep into the unfamiliar: living in remote villages, surviving in the New Zealand wilderness, teaching in Southeast Asia, and ultimately returning to Lehigh with a renewed sense of purpose. Each step became a lesson in resilience, reinvention, and the value of embracing discomfort.
Breaking Down to Build Back Up
"When I went to Lehigh the first time, I did it just because that's what you do," Langer admits. "I struggled. I didn't have the toolbox to keep up, and my heart wasn't in it."
Realizing he needed to reset his life completely, he searched for programs that would push him far beyond the safety of routine. He chose a service immersion program in Fiji, where he lived in a village and worked on construction projects.
"Every day had a clear purpose," he says. "There was no floundering, no hiding. It grounded me."
A severe ear infection cut his stay short, but not his momentum. He volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club while preparing for his next challenge, one he hoped would "break me down and rebuild me."
That challenge came through the National Outdoor Leadership School course in New Zealand.
"I was terrible at everything," he laughs. "Cooking rations, pitching tents, paddling, hiking, sailing — you name it. I'd never felt more terrible at anything in my life."
But there was no quitting. No going home.
"It destroyed me, then recreated me," he says. "I learned that you have to stick with it."
He kept chasing that feeling of productive discomfort, returning to Fiji and traveling through Alaska, Thailand, and Laos. Through it all, he learned the same lesson: Real growth happens only when you allow yourself to be uncomfortable.
A Bet, a Return, and a Reinvention at Lehigh
After teaching English in Thailand and Laos, he turned his energy into launching a video game company and two venture funds. But his parents, both doctorate holders, pushed him to finish college. It was time to face more discomfort: completing his degree.
He returned as a 26-year-old with a mission, but his ADHD made traditional, textbook-heavy learning difficult. Langer's learned resilience, persistence in the face of adversity, and ability to think outside the box came into play. So he reinvented his academic path to independent, immersive study.
Langer completed 15 independent study courses on topics from the intersection of Buddhism and technology to hands-on fieldwork in Costa Rica and Nepal.
"When I left Lehigh, I had a 1.9 GPA," he says. "When I came back, I made a bet with my parents: If I graduated with at least a 3.0, they would help me create a grant that would give other students the chance to have life-changing international experiences."
He finished the semester at a 2.97 but refused to stop there. He enrolled in summer courses, earned straight As, and hit the 3.0 he'd been working toward.
And so the Langer Grant for International Creative Inquiry Projects was born.
Now in its ninth year, it has supported more than 100 students in immersive, hands-on international learning.
"There is nothing like learning in the field," Langer says. "I was fortunate to have the experiences I did, and I know that not everyone can do it. I am so happy and grateful our family can help make that possible."
Innovation, Impact, and Family
Langer's career has mirrored his philosophy: Go where the learning is the toughest.
He served as executive producer on the documentary Super Human Body, narrated by Matthew McConaughey, which examines breakthroughs in bioengineering and human health a project that took “a lot of work to get to the finish line.”
He is also co-founder and managing partner of T.Rx Capital, an early-stage biotech fund advancing next-generation medicines. That venture took "two incredibly difficult years just to get off the ground."
His parents, Robert Langer, the renowned MIT scientist and co-founder of Moderna, and Laura Langer, an MIT- and Harvard-trained neuroscientist, modeled innovation, persistence, and thoughtful risk-taking. Now, Michael carries that legacy forward in both his ventures and his philanthropy.
Let Failure Be Your Teacher
"My dad created over 45 biotech companies. Not all of them were successes, but seeing his career has shown what it takes to push things forward and keep going until you find success," Langer says.
His journey offers a road map for current and future students. By intentionally seeking out situations where he was the least experienced person in the room — and wilderness — and by letting failure serve as a teacher rather than a stop sign, he has forged a path that can encourage others to release their fear of failing and embrace growth instead. He's grateful the Langer Grant for International Creative Inquiry Projects is helping students gain those experiences.
"I hope more students find the chance to push themselves out into the world, to have that moment that changes their arc as a person. If the grant helps spark that for someone, I'm thrilled."
