“It taught me a lot about myself, a lot about time management, determination, and grit,” Cardell said of balancing it all, noting that as a four-year member of the track team, she had practice at 7:30 a.m. six days a week. “It made me a more well-rounded person.”
Cardell graduated from the Gabelli School of Business on May 18 and will soon begin work as an analyst at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she interned last summer.
Like Mother, Like Daughters
Cardell applied to Fordham in 2019, the same year her sister, Julia Murphy, earned her own Fordham degree in applied accounting and finance. Murphy also interned at JPMorgan Chase and earned a job as an analyst there after graduating. On campus, she joined Sláinte, Fordham’s Irish dance club, rehearsing several times a week to feed a passion she’d had since childhood.
“It wasn’t something I wanted to give up,” said Julia, now an associate at Madison Realty Capital. “And I met a lot of friends I wouldn’t have necessarily met otherwise.”
The sisters’ mother, Sheila Cardell—a 1985 Fordham graduate and former captain of the cheerleading team—said when her daughters were young, she encouraged them to find a physical activity they enjoy.
“Our family was always into academics—make sure you learn—but also have that other side of you,” she said. “If you move your body and you’re physically active, it helps with your mental health and your brain is sharper. I think it’s really important, and my parents were like that, too.”
Sun Shines on the Class of 2024
Now, Carolyn has joined her mother and sister—plus several aunts, uncles, and her maternal grandfather, the late John Prendergast, FCRH ’50, a former track team captain—as a proud member of the Fordham alumni community. The sisters are particularly excited to attend future Jubilee reunions together.
Asked what makes Fordham such a special place, Carolyn answered immediately.
“The people. I’ve met so many amazing people here,” she said, adding that she and her fellow 2024 grads bonded over the ways the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their last year of high school and first years of college. “It’s such a special occasion to be able to be here today and celebrate everything we’ve overcome. Choosing Fordham was the best decision I ever made.”
Sheila, who majored in accounting, echoed that sentiment, calling Fordham “an amazing place.”
Asked how her father, who died in 1996, would feel about seeing Julia and Carolyn earn Fordham degrees, Sheila had no doubts.
“He would be bursting with pride to have two of his granddaughters be so successful and love Fordham the way he did. He bled maroon,” she said, adding that she recently prayed to him, hoping to ward off rain on commencement day.
“We woke up today, and the sun was shining on the Class of 2024.”
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(Photos by Chris Taggart, Bruce Gilbert, and Taylor Ha)
For many parents and families, Fordham’s 2024 Commencement was a time to celebrate grads who didn’t have an in-person high school graduation ceremony. For others, it was a chance to recognize years of hard work and accomplishment. Fordham Magazine spoke with families at the Rose Hill campus on May 18 to get a sense of what the day meant to them.
Next Steps in NYC
Rich Schneider said he was grateful Fordham helped his son, Patrick, gain an “amazing” group of friends as well as the values, work ethic, and analytical skills needed to build a successful career.
“He came in as a shy, quiet boy, and he’s leaving as a smart, confident, outgoing man that’s just ready to take on his next steps in New York City,” he said, adding that Patrick, who graduated from the Gabelli School of Business, will be starting as a corporate banking analyst at Barclays in a few weeks.
The day was “especially moving,” for Patrick’s mother, Donna, who is also a Fordham graduate.
“I graduated [from Fordham College at Rose Hill] 36 years ago, and my dad graduated in 1954,” she said. “So seeing my son graduate is especially wonderful.”
Both parents said they appreciate how Fordham balances academic rigor with the support and resources students need to succeed.
“It’s like a warm, comfy blanket,” Donna Schneider said with a laugh. “But what I like is they don’t hold your hand—they want you to go out and strike it on your own, but they’re for you if you fall.”
A Heartfelt Goodbye
Commencement was bittersweet for Lisamarie and Maureen Gonzalez-Burris, parents of Jemma Burris, who graduated from Fordham College at Rose Hill with a degree in communication and culture and a minor in music.
“Overall the experience has been absolutely incredible for our daughter—and for us,” Lisamarie said. “I’m sad for her, but I’m also sad for us because we’re saying goodbye to the campus.”
Jemma was drawn to Jesuit schools when she was applying to college and really wanted to live and learn in a big city. That’s why she chose Fordham, Maureen said, even though they couldn’t set foot on campus until Jemma’s move-in day, in August 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From the get-go, from drop-off, just how much we were embraced—it just felt like parents were being taken care of too, and we just totally trusted the whole experience and have felt so connected to Fordham, even though we live in Los Angeles,” Maureen said.
