February 25, 2013
Dorian J. Fuller ’04C never thought he’d be working in the
fast-paced world of Finance. But nearly a decade after his St.
John’s graduation, this former English major is immersed in
Business, and he has no intentions of turning back.
“I always had a passion for language – the texture and sound of
words,” Fuller explained. “But when I graduated, I was intent on
marrying my girlfriend, and I needed a job to quickly stabilize my
life. I was an English major and Philosophy minor, but I found that
Finance – specifically Compliance – was well suited to my skill
set.”
It didn’t take long for Fuller to get bit by the Finance bug.
“I’m hooked,” he joked. “I was a little intimidated at first, but I
decided to just dive right in and I’ve never looked back.”
All in all, that decision worked out wonderfully, as Fuller
currently serves as Vice President of Compliance and Risk Review at
Barclays, one of the
world’s most prominent financial services provider. He is
responsible for managing the risk associated with his firm’s
high-profile transactions, ensuring that Barclays avoids any
potential negative publicity.
“What we do is make sure that all of our policies and protocols are
smart with respect to managing risk,” he said. “I deal with a lot
of policies and procedures, but I’m grateful that my degree at St.
John’s – though not in Finance – taught me how to pick up on
information quickly, how to pull data apart and fix
problems.”
In addition to the education he received at St. John’s, Fuller also
gained valuable leadership experience on campus by serving as
President of
Haraya – the University’s Pan-African Students’ Coalition – and
President of
Student Programming Board, an organization that helps to
establish social and recreational programs on campus.
“During my presidency, especially in regards to Haraya, I’d say the
stars were aligned,” he explained. “I had an amazing executive
board, and we were able to build our connections to a lot of
different areas of campus. The dorms had just been built and
Residence Life was just emerging, so we ended up growing the
organization to almost 200 members.”
In many ways, Fuller laid the groundwork for what Haraya has become
today – one of the University’s most popular student organizations.
And although he can look back proudly on what he accomplished
during his student years, he can’t help but be amazed at how far
both Haraya and campus life have come since then.
Today, Fuller gives back to St. John’s by providing mentoring
opportunities through the Count
on Alumni for Career Help (COACH) program, a unique initiative
in which students speak with alumni professionals about their
careers and particular industries.
“I recently went out to a nice lunch with one of my mentees, where
we discussed how he could enhance his resume,” he said. “Also, I
connected him with a number of people within my network, so
hopefully that can help to kickstart his job search.”
Although Fuller may not have originally planned to go from English
major to Compliance professional, his career has certainly been
fulfilling, and he’s glad that he can share those experiences with
today’s St. John’s students. He hopes to one day obtain either a
Law degree or an M.B.A., and is excited to continue climbing the
corporate ladder.
“It’s challenging out there,” he said. “But with a strong network
like ours, there are a lot of opportunities for students. And I
know firsthand that no matter what you major in, a St. John’s
education will prepare you for anything.”