Where are you from? I was born and raised in Manhattan – NYC. I moved out to Brooklyn when I was thirteen years old with my mom. My parents are from Guyana, South America, so technically I would identify as being West Indian/Caribbean.
What year are you? I am a SENIOR! GSB ’13, the luckiest class of them all.
What is your major? My major is Business Administration. I also have a Minor in Communications and Media Studies with a Dual Concentration in Marketing and Management.
What activities are you involved in? In addition to our lovely GO! program, I am the Co-Founder of the Business of Sports Society at Fordham. I served as President unofficially since the beginning of last year. I am now passing the club off to the new Executive Board.
How did you decide to come to Fordham? I applied to five Universities: Pace, St. John’s, Syracuse, NYU, and Fordham. My dream school was Fordham because of its proximity to Yankee Stadium, seeing that I already planned my career as the team’s next General Manager. Since then, my aspirations have changed. However, I still enjoy my love for the scenic campus and the Cura Personalis Jesuit principle that emphasizes personal attention. These aspects made me feel wanted. This was the most important factor in my decision.
How did you start your Business & Sports Club? How can people get involved? I started the Business of Sports Society after completing a production internship at the MLB Fan Cave. I was honestly fascinated by the prospects that could come out of working in sports, so I figured I’d pursue it further. Unfortunately, Fordham didn’t offer too much to help me pursue this career path. After talking to a few advisors and deans at the University, I decided to create this student organization to not only help myself, but to help others in their individual pursuit of this dream career. People can get involved at any level! Whether it be an aggressive member, helping with event planning and various club offerings, or a more passive member, attending meetings and company tours, and such. Interested students can send us an e-mail at fbssrosehill@gmail.com to express their interest, in addition to liking us/following us on Facebook and Twitter. Upon inquiring, we will add the interested student to our newsletter, as well as to our Facebook group where he/she can receive updates regularly from us on various opportunities.
Do you have any tips for students who are trying to balance schoolwork, extracurriculars, and other obligations like internships — especially as a commuter? Being a commuter who happens to balance school work, extracurricular activities, internships, and other obligations, I feel like I am well-averse to answer this question! haha I commute about two hours to the Rose Hill campus (door-to-door), so it can be very difficult and daunting to exploit the over-achiever in me. Are you ready for this? Currently, on top of my two-hour commute, I am taking on a full course load (5 classes – 16 credits), a part-time internship within the Commissioner’s Office of MLB in Baseball Operations, a full-time role as President/Co-Founder of the Business of Sports Society at Fordham, an Assistant Coach for the St. Peter’s Saints Basketball team, a Junior Youth Leader for St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, in addition to having sporadic commitments to an elusive social life…It’s not very easy to handle all of these responsibilities, but I do a lot of praying!
I feel like the most important thing for students to keep in mind is that they have unlimited potential. If they would truly like to see how brilliant they are, they must challenge themselves. I would recommend slowly immersing yourself into taking on more and more commitments. Over time, it will become second-nature to have a lot going on in your life. This is probably the most valuable thing you can do for yourself upon immersion into the real world. The amount of self-reliance needed will force you to grow up really quick. You can avoid learning the hard way later by teaching yourself early.
What’s your favorite thing about New York? I live for the unlimited feel of New York City. Having lived here all my life, I think I would know it all. However, I am still learning about new places, new people, and new things every single day. Everything is at my fingertips here in New York. I feel very spoiled, but “with great power comes great responsibility.” Therefore, I must see to it that this city gets its fix of things…in Major League Baseball, at least.
What’s your least favorite thing about NY? Perhaps the very thing that makes this city so great is, too, its weakness. There is so much to do, yet so little time. I honestly wish there were more hours in the day to have the opportunity to enjoy the sights of the city. I couldn’t fathom living anywhere else. Despite the homeless men stinking up the subways cars, the rising MTA Metrocard fees, and the other ridiculous standard of living costs, I love New York.
Do you have a favorite NYC memory? Working with the MLB Fan Cave was probably one of the highlights of my life. Located on 692 Broadway, I had the opportunity to work with the biggest stars and athletes in Baseball. I was featured in various clips including cameos with MLB Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, LMFAO, and Rob Dyrdek. I will definitely not forget this long after I move out of the city! [pagebreak]
What’s on your NYC bucket list?
- Get married at “The Mall” in Central Park.
- Throw out the first pitch at a New York Yankees game, but I’ll settle for the Mets…
- Move back into Manhattan.
- Make a difference in the lives of the homeless.
- Help underprivileged children find their faith in God through the encouragement of sports activities.
- Open Mic poetry at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
- Ziplining through the city.
- Cruise the Hudson river.
- Go to the Statue of Liberty!
Do you have a favorite Fordham memory? As a commuter, these come very seldom. However, I would consider #clublib a success. I had a great time fist-pumping to my favorite electro beats right outside of Walsh Library. It was pretty epic.
What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Fordham? English Composition II – Because of this class, I love writing…correctly!
What’s your least favorite class you’ve taken at Fordham? Statistics I – This was my first and only C+ in my college life. Why would you do this to me, Fordham?…Why?
Where’s your favorite spot on campus? Hughes Hall! The new business school is clearly the coolest place on campus. Stop by whenever you have a chance!
If you could give one piece of advice to a Fordham collegiette, what would it be? Start strong, finish stronger.
What’s your dream job? One day, I would like to be the President of a Major League Baseball team, preferably somewhere other than New York.
What do you think the best part of a Jesuit education is? The Cura Personalis principle is definitely the most dynamic and contagious aspect of my Jesuit education. Naturally aligning with a lot of my personal beliefs, this was truly a match for me, coming to Fordham. I learned not only to help myself, but to help others. This is something highly neglected and overlooked in the business world.
Who is your favorite professor at Fordham? My favorite of all is Professor Hooman Estelami of the Marketing department at the Gabelli School of Business. He taught me last semester (Fall ’12) for my Marketing Strategy course. Aside from his epic love of Mixed Martial Arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he was exceptionally knowledgeable on the topic of Marketing among many other fields. He made things easy to learn and enhanced lectures with a great deal of humor. He was definitely my favorite.
What’s one thing everyone would be surprised to learn about you? I absolutely love poetry. I have been writing since I was eleven years old. Ten years later, I am a published poet with aspirations to kill my fear of doing spoken word!
Pick one!
Bronx Zoo or Botanical Gardens? The Bronx Zoo in Yankee Stadium. [Bronx Zoo]
Arthur Ave/Fordham Road? Arthur Ave, obvi!
Cafeteria or Grille? Grille.
Conway or Dr. Jay’s? Julius Erving. [Dr. Jay’s]
RamVan or Subway? Subway…when I don’t get robbed.
Met or MoMA? Mets? Never again. [Met]
Hot Dog or Bagel? Hot Doggin’.
Broadway or Off-Broadway? Broadway!
Radio City or Madison Square Garden? Nothing like a game at the Garden.
Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge? Central Park is probably my most favorite place in New York.