Proud Beyond Words
David Collins said he was the “proudest great-uncle” on campus, watching Kalind Gipson graduate from Fordham College at Rose Hill with a degree in political science and a minor in African and African American studies.
“I’m so proud—I raised her mother mostly, and now to see my great-niece, you can’t even believe it,” Collins said.
Gipson’s mother, Fashawn Cohen, said they “weren’t going to miss this for the world,” after her daughter’s high school graduation was held online.
“It’s amazing, it’s been a lot of hard work—she’s been working hard since way back,” Cohen said, holding her hand just a few feet from the ground, remembering when her daughter was younger.
For Kathleen Condon, seeing her daughter, Janice Puder, earn a Ph.D. in school psychology from the Graduate School of Education brought tears of joy to her eyes.
“It’s an honor, and I’m so proud of her and her accomplishments and achievements,” Condon said. “Her hard work, dedication to everything that she’s going to do in life is just amazing.”
Shania Lauando, who graduated from Fordham College at Lincoln Center, said that she was so happy to have her parents and brothers there to celebrate her graduation, as she’s among the first in her family to earn a college degree.
“It’s a really big accomplishment for me being [a] first-generation [college graduate,] and so I’m really happy to be here and have the support of my family,” she said.
Her older brother, Donnie, said his family was grateful to be a part of her big day.
“We’re very happy to see the youngest in the family finally graduate and accomplish this big chapter in her life—we’re just overjoyed and very proud,” he said.
Our fates are united, Joseph Patrick Kennedy III told the Fordham Class of 2024, and peace is possible when we recognize that “our pathway forward is together.”
Speaking at Fordham’s 179th Commencement on May 18, the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs recalled that region’s painful history—and eventual peace—to illustrate that even amid longstanding war and division, there is reason for hope.
“While we may come from different backgrounds and perspectives, the lesson Northern Ireland teaches is that our future is shared,” he said from Keating Terrace on the Rose Hill campus, just after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University.
“It is as true in Belfast as in Boston. It is true across our United States. It is true in Israel and Gaza, where terror and heartbreak, violence, and suffering must give way to a shared future. And it is true in every other corner and cranny of our planet.”
A Bostonian who told graduates he loves New York (even if he can’t quite get behind the Yankees), Kennedy is a grandson of the former New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He represented the 4th Congressional District of Massachusetts for four terms before assuming his diplomatic role in 2022.
Northern Ireland’s journey from the strife known as the Troubles, which ended in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, is proof that change is possible, he told graduates.
“It’s not perfect. Like everything human, it is really messy and really hard. But 26 years later, the region is still at peace,” he said.
As the sun shone through clouds on the crowd of more than 20,000 people, Kennedy shared anecdotes about meeting people in Derry and Belfast who once were enemies but now are working together.
“There is a difference between being guided by the past and being held hostage by it,” he said.
“If we are bold and brave enough, we can learn to make space for each other, even when we disagree on really big things—if not for our benefit, then for those whose futures are yet to be written.”
He told graduates that the world they inherit needs them.
“It is a world that needs your vision and your grace. Your empathy and ambition. Your courage to choose to leave the world a little better than you found it,” he said.
“And please hurry. Your world awaits, and it needs your help.”
A Time to Celebrate
In her second Fordham commencement address, President Tania Tetlow acknowledged that this year’s ceremonies hold special resonance for many students whose high school graduations were disrupted by the COVID pandemic.
“Today is the day to glory in what you have achieved,” she said, noting that even the Empire State Building will be shining in the graduates’ honor tonight.
In graduating, students joined the ranks of millions of Jesuit-educated people around the world who can bond with each other simply by referencing the phrase cura personalis, or care for the whole person, she said.
“But this isn’t the kind of secret handshake that gets you insider entitlement. Instead, it’s an enormous responsibility that you carry with you forever,” she said.
“You came to Fordham with blazing talent, each of you blessed by abundant gifts from God. But—and this may be a rare thing to say at commencement—those gifts do not make you better than anyone else,” she said.
“What makes you special is how you use your gifts to matter to the world.”
The University officially conferred roughly 3,300 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the ceremony. Including those who graduated in August 2023 and February 2024 and those who are expected to graduate in August 2024, the University will confer nearly 5,700 academic degrees in all.
In addition to Kennedy, Fordham conferred honorary doctorates upon two other notable figures: Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and a leading global activist against capital punishment, and the University’s former board chairman Robert D. Daleo.
