As they prepare to graduate, Fordham students are reflecting on the experiences that shaped them over the last four years while looking ahead to what comes next. Some will step into roles at leading firms, others will continue their studies in graduate school—all carrying forward the values they’ve honed at Fordham into their professions and communities.
Meet some of our 2026 graduates below and learn how they’ll bring Fordham values into their next chapter.
Kimberly Rojas
Major: Information Systems
The Trip that Inspired Her
During her senior year, Rojas took part in a Global Outreach project, traveling to the Dominican Republic. The experience proved transformative. She learned about the realities of the sugarcane industry and the economic injustices surrounding it, while also gaining a deeper appreciation for the culture and resilience of the people she met. “It was so rewarding,” she said, adding that the experience was a defining moment of her time at Fordham.
What’s Next
After graduation, Rojas will join the Japanese financial group Mizuho. She had an internship with the company, then continued to work remotely for Mizuho and ultimately earned a return offer to join its TechX Analyst program. Beginning in August, she will rotate through three different roles in the technology division, with a focus on IT project management.
Fordham Values at Work
At Fordham, Rojas found a deeper sense of purpose. Through her leadership in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) and her involvement with the Fordham Christian Fellowship, she developed a strong sense of faith and community. As she enters the workforce, she hopes to carry those values forward.
“I want to be the kind of person that others can come to,” Rojas said. “Fordham allowed me to become better suited for that kind of role.”
Oscar Sanchez
Contributed photo
Major/Minor: Political Science/Spanish on the pre-law track
Playing Soccer on Campus at Age 12
Sanchez grew up just a few blocks from the Rose Hill campus; his parents came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1988. From a very early age, he felt a connection to Fordham. In sixth grade, the aspiring lawyer was invited to play pickup soccer on campus with Fordham students. Not only did he eventually enroll at Fordham, but he also played club soccer for four years.
“From the moment I stepped foot on the campus, I thought, ‘This is where I want to be, and these are the people that I want to be around,” he said.
What’s Next
This summer, Sanchez will intern in the National Urban League’s Equitable Justice & Strategic Initiatives Division, where he’ll help advocate for criminal justice reform. He hopes to return to Fordham to attend law school, ready to fulfill his lifelong dream.
Fordham Values at Work
As a first-generation student, Sanchez felt some apprehension when he first enrolled. But a spirit of engagement helped him explore all the opportunities Fordham offers, from Global Outreach in Tijuana, Mexico, to the Bronx African American History Project, which inspired his senior thesis about drill music, a subgenre of rap. He also interned with Congressman Ritchie Torres, pictured with Sanchez above. He’s grateful for the chances he took and the determination they required.
“Part of daring to be great means you’re going to fail. There will be moments when I’ll have to reflect on what I could have done to change an outcome. But I’m going to carry the courage and the leadership I learned at Fordham into my career and hopefully become the first lawyer in my family,” he said.
Daysi Martinez
Major/Minor: Biological Science/English
Inspired By a Real-Life Superhero
Martinez has looked up to her mother—a nurse—since she was a child. “I thought she was a superhero because she had a solution for everything. As I got older, I came to understand the severity of the situations she was dealing with, and I appreciated her strength and empathy,” she said.
An aspiring doctor, Martinez’s college experiences focused heavily on health-related topics. She worked as a researcher at Harvard’s Center for Surgery and Public Health, and contributed to a paper on AI and language in surgical care, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
What’s Next
After graduation, Martinez will teach biology at the Academy of the Pacific Rim in Boston. She’ll then pursue an MD/MPH (Master’s in Public Health) degree. Her goal is to work in obstetrics or surgery, an area she’s explored at Fordham as co-president of the Fordham Surgical Society.
Fordham Values at Work
Martinez was encouraged by the welcoming community of doers she found at Fordham. As she prepares to make an impact as a doctor, she plans to pay it forward to those on their way.
“I’ve received a lot of advice and help from students who were a year or two older, and I’ve tried to do the same with younger students, whether it’s information about internships, networking, or interview advice. I definitely plan to continue to do that after I graduate.”
Mabel Inoa Mejia
Major: Computer Science
A Less-than-Straight Path to Salesforce
Mejia’s interest in tech was piqued by a high school video game design course at Urban Arts Partnership, and it only grew during her time at Fordham. A training course she took with CodePath, a software and AI-focused nonprofit, led to an internship at Salesforce and a full-time job with the company after graduation. But what might look like a straight path to success had its fair share of bumps.
“I was a straight-A student in high school, but I definitely had some humbling moments at Fordham because some of the computer science classes were really hard. I remember thinking, ‘If I can’t understand this, how am I supposed to get a job in the field?’ What’s important is to just keep at it. With time and dedication, I learned that if you put your mind to it, you can do it.”
What’s Next?
In the fall, she’s moving to San Francisco, where she’ll work as a software engineer at Salesforce.
