Colin Powell School
Julian Abreu
1. Please tell me a little about your background.
I am an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. I moved with my parents and a few of my siblings to Brooklyn, NY when I was 15. I spoke very little English at that time. But with the help and support of my parents, teachers, classmates, and tutors (and working very hard to conjugate the verb “to be” for a few years), I graduated Salutatorian of my high school and enrolled in City College.
2. What brought you to City College, and what motivated you to study what you did?
The Engineering and Economics programs at City College were attractive after I graduated high school. Inspired by my father’s entrepreneurial spirit and by my performance in my first calculus class, combined with the desire to be able to make a decent living and be able to support myself, I ended up favoring business.
My dad had always had businesses and managed different personalities. I grew up seeing that dynamic and was always intrigued by the ability of individuals to lead a team to accomplish a common goal. I also liked the challenge of solving problems, and the business and finance industry offers the opportunity to constantly immerse yourself in an analytical process to figure things out. I find this very rewarding.
3. Briefly, how has your career unfolded, and how did City College help you on your path?
I graduated from City College in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Administration, and Management specializing in Finance. I began my career as a Margin Interest Analyst for Lehman Brothers and became a Prime Broker Client Service Representative in 2005. I joined Barclays Capital with the acquisition of Lehman’s North American Prime Broker Business in 2008 and served in different capacities within the team. Currently, I am a Director serving as North American Head of Prime Client Service.
I benefited greatly from the insight and guidance provided by the faculty of CCNY. There were some professors that knew exactly what we needed to do and know in order to become marketable. In particular, there was one young professor, Kevin Foster, who in 1999 understood that emails and the internet were transforming how businesses were operating. Even though this had nothing to do with the subject matter (Labor and Economics), he decided to conduct a paperless class, which meant that everyone had to learn how to create their own webpage, upload homework assignments, and communicate any follow-up questions through email. This was the first time I was exposed in such great detail, to the power of the world wide web. At that moment, I didn’t think much of it, but I soon realized that this was one of the most important things I learned in college. This experience made me realize that being able to adapt and constantly learn new things were going to be key going forward to remain relevant, and as a result, better prepared me to join the labor force.
4. Please share any significant memories or accomplishments from your time at City College.
Every milestone is memorable in its own way. Getting the Client Service Role was especially significant because at the time, even though I lacked the confidence and was nervous about being able to perform, I realized that Client Service was where I wanted to be. I enjoyed the client interaction and there were so many different aspects of the job, that each day was going to be slightly different. It felt good to earn this next job based on my performance of the previous job. Another memorable day was when I was offered the opportunity to lead the Client Service team. It is a great honor that I don’t take for granted. Another memorable day is January 25, 2021. After three years of actively working towards matching Barclays recruiting needs with City College talent, we have our first CCNY hire.
And of course, I met my wife in the science building during swim team practice.
5. How have you been involved with City College since your graduation? Why do you stay involved was invited to join the City College of New York Business & Economics Alumni Society Board of Directors in 2011 and subsequently served as Treasurer, and have volunteered as a mentor throughout the years. More recently with the support of the Barclays community, we started an annual Day @Barclays Event where 10-15 students have the opportunity to visit the Barclays Building, interact with colleagues, build their network, and hopefully get inspired to start their careers in finance. Since the Day @Barclays event started three years ago, the program has so far resulted in an internship and two hires.
I stay involved because, in the beginning, my success involved a lot of luck. I was at the right place at the right time, but I didn’t know anyone in the industry that could guide me through the job search and hiring process. I had no exposure, and no idea what to expect or the opportunities that working in a bank offered. I realized that my experience could resonate with other CCNY students and that it could show anything is possible if you apply yourself.
6. Do you have any advice you could give to future and current students?
Specifically, if you are going into the finance industry, learn Excel, but if you can learn a programming language it will make you more marketable.
Generally, always try to look at the big picture and understand how your contribution fits with the overall. The part you play or what you do, no matter how “small” it may seem, supports, leads to or contributes to the final product or goal. Apply this concept to your job search process, writing your resume and preparing for interviews. You can be working on a foundation, or you can be part of the team that is building a house.