When It’s Fordham Students, ‘I Always Answer’
“I get emails or LinkedIn requests from at least two Fordham students every day—and I always answer the call,” said Caldwell, executive director at JPMorgan Private Bank and member of the Fordham President’s Council. “Every job I’ve gotten since I graduated college has been through a Fordham alum, so I feel like it’s my duty to give back, wherever I can.”
Caldwell spoke with Fordham students at the Oct. 2 President’s Council Executive Leadership Series Mentoring Event. The evening brought together senior students and young alumni with members of the President’s Council—a group of professionals and philanthropists who provide mentorship and support to students and the University—and guest mentors.
His friend Will Finn, GABELLI ’17, a managing director at PNC, took it one step further: “Once you meet someone, build a relationship—don’t just reach out to reach out, but do some research. See what their career has been, what their education has been, and try to touch on those points.”
The Value of Face-to-Face Networking
At the evening event held in Lowenstein’s 12th-Floor Lounge, students networked with the alumni and asked questions about their career paths while gaining interviewing tips and career advice.
Hector Cruz, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill majoring in math and computer science, is currently interning at Con Edison. He’s interested in staying in that field, working toward creating a greener energy infrastructure. He said the opportunity to hear from alumni was very helpful.
“This was a good chance, especially as a graduating senior, to really get to know people and further my career, as well as further my relationship with Fordham postgrad,” said Cruz, who is the president of the Commuting Students Association.
For senior Emma Balint, the chance to connect in person was powerful, especially in the age of Zoom.
“I missed that component of getting to socialize with people face-to-face because I feel like that’s really where I thrive,” said Balint, who is majoring in psychology and minoring in bioethics at Fordham College at Rose Hill.
Finn said that he was glad students got to see the alumni network in action.
“I think networking is incredibly important within business, and people want to help each other, and that’s probably one of the best things about Fordham—the fact that people are willing to pick up that phone call,” he said.
