“St. John’s has given me an education no other institution
could,” said Robert Marrocco ‘12TCB. “Its rock-solid curriculum, Catholic
and Vincentian values and New York City location have all
helped to make me well-rounded and well-prepared for a successful
business career.”
“What really put it over the top,” Robert added, “is being part of
the Ozanam Scholars Program.” Robert
credits its extraordinary mix of hands-on service, results-oriented
research and global travel with helping to position him to become a
future business leader.
Launched in 2007, the four-year Ozanam Scholars Program prepares
students to identify and solve real-world problems of poverty and
social injustice. Robert is a member of the Program’s second cohort
and will graduate in January 2012 after just three and one-half
years.
Robert is especially excited about his senior-year Ozanam capstone
project on alternative nonprofit funding strategies. “In
formulating these strategies — which I believe will contribute to
financial thinking — I am applying everything I’ve learned from my
service assignments.”
Robert cited principles he extracted from his continuing work with
the Little
Sisters of Assumption (LSA) in East Harlem — a community
health-services-provider. Getting a first-hand look at LSA’s
organizational structure, he was impressed that, unlike other
nonprofits, LSA does not rely solely on donors to raise money. It
also employs cost-effective practices such as delivering multiple
services from one locale, using surveys to identify growth
opportunities and constantly measuring client satisfaction.
St. John’s focus on study abroad and academic service-learning
(ASL) has enriched Robert’s education as well. He has traveled to
Rome, Paris, Spain and New Orleans, where he helped rebuild houses
damaged by Hurricane Katrina. On campus, he strengthened his
entrepreneurial skills, collaborating with the Department of
Academic Service-Learning to create a new student worker position —
an ASL Assistant that will track study abroad service hours and
coordinate activities with St. John’s strategic partners.
This semester, Robert landed a competitive internship with FGI Risk
Services, a financial services firm in Manhattan. “I’m gaining
hands-on trade credit insurance experience — an invaluable
career-building credential,” he stated.
Robert plans to pursue his M.B.A. at St. John’s Rome,
Italy, Campus. Then he will seek a global corporate position
specializing in direct foreign investment. “My experience modeling
funding alternatives will serve me well in the for-profit arena,”
he said. “All organizations need to create new financing models to
survive in a turbulent economic climate.”
“St. John’s has helped me build an impressive undergraduate record
as well as a cross-section of high-level contacts,” he said. “Most
important, it has given me the tools and opportunities to grow
academically, socially, spiritually and professionally.”