Robert Marrocco

“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.”