Leonard Hamlin
Leonard L. Hamlin, Jr., a senior in St. John’s University’s Peter J. Tobin College of Business, understands just how important taking advantage of opportunities can be.
College is your chance to further your knowledge in a specific subject while having once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will help prepare you for a successful future. Leonard L. Hamlin, Jr., a senior in St. John’s University’s Peter J. Tobin College of Business, understands just how important taking advantage of opportunities can be.
“Being in college presents you with so many different experiences and chances to build new relationships. The important thing is to make sure you take advantage of those opportunities and experience new things and interact with others to form those relationships from the moment you enter college.”
Born and raised in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Leonard chose to pursue a business degree at St. John’s because of its diverse University community and close proximity to Manhattan. He knew St. John’s was the ideal place to learn about the business world in a big city while still experiencing a small “campus” environment rarely found at a city university.
“The opportunity to be part of such a diverse student community is exactly what I desired for my college experience. I believe interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds is priceless, especially at the college level. St. John’s is that perfect mix of a big city atmosphere in a small college environment.”
Chosen to be among the first group of individuals to attend the inaugural class of the Pre-MBA Leadership Program at the Yale School of Management this summer, Leonard is taking all the right steps to ensure he reaches his future goal of becoming a business owner. For two weeks in June, Leonard was immersed in the practice of business management including data analysis and leadership development and networked with 40 other ambitious students from around the country. The experience, he said, furthered his desire to continue his education and apply to graduate school.
“Immediately after college I plan on going to graduate school to obtain my MBA. My long-term career goal is to become an entrepreneur and establish my own business ventures. In the short-term, I realize business experience is vital to any entrepreneur, so I would like to go into consulting or marketing.”
This fall, Leonard will participate in the College of Business’ Global Loan Opportunities for Budding Entrepreneurs (GLOBE) program. GLOBE, in collaboration with the University’s Vincentian Institute for Social Justice (VISA), is inspired by the work of 2006 Nobel Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, and is guided by its mission to help alleviate poverty in developing countries by providing small business loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished areas.
“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming semester to be a part of the student-managed lending arm to the world’s poorest entrepreneurs and give them business opportunities. By putting what I’ve learned at St. John’s into practice, I believe I can truly make a difference in the lives of others.”
