Carl Adrien ’06, Alumnus

Carl Adrien ’06 credits Bloomfield College for “opening his eyes” to what he could accomplish and giving him the tools needed to do so. He ascribes learning from diverse faculty and interacting with diverse students in a multicultural environment as an important element of his education.

“Seeing people who looked like me be successful was very impactful,” said Adrien. “I came from a diverse high school in Maplewood, and I found Bloomfield College to be an extension of that. I knew I wanted to study locally, and when I visited the campus, I immediately felt the community atmosphere.”

His entrance exams at Bloomfield helped Adrien choose his major. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I first started. I had tested highly, especially in math, so I chose business administration to start learning about general business topics. I had many economics courses with Dr. DiLiberto, especially a Money and Banking course that piqued my interest in markets.”

Adrien says he adapted easily at Bloomfield. He became involved in the Haitian Student Association, and also served as a Student Ambassador all four years he studied at the College. “I was able to build a community of peers with similar aspirations. We held each other accountable in our mutual pursuits to become successful,” he said.

During senior year, an off-campus luncheon hosted by the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) on Wall Street solidified his interest in markets. “The trip was a part of a class, and exposed me to the world of financial markets, a world I didn’t know a lot about. The presentation was geared to minorities, and opened my eyes to what I could do after graduation,” he said. “Listening to the speakers, I could see myself being in their shoes as a successful professional in the future.”

Adrien is thankful that his education at Bloomfield provided him with great opportunities, such as his exposure to NASP, the national organization that strives to help Blacks, ethnic minorities and women achieve inclusion in the financial industry. “I value the experiences I had and the people I met at Bloomfield.”

Two of Adrien’s three brothers followed in his tracks, choosing Bloomfield College for their post-secondary education. “I did very well at Bloomfield, so it was an easy decision for my younger brothers to attend there as well. An outcome of my education included being recruited and landing my first job in the financial services industry just a few months after graduation.”

Adrien began working as an Operations Analyst at Brown Brothers Harriman, a private bank, and also started taking classes toward his MBA. One year after earning his MBA, he moved on to UBS Investment Bank in a client service role for Asset Servicing, where he served as the single point of contact to prime brokerage clients and account managers for corporate actions, dividends, proxy and all other asset services related inquiries. He was then recruited by JPMorgan & Chase where he began as a senior associate and rose to vice president, leading a team of other vice presidents and associates. During his seven years there, he specialized in Special Situation Events such as spinoffs, exchange offers, mergers, conversions, tender offers, acquisitions, bankruptcies, distressed debt restructurings, proxy voting and more. This past spring, he joined Goldman Sachs as a Vice President in the Asset Servicing Client Service Group within the Global Markets Division, supporting multiple trading desks and hedge funds clients.

In spring 2022, Adrien returned to his alma mater to impart his knowledge as a panelist to current Bloomfield College students about working in the business sector, and how best to prepare for the future while still in college.

“I remember how seeing and hearing from people who looked like me impacted my confidence about what I could achieve. A member of the BCAA reached out to me, and I was really happy to return to Bloomfield and serve as a role model for current students of diverse backgrounds who also need to be inspired to dream beyond what they may presently know,” he said.