{"id":240535,"date":"2026-01-29T11:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=240535"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T16:34:12","slug":"alumni-spotlight-marlon-fullers-pursuit-of-a-better-tomorrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/01\/alumni-spotlight-marlon-fullers-pursuit-of-a-better-tomorrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Marlon Fuller\u2019s Pursuit of a Better Tomorrow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up in\u00a0<\/span>Long Beach, California, and\u00a0<\/span>New Haven<\/span>, Connecticut,<\/span>\u00a0with 12 siblings<\/span>\u00a0and facing poverty throughout his adolescence,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Fuller experienced<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>adversity that compelled him to pursue a career in pharmacy.\u00a0<\/span>Working as a tech at Walgreens during high<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>school<\/span>, Fulle<\/span>r<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>realized his love for pharmacy\u00a0<\/span>aligned with his desire to connect with\u00a0<\/span>his community and change the disproportionate<\/span>\u00a0and generational<\/span>\u00a0health disparities experienced by<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>lack community and lower socioeconomic communities<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

After spending a brief time in Houston\u00a0<\/span>to finish<\/span>\u00a0high school, Fuller moved back to Connecticut. Upon his return, he started working for a\u00a0<\/span>floor<\/span>-cleaning business started by his older brother<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0while deciding where to pur<\/span>sue his passion for pharmacy. He began his undergraduate journey at Southern Connecticut State University before transferring to UConn in 1999.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During his time at the School, Fuller\u2019s passion for community health was deepened during his rotations and externships.\u00a0<\/span>Also w<\/span>orking as a tech at Ride Aid during this time,\u00a0<\/span>Fuller found his involvement in blood pressure, cholesterol, and A1C screenings to be a motivator to pursue his own community health initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Headshot
Headshot of Marlon Fuller (picture provided by Fuller)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fuller executed one of these\u00a0<\/span>initiatives<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and worked with\u00a0<\/span>former\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>ean<\/span>\u00a0Robert<\/span>\u00a0McCarthy and\u00a0<\/span>former a<\/span>ssociate\u00a0<\/span>dean Ken Speranza<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as a third-year pharmacy student<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>when he\u00a0<\/span>facilitated<\/span>\u00a0a partnership between UConn Pharmacy and the Superintend<\/span>ent\u00a0<\/span>of New Haven Public Schools, Charles Warner,\u00a0<\/span>to begin<\/span>\u00a0a program for high school students.\u00a0<\/span>Over the next four years, New Haven high school students\u00a0<\/span>received transportation to UConn\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>learn<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>about careers in pharmacy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Seeing the value of<\/span>\u00a0building<\/span>\u00a0connection points in communities early on in his career, Fuller\u00a0<\/span>believes that increased diversity in the healthcare and pharmaceutical field<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0is vital to help the most susceptible patient populations.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe with exposure is expansion<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and once you get exposed to something, you know how you can use your gifts, talents, skills, and abilities to amplify, impact, and help others.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the 10<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0child in his family<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>the first to go to college, Fuller inspired his younger siblings to receive higher education<\/span>. But as a first-generation college student, Fuller\u00a0<\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span>\u00a0have anyone to lean on when it came time to\u00a0<\/span>submit<\/span>\u00a0ACT\u00a0<\/span>scores, take out student loans, manage his time most effectively<\/span>, or navigate college\u00a0<\/span>as a\u00a0<\/span>first-time<\/span>\u00a0father<\/span>. He credits UConn for helping him connect with many resources, including professors, counselors, and the Bursar\u2019s office<\/span>, and giving him the opportunity to succeed.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite some of the pressures, Fuller made sure to\u00a0<\/span>still\u00a0<\/span>enjoy his years as a Husky. Reminiscing about his journey, Fuller\u00a0<\/span>fondly remembers the parties h<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0and his classmates would have<\/span>\u00a0in the old pharmacy building after the last day of finals<\/span>\u00a0(and all the hours in Babbidge Library prior to these parties<\/span>).\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduating from UConn<\/span>\u2019s School of Pharmacy in 2004, Fuller started his career as a retail pharmacist\u00a0<\/span>at Walmart. In this\u00a0<\/span>position<\/span>, Fuller helped launch the $4\u00a0<\/span>Generic Prescription P<\/span>rogram<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>providing a wide selection of generic drugs for affordable prices<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>at assisted living facilities in\u00a0<\/span>local communities.\u00a0<\/span>With a desire to have more patient impact, Fuller moved on to a role in inpatient rehab\u00a0<\/span>at Carolinas Healthcare System, currently Atrium Health. After a few years, Fuller transitioned into a role working with Medicaid Population Health Management with Communi<\/span>ty Care Partners of Greater Mecklenburg<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0with the goal<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>decreasing readmissions in hospitals and hospital costs.<\/span>\u00a0Wanting an even greater impact, Fuller began his career in big pharma at\u00a0<\/span>Sanofi<\/span>\u00a0and is curren<\/span>tly\u00a0<\/span>supporting innovative therapies in oncology at a Fortune 500 pharma company.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Called to serve others from\u00a0<\/span>a young age<\/span>, Fuller\u2019s emergence in the nonprofit world came from his childhood experiences of growing up without\u00a0<\/span>a lot of good role models.\u00a0<\/span>Now, as <\/span>the person he needed when he was younger,\u00a0<\/span>Fuller<\/span>\u00a0believes<\/span>\u00a0that providing solutions to problems before people even know they have a need is the basis of a valuable non-profit.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After moving from New Haven to Orlando, Florida,<\/span>\u00a0Fuller and his wife<\/span>, Christina,<\/span>\u00a0started a nonprofit\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>2016<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0This nonprofit, CoolKids.<\/span>o<\/span>rg,\u00a0<\/span>focuses on teaching finance litera<\/span>cy<\/span>\u00a0to those of all ages, with an emphasis on middle and high school students.\u00a0<\/span>Putting tools in the toolkits of young adults, Fuller and his wife aim to have a multi-generational impact\u00a0<\/span>on<\/span>\u00a0creating financial stability.\u00a0<\/span>Helping students and parents learn<\/span>\u00a0about\u00a0<\/span>budgeting, investing, immediate gratification, real estate, and more,\u00a0<\/span>CoolKids.org has reached <\/span>40,000 students<\/span>\u00a0and parents.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Partnering with celebrities and influencers, CoolKids.org has created\u00a0<\/span>an\u00a0<\/span>impact on a multitude of levels. The nonprofit has even\u00a0<\/span>emerged<\/span>\u00a0onto the\u00a0<\/span>music<\/span>\u00a0scene<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and \u201cDoc Fuller<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span>will release his third album, entitled\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Syllabus: Junior Year<\/span><\/em>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in the next few months<\/span>. Additional CoolKids.org projects include a TV app called Jar, an annual festival<\/span>, called\u00a0<\/span>FinLit<\/span>\u00a0Fest,<\/span>\u00a0with guests\u00a0<\/span>such as<\/span>\u00a0Magic Johnson, John Hope Bryant<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>the rapper,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>.I.<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0a curriculum<\/span>\u00a0program<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the<\/span>\u00a0New York City<\/span>\u00a0Public School<\/span>\u00a0system<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and many turkey and toy drives.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to these projects, Fuller\u2019s new initiative is teaching a credited music-infused financial literacy class at the World\u00a0<\/span>Trade Center in partnership with Phillip Grandison (New York Life partner) and NYC Brooklyn South High School Superintendent Micha<\/span>e<\/span>l Prayor. Prayor is under\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>leadership of the new NYC Chancellor\u00a0<\/span>Kamar\u00a0<\/span>Samuels and new NYC<\/span>\u00a0Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who are progressing efforts to create meaningful impacts in the lives of students. In this experience, students will have the opportunity to take a tour of Wall Street trading floors<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On June 13<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>, 2026, CoolKids.org will\u00a0<\/span>host\u00a0<\/span><\/span>FinLit<\/span>\u00a0Fest<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>at the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall in Atlanta, a festival for parents and children to learn about financial literacy.<\/span> CoolKids.org will also be working with a project management <\/span>firm<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to educate\u00a0<\/span>its\u00a0<\/span>16,000<\/span>\u00a0residents<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on financial literacy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Marlon
Marlon and Christina with their children (picture provided by Fuller)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With his\u00a0<\/span>role\u00a0<\/span>in pharmaceutical medical affairs, CoolKids.org, and several other\u00a0<\/span>ventures<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>including a\u00a0<\/span>wood\u00a0<\/span>watch company called\u00a0<\/span>Lobeca<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>all while raising four children with his wife, Fuller views time as his greatest asset.<\/span>\u00a0Following his embedded purpose, Fuller makes sure to surround himself with people who are adding\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>or multiplying his goals. Because\u00a0<\/span>he has a mission to fulfill<\/span>\u00a0and is\u00a0<\/span>driven by his spiritual beliefs, Fuller has decreased distractions in his life to remain focused<\/span>. With 20 years of no cable\u00a0<\/span>TV\u00a0<\/span>and only minimal time on social media<\/span>, Fuller invests<\/span>\u00a0t<\/span>ime in<\/span>\u00a0his education, mission, and family.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