—Photos by Chris Taggart, Bruce Gilbert, Hector Martinez, and Taylor Ha
Watch the full ceremony here.
“I’ve long felt that there needed to be a spiritual component when we’re working with clients,” said Gibbs, owner of a seniors-focused business who is graduating with a master’s degree in mental health counseling and spiritual integration. “In my individual work with clients … their spiritual life was very much a part of how they were raised.”
The program, offered at the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, provided a “fantastic” education in mental health and spirituality that Gibbs thinks will become more sought-after. “I think this field is only going to expand,” she said.
Church, a ‘Second Home’
A New York City native, Gibbs is a granddaughter of Southern sharecroppers who remembers the bigotry her family faced after settling in the Rosedale section of Queens decades ago. She recalled church as “a second home … where we found support.”
She graduated from Baruch College and earned an MBA from Baruch and a master’s in vocational rehabilitation counseling from NYU. Later in her career, about 12 years ago, it was through her church that she developed the idea for her company, Safe Circle Inc., which serves seniors and caregivers in the New York City area. She enrolled in her Fordham degree program after its spirituality aspect caught her eye during an internet search.
After graduating, she hopes to expand her company to help women of color dealing with multigenerational trauma and incorporate more spirituality into its services. In addition, she said, “I have a strong leaning towards bringing mental health to the forefront, particularly within the Black church.”
“I think that the church is a good place to begin having these educational forums about mental health and normalizing the discussion about [it],” she said.
Standing on Others’ Shoulders
Key to her professional growth at Fordham was an eight-month internship with the Faith Mission Alcohol Crisis Center in Queens, where she gained experience in integrating spirituality into daily care. She got “a full visual of what alcohol and drug addiction can do to the mind and body,” and worked with clients to help them see the impact of drug addiction in their lives and identify its triggers. “The change when they’re drug free is remarkable,” she said.
Like many of her classmates, Gibbs was pursuing the 20-hour-a-week internship while going to school full time—something that was made easier by supportive, understanding professors. Her path to the degree was also smoothed by her encouraging “church family” at Bethany Baptist Church in Jamaica, New York, as well as support from family members like her daughter and her mother.
“I would come in some evenings and she would’ve come by the house—‘I left a plate for you on your stove,’” Gibbs said.
She’ll be thinking of them all at commencement.
“When you walk across that stage, you are walking across on other people’s shoulders, really,” she said. “If you’re blessed to have that support, they’re graduating with you.”
Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.
]]>Whether you’re celebrating graduation in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey, or cozied up at home, there’s a spot for everyone to see the Empire State Building light up for our grads!
Check out our top picks for viewing (and photo-snapping) spots:
Bryant Park, Manhattan
Midtown-bound post-graduation? Heading toward Grand Central? Swing by Bryant Park for a seriously epic view of the Empire State Building lit up maroon.
Madison Square Park, Manhattan
This park offers amazing city views, making it the perfect spot to snap those unforgettable graduation pics with the Empire State Building in the background!
34th Street and Herald Square, Manhattan
Get ready for one of the best close-up street views of the Empire State Building. Don’t miss the chance to snap a pic as you stroll by post-graduation celebrations!
Union Square, Manhattan
Heading downtown? The lively Union Square offers a fun spot to catch a view of the famous skyscraper!
Washington Street between Front and Water streets, Dumbo, Brooklyn
There really is nothing like this picturesque sight of the Empire State Building beautifully framed by the Manhattan Bridge. Head over for a unique grad picture with the iconic landmark.
Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey
These stunning views don’t end in the boroughs! This Jersey park serves up breathtaking shots of the Empire State Building and the Manhattan skyline. You won’t want to miss it.
Won’t be nearby? Want to share this special celebration with loved ones who are far away? You can still catch the iconic building lit up in maroon on the Empire State Building’s live cam.
Don’t forget to share your pictures of this special tribute via email [email protected] and tag us @fordhamuniversity or use #Fordham2024 on social!
Learn more about Fordham’s 179th Commencement.
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Photos by Argenis Apolinario
Graduating seniors celebrated their heritage and culture at four diversity graduation ceremonies held from April 30 to May 6.
“I am so proud of what each and every one of you has achieved,” Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham, said in a video message to students.
“Take a moment to give yourself a hug and to revel in everything that you’ve achieved because it is an extraordinary thing, these years of hard work and determination and talent, and glorious love of learning.”
