Fordham University College of Business Administration (CBA) students were given direct access to some of the country’s top companies —and Fordham alumni who work for them—this week on the Rose Hill campus.

The series of events, part of Access Your Future Week that ran from Monday, Oct. 1, through Thursday, Oct. 4, included informational sessions by company’s such as Deloitte & Touche USA and IBM and discussions with alumni with backgrounds in marketing and entrepreneurship. “We wanted [students]to get a flavor for different careers so that they could get a sense of the opportunities that are out there,” said Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of CBA.

Roger Anerella, CBA ’89 Photo by Ken Levinson

On Oct. 4, students met with alumni working in fields ranging from advertising and marketing to finance and accounting at a luncheon at the Duane Library that featured a keynote speech by Roger Anerella, CBA ’89. Managing director and chief operating officer for global markets at Merrill Lynch, Anerella didn’t mince words in his advice to students, warning them against walking into an interview with only a smile.

“Have a plan,” he said. “If you want to be successful, you must have an insatiable appetite to learn. Don’t just sit there and learn what’s taught to you, go beyond that. Make something happen.”