B<\/span><\/span>elieving education to be a valuable investment, Fuller took a leadership course at Cornell University before receiving financial literacy credentials from Columbia University after his time as a Husky.\u00a0<\/span>The culmination of his education and experiences is on full display in his six books\u00a0<\/span>he\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0written, detailing financial literacy, life skills, and development.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>On January 8<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>, he released his latest book, entitled\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Wealth Mindset for Teens.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

A man of many passions, Fuller lives by the acronym of T.I.P.\u00a0(time, investment, and purpose),\u00a0which he first developed during his time at UConn. By\u00a0utilizing\u00a0time, investing in oneself and others, and living with purpose, everyone can find success on their own terms.\u00a0During his motivational speeches as a keynote speaker, Fuller inspires people to look beyond short-term goals or profit-driven mindsets and uncover their true purpose.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people\u00a0are focused on paychecks and positions.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0focused on profits when they should be focused on purpose. Purpose gives you that lifelong happiness and fulfillment.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When asked about the advice he would give students, Fuller emphasizes the endless opportunities UConn has to offer. From the culture, community, and clubs, students can find their own success and build a network of support. As a current member of the\u00a0UConn Pharmacy Advisory Board and a proud donor to the School,\u00a0Fuller strives to give back to the community that fostered his passions. Additionally, Fuller has traveled to Storrs on several occasions to lead financial literacy classes to educate the next generation. In ensuring that students leave college with the skills needed to find success in their careers and in their fiscal decisions, Fuller aims to educate the next generation on financial literacy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Driven by purpose and\u00a0fueled by impact,\u00a0Marlon Fuller\u00a0embodies the\u00a0Husky spirit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marlon Fuller (Pharm.D.) has an ever-growing list of goals. Since graduating from UConn Pharmacy in 2004, Fuller has become a successful pharmacist, keynote speaker, business owner, inventor, author, musician, and the co-founder of a financial literacy nonprofit that has impacted the lives of more than 40,000 kids and parents throughout America. Viewing his ventures as missions to fulfill the purpose he was made for, Fuller\u2019s life story is proof that the best success comes from giving, not from getting. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":221,"featured_media":240536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1864],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2644],"class_list":["post-240535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pharm"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 05:31:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240535"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240557,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240535\/revisions\/240557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/240536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240535"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=240535"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=240535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}