In total, more than 300 students were recognized at the Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA); Black; Latine; and Lavender (LGBTQ+) graduation celebrations.
Held at both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses, the celebrations were sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, Office of the President, and the 2024 Senior Week committees.
Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.
Below are the award winners for each graduation.
Lavender Graduation
George Takei Arts & Media Award – LC Recipient: Maura Johnston
George Takei Arts & Media Award – RH Recipient: Julia Patterson
Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera LGBTQ+ Activism Award – RH Recipient: Dorothy Bogen
Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera LGBTQ+ Activism Award – LC Recipient: Kenneth Tang
Audre Lorde LGBTQ+ Research Award – RH Recipients: Fareea Khan and Tarchithaa Chandra Sekharan
Fr. Bryan N. Massingale Faculty/Staff LGBTQ+ Award – LC Recipient: Joe Corcoran
Fr. Bryan N. Massingale Faculty/Staff LGBTQ+ Award – RH Recipient: Juan Carlos Matos
Award of Excellence for Outstanding Contributions to the Office of Multicultural Affairs: Dorothy Bogen
Latine Graduation
Sonrisa Award – LC Recipient: Katelyn Figueroa
Sonrisa Award – RH Recipient: Alan Ventura
Estrella Award – LC Recipient: Ernesto Perez
Estrella Award – RH Recipient: Caitlin Asper
Pa’Lante Award – LC Recipient: Andy Cuzco
Pa’Lante Award – RH Recipient: Hector Cruz
Black Graduation
Black Leadership Award – RH Recipients: Tamia Chaney, Chelsea Usiomwanta, Alan Ventura
Black Leadership Award – LC Recipients: Katelyn Figueroa, Rebecca Richmond, Mary Bookman
Black Leadership Award in Athletics – RH Recipient: Skylar Harris
Black Leadership Award in the Fine Arts – LC Recipient: Kierstin Oliver
Black Leadership Award in the Fine Arts – RH Recipient: Zhane Coleman
Black Excellence in STEM Award – RH Recipients: Kennedy Jeter and Kiara Pile
Black Excellence in Business Award – RH Recipient: Janel Codjoe
APIDA (Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American) Graduation
]]>Lotus Leadership Award – RH Recipients: Tarchithaa Chandra Sekharan and Elena Roden
Lotus Leadership Award – LC Recipient: Kenneth Tang
Most Likely to Sell Out a Lincoln Center Concert: Marie Isabelle Antendido
Most Likely to be on the Cover of Vogue, GQ, Elle, and/or Harper’s Bazaar: Meilin Renee Morefield
Most Likely to Start a Successful Youtube Channel: Julie Kae Trohan
Most Likely to Become Tik Tok Famous: Genesis Yi
Most Likely to Survive the Last of Us: Stacey Dana Zaragoza Cajita
Most Likely to Win Physical: 100: Alexander Joel Lang Hom
Most Likely to be the CEO/Director of their own Company: Yoshimi Pualani Eder
Award of Excellence for Outstanding Contributions to the Office of Multicultural Affairs: Kenneth Tang
“I thought I should get proper professional experience and a business school education,” Patel said, adding that he gained even more than he imagined when he began his M.B.A. experience. “I learned how to work as a member of a team, and I would have to participate and present in a class. This was very new to me. I was put into situations that I would not normally be exposed to, and [that]has boosted my confidence. I learned about everything in such a structured and precise manner, exactly how it should be.”
Patel earned his undergraduate degree in geology at the M.G. Science Institute at Gujarat University, a typical field that interested him and would prepare him to join the civil services in India. However, after working at Shree Umiya Developers, the company his father established, his vision for his future changed. Serving as general manager, Patel assisted in the completion of a luxury bungalow project and, when each of the 21 properties sold, he knew the experience was the first step toward his new career journey.
Patel notes a few M.B.A. courses that are particularly relevant to his next chapter. Strategic Branding not only focused on “how to build a brand, but how to differentiate it,” valuable skills he will use to grow the real estate development business. In Marketing with Cultural Intelligence, Patel discovered how different modes of marketing appeal to different cultures. This enlightenment came from learning specific practices that cater to Indian consumers and clients, which inspired him to reflect upon his own culture from a marketing perspective.
“When I would visit Indian grocery stores, I would just go as a consumer, and I would not think why this item is placed here, and how it is different from the American way,” he explained. “After this class, my understanding of marketing within my cultural context deepened.”
