2018 Best & Brightest: Joe Gorman, Fordham University (Gabelli)

Joe Gorman

Fordham University (Gabelli)

IKEA furniture is more fun without the instructions.”

Fun fact about yourself: I can speak 400 words per minute.

Hometown: Wooster, OH

High School: Wooster High School

Major: Global Business

Minor: Global Finance and Business Economics

Favorite Business Course: Student-Managed Investment Fund

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Residence Hall Association Senator
Dean’s List
Fordham Regulatory Outreach for Student Education presenter, 2015 and 2016
Fordham Lincoln Center Senior Week Committee Member
Volunteer Counselor at Wooster Camp Invention
Fordham Lincoln Center Dean’s Council Member
2015 Fordham Consulting Cup Champion Team
Fordham Student-Managed Investment Fund 2016-2017 (Chief Economist)
National Millennial Community Member
Fordham Business Ethics Case Competition competitor

Where have you interned during your college career?
Societe Generale, New York, NY, Investment Banking Summer Analyst
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Investment Management Intern
North Brookside Capital, New York, NY, Private Equity Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? Societe Generale – Investment Banking Analyst (Natural Resources Group)

What did you enjoy most about your business school? I loved going to school in the heart of New York City. I was surrounded by great role models and mentors, and fantastic learning experiences. Most importantly, I was able to take classes with fantastic adjunct professors who worked in finance by day and brought vital practical experience to the classroom.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? I learned that being part of a team is more than just working toward a common goal. Really effective teams connect with each other and help each other grow personally and professionally, and I was lucky enough to experience that firsthand during my college career.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? The tools you learn while studying business are applicable in almost any career you choose. Don’t be afraid to keep an open mind and try new things while you try to figure out exactly what you want to do within business. The best way to find out whether you really like a career path is to try an internship in that field and network with people who are doing that job already.

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying…economics or philosophy. I was always attracted to areas of study that offer interesting ways of explaining and understanding the world around us.”

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? No single person had that much influence on my initial decision to pursue business. When I first chose business, I did so because I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do in the long run, so I wanted to pick a field that left my options open. Later, after taking a number of business classes, I found that I enjoyed my finance classes and finance professors the most, so I chose to go down that path.  

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of winning Fordham’s Consulting Cup (a consulting competition in which all Fordham business sophomores compete) with my team. I’m proud of it because our team put countless hours of hard work into the project and really helped each other grow as teammates and professionals. We pushed each other to put forth our best effort and taught each other new skills; it was everything I want to have in a team experience. It was gratifying to represent the Lincoln Center campus in the final round of competition and make our peers proud by winning the competition.

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the business school? I would offer more classes in applied computer science to business students. While we have a strong offering of courses within the Information Systems concentration, they aren’t as applicable to students who want to add computer science skills while pursuing another path (e.g. marketing, finance, accounting). It’s both incredibly useful and increasingly necessary for professionals in business to have computer science skills – for instance, I learned VBA (a programming language that interfaces with Excel) on my own, which helped me accomplish tasks at my internships more quickly and with better results. I think that it is important to offer these classes with a focus on business applications, rather than just the language itself, as it will help students develop an intuitive understanding of when and how computer science tools can be applied to solve business problems.

Which classmate do you most admire? I admire Jason Irukulapati for demonstrating great character. He is incredibly smart, yet twice as humble. He is kind to everyone without reservation, and is one of those rare people about whom not a single person has anything negative to say.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would thank my parents, who raised me to value curiosity and an open mind. They helped me grow the independence to leave my small town in Ohio for a school in New York City, and the confidence to hold on to my convictions along the way. When you are confident in your support system, you can dedicate all your energy to achieving your goals, and without them, I could not have made it to where I am today.

What would your theme song be? “Hip to Be Square” by Huey Lewis & The News – the name pretty much says it all.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? Visit the Pacific Northwest, and learn to paint

Favorite book: The Hobbit

Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Favorite vacation spot: Tokyo

What are your hobbies? Photography, tennis, and barbecuing

What made Joe such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2018?

“Joe Gorman is a member of the inaugural class of the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, and he has been an invaluable addition to the Class of 2018. The Lincoln Center-based program, in which all students major in global business, has been geared since its inception toward high-caliber students with an interest in international commerce.

I met Joe when he was a freshman in 2015 and was instantly impressed with his maturity and drive for academic and career success. As a student and young man, he is exceptional and a positive ambassador for the Gabelli School and the global business program. He is actively involved in parents’ weekend visits, outreach to prospective students, club activities, and serving as mentor for underclassmen. Joe is always willing to share his time for classmates and the school, often just “showing up” without being asked.

I have had the privilege of teaching Joe in two classes over the past two years. He was the strongest student in each of those courses, combining intelligence, personal drive for success and perfection, and intellectual curiosity. He is modest and always has a positive attitude. He is willing to assist others in understanding concepts and an active contributor in classroom discussions.

I had a unique experience in helping Joe to prepare for his role as an investment management intern at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Foundation. His attention to detail and openness in taking advice helped to secure him this internship, even in the face of competition from more experienced applicants. Joe went on to be selected by Société Générale for an investment banking summer analyst internship during his junior year. A full-time job offer came his way immediately following completion of the internship.

Joe is most proud of his role as chief economist of the Student Managed Investment Fund. The economic insights, analysis, and written review that he provides as part of the fund’s meetings are exceptional. One outstanding contribution of his recently led to an excellent, high-level discussion. Joe has developed into a role-model global business student. Based on his academic success, career dedication, and passion for assisting in every way possible, he is an outstanding young man and a positive ambassador for the Gabelli School and for himself.”

Jim McCann
Lecturer, Finance and Business Economics
Fordham University

DON’T MISS: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2018 — THE COMPLETE LIST