October 06, 2011
In today’s turbulent global economy, knowledge is more than just
power. It’s the key to financial survival. The realities of
world-wide recessions, nations hovering on the brink of default and
ongoing economic upheaval have made prudent and vigilant investment
management more important than ever.
Photo Gallery
Twenty-one undergraduate and graduate students from St. John’s
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business got a sense of what this
entails during a visit to BlackRock, one of the world’s leading
providers of investment, advisory and risk management solutions.
The event was part of the Alumni Insider’s
View…Programs (AIV), a unique initiative in which alumni offer
students a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most interesting
and exciting careers available today.
The students were invited to observe the activities of the
organization’s fast-paced trading floor, an opportunity rarely
afforded to non-employees, and took part in an interactive panel
discussion with BlackRock professionals, all of whom were St.
John’s alumni.
Visits to BlackRock are rare. Fortunately, St. John’s
alumni are well-represented within the firm’s senior management
structure, and it was a willingness to share their time and
expertise that opened the doors to this special program.
“It was a terrific experience for me and the other St. John's
alumni here at BlackRock to spend time with this great group of
students and to talk to them about our company, financial markets,
investment management and careers in the financial profession,”
noted panelist Peter Pisapia ’94CBA, ’97L, Director and Counsel,
Legal and Compliance. “Despite lots of requests from many different
colleges and universities, BlackRock does not often host students
in its offices for these types of sessions. The students were
impressive and represented themselves and St. John's in an
exemplary way.”
For many alumni, participating in AIV events is a way for them to
mentor current students while showing their appreciation for what
St. John’s did for them when they were students themselves.
“As a graduate of St John's and in searching for ways to give back
to the University, it was great to have current students come into
an organization like BlackRock,” remarked Derek Schoenhofen ’94CBA,
Portfolio Manager–Leveraged Finance Group, Fixed Income. “It was
obvious that they were very well prepared by their relevant
questions about BlackRock and the current markets.”
In addition to learning about the inner workings of the financial
services industry through the perspective of this multi-trillion
dollar asset management corporation, students were reminded to pay
special attention to the importance of establishing
person-to-person contacts when seeking to begin or advance their
careers.
“I received a lot of good advice from the panelists,” said 
Marcial Zebaze ’12TCB. “One of the pointers that I was
able to take from the event is that it’s all about networking. It’s
one thing to apply for a job and submit a resume somewhere, but
it’s really about establishing a network and going beyond that to
create a connection.”
The day ended with a private reception at which students had the
opportunity to meet and make valuable connections with eight alumni
who chatted about their days at St. John’s and described their
journey from the University to their current positions at
BlackRock.
“An event like this is priceless,” said Matthew Coleman ’10TCB,
’12MBA, “especially for those of us who are about to graduate or
are in our last year of graduate school. I gained some great
knowledge and insight, not only into what these alumni do, but also
how they became so successful, how they first began their careers
and how St. John’s helped them to become the person they are today.
It was helpful to meet these alumni, make contacts, learn a little
bit more about what opportunities are out there and find out what
we can do to set ourselves apart from other individuals looking for
jobs.”
For additional information about this or other Alumni Insider’s
View…Programs, please call Desiree Henry ’10MBA, Assistant Director
for Academic Constituents, Office of Alumni Relations at (718)
990-1818 or e-mail henryd1@stjohns.edu