Patel took advantage of many opportunities to build his leadership skills as an M.B.A. student. As the president of the Student Advisory Council, he and his team worked to enhance the student experience and campus culture by coordinating events, balancing budgets, and serving as a liaison between students and the School’s administrators.
An accomplished equestrian who enjoys adventure sports and the outdoors, Patel looks forward to life in North Carolina and to his new role that will keep him connected to family and friends from India.
“I am lucky to have my own family business here,” he said, adding that while he is excited for the next chapter in his career, he will miss the home he found at the Gabelli School of Business. “For one and a half years, I’ve been used to the Gabelli School way of living, meeting people, studying, attending events, and everything else. I will miss that when I [leave]for North Carolina.”
– Written by Gabrielle Simonson for Fordham Business Magazine
Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.
]]>At first, Farrell was concerned about the new format, but when she began studying, her apprehension was quickly replaced with confidence.
“My biggest fear was that I was going to go in knowing absolutely nothing, and that could not have been further from the truth,” she said, adding that so far, “every single accounting class” she’s taken at the Gabelli School is reflective of the new exam content.
Farrell took the exam’s Financial Accounting and Reporting section in March, and has three more sections to go. In December 2023, she completed her bachelor’s degree in accounting information systems and is now working toward her master’s in professional accounting. She enrolled in the Gabelli School’s 4+1 program to complete both degrees in under five years.
Farrell also secured a position with a “Big Four” accounting firm—PricewaterhouseCoopers—which she’ll begin in January. This highly coveted opportunity was the result of a successful internship in the firm’s external assurance division.
“I’m excited because it’s such a great company, she explained. “They take a genuine interest in the interns and I formed so many connections in the time I was there. I’m thrilled to be doing meaningful work—helping ensure the integrity of financial statements that are going to get issued—and doing it at a firm where the values and people resonate with me.”
As a woman in accounting information systems, the job stability and integration of cutting-edge technology are part of what attracted Farrell to the field.
“I honestly don’t know why more women aren’t drawn to this field,” she said. “Women can be very organized, and I found that the characteristics of being organized and analytical aligned with both accounting and myself.”
While Farrell’s decision to apply to Fordham’s Gabelli School was an easy one—she grew up in nearby New Jersey and liked the idea of studying business in New York City—she wasn’t sure what career path to pursue. That changed after her first accounting class when she realized that she had a natural aptitude for accounting and technology.
As an undergraduate, Farrell served as the president of Beta Alpha Psi, the honor society for accounting, finance, and information systems, and was a member of Smart Woman Securities, where she placed first in a stock-pitch competition. She also was a teaching assistant in the Gabelli School’s Ground Floor course for first-year business students, a freshman advisor, and a member of Fordham’s women’s club soccer team throughout her undergraduate years.
Farrell is the fourth member of her family to find her place in accounting, following her father, James Farrell, GABELLI ’98, and mother, both CPAs, and her sister who also works in the field.
“Ever since I left high school, my parents said, ‘The world’s your oyster. Whatever you want to do, just do it,’” Farrell said. “They’re so supportive. They think there are no limits to what I can do.”
—Written by Gabrielle Simonson for Fordham Business Magazine
Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.
]]>]]>“[W]hen we look at those generations forged in the fires of suffering and crisis, we see the generations who mattered most to history. Class of 2024, you have become fiercely focused on what matters. You have refused to accept the brokenness of the world. You face the challenges ahead with courage. You look for truth with curiosity and openness. And today, especially today, you remember to find joy. There’s nothing more Jesuit than that,” said Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham University.
A graduating senior and valedictorian at Fordham College at Rose Hill, Tejiram was accepted to three medical schools. She’s planning to attend the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan next year.
“Medicine is so much more than just the [coursework]—there’s a heart to medicine,” she said. “It involves bonds of compassion; you’re there for somebody, and not only just to be there to feel with them, but to do something about it.”
Ahead of graduation, Tejiram, who is on the pre-health track, shared some advice for students interested in medical school.
Explore unique research opportunities—when you’re ready.
Tejiram didn’t start working in a lab until her sophomore year, which she said allowed her to adjust to college and better understand the science behind the research.
Since then, she’s worked on two different research projects. She studied diseases such as age-related blindness in the vision lab of Silvia Finnemann, Ph.D., where she worked on a project that tests treatments for mice with vision defects.
She also worked with Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D., on a clinical research project at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens—her hometown. The project aimed to engage at-risk patients and reduce medicine avoidance.
“For some patients, I’ve been able to see them from the beginning to the end of the study, which has been really great,” she said. “I’m really excited to see the impact.”
