Alumnus Embarked on Successful Career While Studying at St. John’s

Whitestone, NY, native Justin M. Stanton ’03TCB grew up as a big fan of the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team. “They won the BIG EAST the year I graduated, and the atmosphere reminded me of the atmosphere we had last year. My uncle had season tickets, and I would pick them up for him, and we’d go to games together.”

Mr. Stanton went to St. Francis Preparatory School. “They are a big feeder for St. John’s and offered me a very generous scholarship, so it made sense,” he recalled. “So many of us from Prep were at St. John’s on the first day of orientation.” 

He added, “My student experience was fantastic.” 

Like many students, Mr. Stanton’s intended path crystallized once he got to St. John’s. “I figured I might go the psychology route, which I found very interesting, or business. I obtained a great internship at Citigroup. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, several people left the division in which I was interning. They offered me a full-time position while I was still at St. John’s, so I finished my degree at night.”

Mr. Stanton felt his St. John’s experience was the best of both worlds. When he attended classes during the day, he enjoyed the traditional, on-campus experience. Several adjunct professors who were active in his field of study taught him at night. 

“That solidified my interest in the field,” he remarked.

While working at Citigroup and still studying at St. John’s, Mr. Stanton became less interested in investment banking and more in the study of equity compensation, which fell under the umbrella of human resources. He could tailor his studies at St. John’s to that interest.

“Several of my professors encouraged me to explore that side of the business,” he explained. “It was an area growing within these corporations because we were at the end of the tech bubble and entering the acquisition phase. St. John’s was one of the few schools with a head of human resources as an adjunct. It fit right where I was heading professionally.”

Mr. Stanton worked with St. John’s alumni, noting they were often a hardworking and less privileged group of individuals. “You had a lot of M.B.A.s coming in who wouldn’t earn their stripes,” he asserted. “I had a lot of friends from St. John’s and many colleagues who went to St. John’s. It was a nice network. These companies were hard to break into, but I had a lot of great early mentors.”

Mr. Stanton’s roles have evolved over the years. He is Director of Human Resources Operations at Presidio, a global digital services provider and information technology solutions company.

“When I was at St. John’s, it had a powerful presence in New York City, and still does,” he said. “I would encourage students to take full advantage of that. I was the beneficiary of a very strong, local alumni network, especially in the early steps of my career. Today, seeing familiar St. John’s faces out in the workforce is very nice. The University has so many great programs outside of the sports teams, and they have only grown since I was there. St. John’s really engages with you.”