College is your chance to further your knowledge in a specific
subject while having once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will help
prepare you for a successful future. Leonard L. Hamlin, Jr., a
senior in St. John’s University’s Peter J. Tobin College of
Business, understands just how important taking advantage of
opportunities can be.
“Being in college presents you with so many different experiences
and chances to build new relationships. The important thing is to
make sure you take advantage of those opportunities and experience
new things and interact with others to form those relationships
from the moment you enter college.”
Born and raised in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Leonard
chose to pursue a business degree at St. John’s because of its
diverse University community and close proximity to Manhattan. He
knew St. John’s was the ideal place to learn about the business
world in a big city while still experiencing a small “campus”
environment rarely found at a city university.
“The opportunity to be part of such a diverse student community is
exactly what I desired for my college experience. I believe
interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds is
priceless, especially at the college level. St. John’s is that
perfect mix of a big city atmosphere in a small college
environment.”
Chosen to be among the first group of individuals to attend the
inaugural class of the Pre-MBA Leadership Program at the Yale
School of Management this summer, Leonard is taking all the right
steps to ensure he reaches his future goal of becoming a business
owner. For two weeks in June, Leonard was immersed in the practice
of
business management including data analysis and leadership
development and networked with 40 other ambitious students from
around the country. The experience, he said, furthered his desire
to continue his education and apply to graduate school.
“Immediately after college I plan on going to graduate school to
obtain my MBA. My long-term career goal is to become an
entrepreneur and establish my own business ventures. In the
short-term, I realize business experience is vital to any
entrepreneur, so I would like to go into consulting or
marketing.”
This fall, Leonard will participate in the College of Business’
Global Loan Opportunities for Budding Entrepreneurs (GLOBE)
program. GLOBE, in collaboration with the University’s Vincentian
Institute for Social Justice (VISA), is inspired by the work of
2006 Nobel Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank,
and is guided by its mission to help alleviate poverty in
developing countries by providing small business loans to
entrepreneurs in impoverished areas.
“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming semester to be a part
of the student-managed lending arm to the world’s poorest
entrepreneurs and give them business opportunities. By putting what
I’ve learned at St. John’s into practice, I believe I can truly
make a difference in the lives of others.”