Fordham Values at Work
Through challenging coursework at Fordham, Mejia was able to think more broadly about what technology can do. Drawing on her background in game design, she began to see how technical skills could be used to shape user experiences and solve problems.
“I realized you can use gaming principles in websites to more easily grab a user’s attention. That’s when I started to be a little more creative with my projects. The possibilities with computer science are truly endless.”
Erik Ulmer
Major: Finance
Hands-On Investment Experience
For Ulmer, one of the most defining parts of his Fordham experience came through the Student Managed Investment Fund. Joining as a senior and quickly stepping into a portfolio manager role, he helped make real investment decisions alongside his classmates. The experience allowed him to apply what he learned in finance courses to real-world markets.
While at Fordham, Ulmer also established Forevergreen, a service that allows users to calculate their monthly carbon footprint and offset those emissions.
What’s Next
After graduation, Ulmer, who grew up outside Philadelphia, will join Société Générale in New York City as an investment banking analyst. He will work across mergers and acquisitions as well as advisory and financing teams, building on experience from his internship with the firm in Manhattan last summer. Drawn to the steep learning curve and hands-on deal work, Ulmer is eager to deepen his understanding of finance through the role.
Fordham Values at Work
At Fordham, Ulmer developed a strong work ethic, something he sees as central to both his success and the University’s values.
“Hard work is something that everyone has emphasized to me at Fordham,” he said. “When I’ve talked to recruiters who’ve had Fordham interns, they’ve said they love how hard our students work.” He plans to bring that same diligence and determination into his career.
Jessica Christian
Major: Communication and Culture, Concentration in Cultural Studies
How Her Mother’s Volunteer Work Inspired Her
Before transferring to Fordham as a junior, Jessica Christian was familiar with the needs of the incarcerated—and the rewards of helping them—through her mother’s volunteer work at a local prison. “She would always come home and just talk to me about how impactful she felt her work was,” Christian said. As a Fordham student and a New Yorker, she also learned about the joys of helping others as a New York Cares volunteer, working with autistic children and others in need.
What’s Next
After graduating, Christian will pursue a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Fordham’s Graduate School of Education. She aspires to work in prisons herself, helping the incarcerated gain “the skills and knowledge to make a better life for themselves,” she said. “There’s such a need for counseling services right now, especially within the prison system.”
Fordham Values at Work
Christian especially appreciates the curiosity and open-mindedness she found at Fordham. “[These are] super important, especially in counseling,” she said. “People operate differently, people need different things. I think being open and curious about people’s backgrounds, the issues they’ve faced, is crucial to helping people and working with them.”
Mahiul Bhuiyan
Major: Computer Science
How He Applies Ethics to Computer Science
Mahiul Bhuiyan came to Fordham to study computer science but found he was inspired by the ethical values reflected in his humanities courses. He decided to act on those values after finishing his coursework in December: He and some friends developed a web platform, Sevo, dedicated to helping lower-income and immigrant families sell home-cooked food online. When it goes live, it will use an AI tool that validates the food’s quality, helping the families find buyers and make ends meet.
What’s Next
Bhuiyan will start a new role as an AI engineer with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, working with the global cybersecurity team. He interned with the company as a Fordham student, working partly at its offices at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Because of his Fordham classes, he feels well prepared for the interpersonal aspects of his job—fully grasping what people are saying “but also the meanings they’re trying to convey on top of all that,” he said.
Fordham Values at Work
He plans to be “very much involved” with Mitsubishi’s programs that support local nonprofits and charities. “Because of the values and the ethics that have [been] ingrained in me at Fordham, that’s something that I automatically move toward. That’s the biggest thing that Fordham gave to me, this idea that you can use your degree, you can use the skills that you learned, to help people for a greater good.”
Ava Brooks
Majors: Mathematics and International Political Economy
Gaining Perspective Across the Pond
Studying abroad in London was a transformative part of Brooks’ experience at Fordham, exposing them to new academic styles and perspectives. Beyond the classroom, the experience offered them the chance to travel, explore new cultures, and make friends abroad.
“The program was really good about making sure there was a community, even in a different country,” Brooks said.
What’s Next
After graduation, Brooks will join Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment—the parent company of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets—as a digital fellow. The role includes rotations across IT, data and analytics, and consumer technology, offering broad exposure within the organization. And it incorporates their passion for sports!
Brooks also accepted a part-time position as an evening election data engineer at AP News, where they will be processing real-time voting data during the 2026 primary and general election cycles.
Brooks participated in several internships and research fellowships at Fordham that they said will help them professionally, including a government research fellowship with Country First Academy, a political organization that helps people from all backgrounds run for office.
Fordham Values at Work
At Fordham, Brooks developed a deep appreciation for collaboration, a value they plan to embrace as they launches their career.
“Fordham fostered a close-knit community,” Brooks said. “It created a baseline for collaboration in the workplace, respecting differences, understanding where people are coming from, and being more mindful and patient with others.”
