Like many Baruch students, Alan Chen (’17) had a lucrative, full-time job offer at graduation. But there was one significant problem: He had no idea how to properly invest his first paycheck. “My starting salary was more money than my parents had made over years,” says Mr. Chen, who had found employment as a software … Continue reading Paying Dividends: Alan Chen’s Crusade for Financial Literacy
Helping New Yorkers Breathe Easier: Anisha Rathod (MPA ’16)
When Anisha Rathod chose to specialize in respiratory care, she knew there would be some difficult and hectic days. “That’s where the action is,” she says. “You’re always needed in critical care situations.” She had no idea, though, that she would one day be working on the front lines of a global pandemic—one that brought … Continue reading Helping New Yorkers Breathe Easier: Anisha Rathod (MPA ’16)
The Offbeat Path: Investment Manager Turned Jazz Guitarist Robert Mwamba (’98)
Zambian-born Robert Mwamba moved to New York City as a teenager to study economics at Baruch College, but an unexpected friendship with a jazz legend sent him down a very different path. “Moving from Africa to New York was a big change, and it felt like something was missing,” recalls Mr. Mwamba. “To my surprise, … Continue reading The Offbeat Path: Investment Manager Turned Jazz Guitarist Robert Mwamba (’98)
Reaching Through the Bars: Tom Lapinski (’72)
For decades, Tom Lapinski ('72) has worked to inject humanity into America’s prison system. And his latest project, Through the Bars, is his most ambitious venture yet. The foundation supports history, music, and an inmate-run newspaper program at San Quentin State Prison, with a goal of reducing recidivism and promoting successful reintegration of inmates into … Continue reading Reaching Through the Bars: Tom Lapinski (’72)
Operatic Homecoming: Jillian Flexner (MBA ’16) and Fresh Squeezed Opera
It was a homecoming, of sorts, for Jillian Flexner (MBA ’16), when she returned to campus in April for the New York City premiere of Bound, a one-act chamber opera, at the Baruch Performing Arts Center. The opera was presented by Fresh Squeezed Opera, an organization founded by Flexner in 2013. “We created Fresh Squeezed … Continue reading Operatic Homecoming: Jillian Flexner (MBA ’16) and Fresh Squeezed Opera
Invested in Giving Back: Songbird Capital Founder Jie Hayes (MBA ’99)
When it comes to harmonizing professional and philanthropic pursuits, entrepreneur Jie Hayes (MBA ’99) hits all the right notes. The Zicklin alumna is the founder and portfolio manager of Songbird Capital, a boutique investment advisory firm based in Princeton, NJ. She is also the donor behind the Songbird Capital Scholarship Program at Baruch. Both the company and the scholarship program owe their names to the Fleetwood Mac tune “Songbird,” from the group’s mega-album Rumours, which she was learning to play on the guitar at the same time she was establishing her firm. “The song represents the confluence of my passions, from entrepreneurship, to music, to doing the right thing for my clients, my family, and the larger community,” she explains.
The Best Treatment: How Baruch’s SEEK Program Inspired Mark Smiley
Before entering Baruch College, Mark Smiley had taken only one science class in his life. A little more than 15 years later, he is an emergency physician in North Carolina, saving lives on a regular basis.
“Best Supporting” Role for Sandy O’Hearen, Tribeca Enterprises CFO
The scene: New York City, 1996. Acting legend and Manhattan native Robert De Niro and his producing partner, Jane Rosenthal, whose dream of nurturing the local film community led them to found the Tribeca Film Center several years prior, need a finance whiz with a commercial real estate background for their growing venture. Enter Zicklin School grad Sandy O’Hearen (’91), who takes what proves to be a life-changing phone call from a job recruiter with an offer she can’t refuse.
All Aboard with Cruise Industry Leader Harry Sommer (’88)
Luxury cruises were an alien concept to Bronx-born Harry Sommer (’88). “They just weren’t a big deal in New York City,” he recalls, “especially in the late eighties.” Today that has all changed, for the industry and for the alumnus. Mr. Sommer was recently appointed president international at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, a position in … Continue reading All Aboard with Cruise Industry Leader Harry Sommer (’88)
Rocket Man: Gerald Sandler’s Unexpected NASA Career
When President John F. Kennedy famously declared, “We choose to go to the Moon” in 1962, few Americans fully understood how we would achieve that lofty goal, including—apparently—many NASA engineers. “I knew nothing about space, but who did?” laughs Gerald Sandler (’56), an unassuming statistics major who became a lead engineer and program manager with the Apollo Lunar Module Program. “Even for those of us behind the scenes, reaching the Moon was like going on a vacation where you don’t know how you’ll get there and have no idea what the destination will be like!”