From Immigrant Roots to Global Markets: A Journey of Innovation and Leadership
When Sam Van ’01TCB left Vietnam as a child, he was too young to comprehend the origins of the economic challenges facing the country, even though those challenges played a role in his family’s choice to emigrate.
However, as he grew older, Mr. Van’s relentless curiosity turned toward questions of resilience and innovation in diverse economic contexts, from his first job in high school scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins®, to his studies at St. John’s, to his work at the New York Stock Exchange.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which degree you hold. It is more important what you’re capable of and see yourself doing.
Now, 25 years since graduating from St. John’s, Mr. Van is one of the authors of the recently published book, 40 Years of Innovators, profiling 25 people who have been driving forces in economic innovation in Vietnam. He also serves on various boards of directors.
“Outside of that, I also have my own advisory firm, SRO Partners,” he shared. “I help lead capital formation for emerging companies and also take companies public on NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, other exchanges in Europe, as well as in London or on Euronext.”
Mr. Van attended St. John’s University six years after moving to New York as a teen, and he worked his way through school. The University’s diverse opportunities and alumni connections laid the foundation for his expansive career, from internships at J.P. Morgan, Prudential Securities, and Morgan Stanley, to his work since.
He cites the mentorship and support of the St. John’s community as crucial to his success, and warmly recalls the connections and brotherhood he experienced through the fraternity Zeta Beta Tau, where he still maintains strong friendships. The relationships he built on the Queens, NY, campus helped him stay focused as he worked hard to balance part-time employment and academic work throughout school.
“The other thing to measure success is really the foundation you set. I always felt that I worked harder as an undergraduate,” he said, where he applied his relentless work ethic to take advantage of all that St. John’s had to offer. “The foundation years at St. John’s gave me a lot of great opportunities. It gave me the opportunity to work as a first-year student at J.P. Morgan on the trading floor calculating commissions for the traders—and that’s where I got my excitement about Wall Street and finance.”
After graduating from St. John’s, Mr. Van went through a rigorous selection process and was hired to work on the New York Stock Exchange. Eventually, he returned to school, earning his M.B.A. from Cornell University, as well as additional credentials and certificates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia.
“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which degree you hold,” he said. “It is more important what you’re capable of and see yourself doing. Nobody is going to give you that chance. You actually have to fight for it and believe in yourself, your educational background, and your curiosity to shape things.”
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