Despite the daunting job market facing today’s college graduates, Stephen Fortin ’11 (BUS) is beginning his career as a financial analyst for IBM only one month after his December graduation.
And at the same time Fortin starts work at the corporate giant, a composting project he spearheaded while still a student at UConn is coming to fruition.
Friendship and flexibility combined with Fortin’s qualifications as a finance major to land him the prestigious position. A friend from UConn’s professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi, was interning with IBM and recommended him for the job.
“At 9 p.m., my friend texted me and said he’d spoken to a human resources manager,” Fortin says. “Later that night the manager called, suggesting we meet the next day. So not even 24 hours later, I sat down with her.”
Most entry-level IBM’ers with a finance background are placed in Minnesota, and the manager asked Fortin if he would work in the North Star State. “I said, ‘Why not, I’ll explore the possibility.’ That’s how I deal with everything, leaving myself open to as many opportunities as I can be,” Fortin says. “You never know where anything will take you.”
He got a second interview; IBM put him up in a hotel, and Fortin was interviewed throughout the next day. Two weeks later, IBM offered Fortin the job – working in its Somers, N.Y. facility. “I’m really happy,” Fortin says “because that’s not too far from my hometown of Stamford.”
Launching his career semi-locally also makes it easier for Fortin to ensure a smooth transition as he cedes leadership of the composting project at Mansfield Apartments to current UConn students. The residents of EcoHouse, UConn’s learning community for students interested in environmental issues, will do the work as part of their commitment to community service.
“You have that fear that you put a lot of work into something and after you leave, there goes all your effort,” says Fortin. “I wanted to be sure if I started a composting project it would be sustained after I left. That makes my work worthwhile.”
Fortin became “more cognizant of the waste side of everything” while sharing an apartment with three roommates, dealing with grocery shopping, cooking – and spoiled food. He discussed composting with his fellow Mansfield Apartment residents, and they formed a council to work on the issue. A year passed, and Fortin didn’t see any progress being made, so he started making phone calls himself.
Eventually he connected with Dennis Pierce, director of UConn’s Department of Dining Services, who offered to fund the project. He also knocked on apartment doors to create a distribution list for the compost bins he’s now buying, and worked with the Town of Mansfield’s recycling coordinator.
By the time Fortin took the lead on the composting project, he was accustomed to making things happen in other areas as well. Fortin set the tone for the snare-drums in UConn’s Marching Band; as section leader he embraced the eight-hour weekly practices, ensuring that everyone was prepared for weekly football game performances. As a leader in Kappa Kappa Psi, the band’s service fraternity, Fortin also did the heavy lifting on behind-the-scenes operations that make the on-field show so impressive.
“The Pride of Connecticut Band is the largest student organization on campus, and it’s essentially student-run,” Fortin says. “It’s really amazing how much is left to student leaders to set up and get things done.”
University pride runs in the Fortin family. He’s the youngest of four brothers to graduate from UConn, and his mother attends classes at UConn’s Stamford Campus.