Look for lessons that translate.
In both research projects, Tejiram said she was looking for lessons that “can be easily translated” for medical school.
“For example, I do live tissue imaging,” she said. “It’s taught me how to balance precision and also time efficiency because you have a short window of time to work with the tissue. I think that’s going to be really important going into the fast-paced environment of medicine.”
Through her work at Elmhurst Hospital, Tejiram said she’s gained strong patient skills.
“Being able to sit with them and talk with them and hear their stories—I think I’m going to need that … so they can trust me as their physician,” she said.
Make a plan for applying to med school.
Tejiram said that the application process lasted about a year, so planning things like coursework and when to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was essential. Fordham advisors helped her navigate the process.
“I started applying in junior year—I had to take the MCAT, and then I had to do the primary application,” she said, noting that schools also send a secondary application.
She spent last summer writing essays and submitting secondary applications before interview season started in the fall. She got her decisions starting in February.
Expand your studies beyond your major courses.
Tejiram minored in bioethics, an area she discovered after taking a philosophical ethics course through Fordham’s core curriculum.
“I realized how many ethical dilemmas come up in daily life, but especially in a field where you’re dealing with patients and human lives,” she said.
Find supportive mentors and ask them for guidance.
When she was deciding if she wanted to go straight into medical school or take a gap year, Tejiram said she relied heavily on the advice of her Fordham mentors.
“Those mentors, those support networks I found have been so instrumental throughout my whole journey, and I think it’s really important to remember that you don’t have to do it alone,” she said.
Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.
]]>But off the court, Tsimbila’s story is anything but typical.
Here are five things to know about this star Fordham Ram.
1. He’s Representing Cameroon in Olympic Qualifiers.
After graduating, Tsimbila will suit up for his country and head to training camp for the Cameroon National Basketball team this July in Latvia. Cameroon is one of six teams competing in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament ahead of the Paris games this summer.
“I’ve always dreamed about wearing my Cameroon jersey,” he said.
2. He Speaks Five Languages.
Tsimbila grew up in Cameroon speaking French, Arabic, Lingala, and Banham—but mastering English is among his proudest accomplishments.
“I learned basic English with my friends in the locker room, but in the locker room, we don’t always use proper formal language,” said Tsimbila, who attended high school in Maryland.
When a recruiter said his English wasn’t strong enough to succeed in college, Tsimbila worried—after several attempts—that he might never pass his proficiency exams.
Then he called his mom.
“She told me, ‘Son, if you believe in something, you have to go after it and do whatever it takes,’” Tsimbila said.
By summer’s end, Tsimbila not only passed his exam—he nearly doubled his score.
3. He Wants to Be an FBI or CIA Agent.
Tsimbila is graduating from the School of Professional and Continuing Studies with an individualized major in arts and computers. After graduation, he’ll pursue a master’s degree in cybersecurity at Fordham while continuing to play for the Rams. He plans to apply to work for the FBI or CIA.
4. His Bond with Coach Keith Urgo Goes Beyond Fordham.
Tsimbila forged a special connection with Fordham Head Basketball Coach Keith Urgo—before either became a Ram.
When COVID-19 and visa complications made it impossible to return home for Tsimbila—then playing for Penn State with Urgo as assistant coach—Urgo promised his star recruit he would personally make the trip to Cameroon to reassure Tsimbila’s family that their son’s future was in good hands.
“Abdou is everything a coach could ever want in a player,” Urgo said.
When Urgo came to Fordham, one of his first moves was to recruit Tsimbila from the transfer portal. Again, it was Tsimbila’s mother who swayed his decision.
“She said, ‘That man came all the way to Cameroon to tell me that he cares about you not just as a player, but as a human being,’” Tsimbila recalled. “‘I think you should follow that man—he wants the best for you.’”
5. Fordham Is ‘the Best Decision’ He’s Ever Made.
According to Tsimbila, his decision to transfer to Fordham has paid off beyond the court.
Last summer, Fordham Basketball provided financial and logistical support for Tsimbila to travel home for the first time in six years.
“There’s no other school in America that would have done something like that for me,” he said.
During his senior season, he learned that his family was affected by devastating landslides in Cameroon.
“I received a lot of support from people at Fordham that I never would have imagined,” he said.
Despite those family challenges, Tsimbila had one of his strongest seasons.
“I won’t be sad when I leave Fordham because I know I can come back here anytime,” he said. “Fordham for me means home.”
Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.
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