BLI Graduation Year: 2018
Tell us briefly about yourself and please update your classmates on your personal/professional experiences since graduating from BLI:
Since graduating from BLI I have moved to M&T Bank as a Relationship Manager. I spent nearly a year traveling to Baltimore and Buffalo in a credit analysis training program ti get me ready for the role of a commercial lender. As of May I am no longer traveling and am focusing on real estate in the Southern Tier.
Personal: I am closing on a house at the end of September. All BLI alum are invited to the housewarming.
Favorite books/movies:
Favorite movie – Goodwill Hunting. We used to watch it nearly ever weekend in college and worked on memorizing Robin William’s monologue from the park bench scene.
Favorite book – I have many. I am an audiobook listener generally and listen to a ton of books but none of them are “exciting” to most people. A lot of economics books or books about the financial crisis. My favorite fiction book is I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak which I have read no less than 5 times.
Current and Past Notable Civic Activities:
Young Professional Advisory Committee, American Cancer Society, Chamber Legislative Committee, Junior Achievement
Interests/Hobbies:
Off-roading, Golf, Bowling, Football, Soccer (watching, not playing)
How did your BLI experience change your perception of the community, and motivate you to become more involved in the community?
Wow. When I moved to Binghamton, I was given the opportunity, through the people I began associating with, to see a different side of the greater Binghamton area. This ultimately led me to move here after college. After seeing the different sides of the community from farms to the correctional facility and just having the opportunity to meet so many people, it showed me that we are a close, growing community. This made me want to get involved however I can, whether it is at work helping businesses grow or volunteering. My perception of the community was, I think, already bright. I saw the problems in the community, but I believe every community has its problems. BLI helped me create lasting relationships with my classmates and dive deeper into the innerworkings of the community and the people that are committed to the success of the greater Binghamton area.
What was your most memorable BLI activity/moment?
The retreat the first day we all met – we were 50 feet up in the air about to jump off and hit a ball about 20 feet out. As I got to the top of this wobbly telephone pole type thing I heard the guy that was supposed to be holding my rope go “hey whose FJ is that?” (An FJ is a car and anybody that knows me knows I love my car and would love to talk about it (almost) all of the time). From 50 feet up, I yelled “Oh that’s mine” as I am getting ready to jump… he said “do you like it” and I looked right at him and said “CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS LATER?” That whole day was great – but that is so memorable to me.
What was the most valuable benefit to you from your BLI experience?
The connections I have made with people in town. While we do not get together as often as I would like, I still get to see so many alumni around town still being involved in the community.
What “nugget of wisdom” do you have for your fellow BLI alum?
I am not really that wise….