“There’s so many issues that impact the ability for people to be healthy in low-income communities like the Bronx,” Pierre said, such as high unemployment, low graduation rates, and limited access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables.

Pierre said Bronx County, where he’s lived for more than 15 years, ranks last out of 62 counties in New York when it comes to health outcomes. He’s on a mission to improve that statistic, not just through his work at Healthfirst, but also by mentoring Fordham students as a member of the President’s Council and by teaching health economics as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and other schools across the city. He said a holistic approach is what’s needed.

“There’s so many downstream impacts of not having [good] health [outcomes], but the solutions are outside of just giving people a health insurance card; it has to do with the total environment,” he said.

The Value of a Fordham Education

Born in New York City to Haitian immigrants, Pierre said the value of education was drilled into him and his older brother “the entire time growing up.” He watched as each of his parents worked multiple jobs to provide for their family and make higher education that much more accessible for him and his brother.

“My dad actually started a business cleaning offices, and the sole purpose was for his children to go to school, get an education, work hard,” Pierre said.

Pierre said that in high school, Fordham was on his radar as one of the city’s top schools. He liked that he could live on campus but still visit his family often. He also liked the University’s proximity to countless internship opportunities and the reputation of its business school. Add in the fact that he could continue running track, which he did throughout high school, and Pierre said he was sold.

“I knew I wanted to be a business major somewhere that would afford me the opportunity to have an internship. I remember, once I got the acceptance from Fordham and the ability to join the track team, that was my decision; that was it.”

Beginning a Lifelong Commitment

Pierre’s start as a Fordham student is imprinted in his mind for more than the opportunities and change it provided, though: 9/11 happened at the beginning of his first semester.

“I remember going to the rooftop of Dealy Hall with other classmates and looking at the city skyline,” he said. “I remember every single piece of that moment. There was so much bonding for that cohort.”

Pierre said that those moments, along with his time on the track team and in the classroom, were defining for him. “[You] figure out what you want to be when you grow up, figure out the type of man you’re going to be for the rest of your life,” he said. And that’s why he’s so committed to the University still.

“After I graduated, there was always a goal to stay connected to Fordham—you just want to give back because of how much was given to you as a student,” he said.

Offering Current—and Future—Students a ‘Hand Up’

One of the ways he tries to meet that goal is by serving on the President’s Council, a group of successful professionals and philanthropists committed to mentoring Fordham’s future leaders.

Last September, he joined two other council members on a panel titled “Born, Bred, and Making It in NYC.” He told Fordham students that a series of internships really helped drive him to his career and passion: equitable access to health care for everyone.

After graduating from the Gabelli School of Business in 2005, he earned a master’s degree in health policy and financial management from NYU, and now he’s pursuing a doctorate in health economics at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business—all to be better equipped to both find solutions to public health crises and to educate students to be able to do the same.

As a member of the President’s Council, Pierre has also contributed to the Fordham Founder’s Undergraduate Scholarship Fund. He recalled one incident when he was able to help clear the barriers of entry for one student of color with her heart set on enrolling in the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program. Now, she’s in her second year of the program, he said.

In the past, he’s also had a chance to reach students before they enroll, offering advice and sharing his experiences with Black male student-athletes through his involvement in Fordham Gents, a mentoring group consisting of Black male alumni.

“I would sit at a table with 10 to 12 kids, and we literally would just talk about college life, school, how to write a resume, how to look for scholarships, things to think about when thinking about a school, my experience at Fordham as a Black student,” he said. “Giving back that way was very impactful for me, and I just felt it was a must-do because I wish I had that sort of exposure, training, and guidance. I wished I was able to meet alumni that were of color that said, ‘Hey, I’ve been through it.’”

Since December, Pierre, who recently finished a term on the President’s Athletic Advisory Board, has also been serving as a member of the Athletics Steering Committee and is hoping to facilitate a partnership between Healthfirst and the University. He said that recruiting from the communities it serves is a priority for Healthfirst, so the organization is looking to Fordham and other New York City schools for interns and recent graduates.

“Once COVID-19 is dying down, and we can go back into the community and be safe, where there’s opportunities for Healthfirst to do community engagement events in partnership with Fordham, we’ll definitely connect.” More than recruiting students, Pierre said the partnership would also focus on what can be done to help the community overall.

“My passion has been trying to work with anybody … because we shouldn’t be in a society where we have so much money, yet there’s so many people that need a hand up to help them have a better life and thrive.”

Fordham Five (Plus One)

What are you most passionate about?
I’m most passionate about mentoring and helping people along their path to being the best version of themselves.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The sweet isn’t as sweet without the bitter.

What’s your favorite place in New York City? In the world?
I have forever fallen in love with Harlem, New York. After that, Johannesburg, South Africa, is my second favorite place.

Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
On Beauty, by Zadie Smith. Actually, any book by Zadie Smith!

Who is the Fordham grad or professor you admire most?
I admire Anthony Carter, FCRH ’76 [a Fordham trustee and former member of the President’s Council]. He has been a thought leader and high-level executive in his industry. He sets a high bar and an amazing example of how to give back to the Fordham community. Lastly, he has created unique opportunities for other alumni, like me, to give back, too. He’s a Fordham titan!

What are you optimistic about?
I am optimistic about the COVID-19 recovery in New York City. As we return to normal, vaccinations are quickly becoming the gateway to our new, post-pandemic economy. This means the unvaccinated working class of New York could potentially be shut out due to their lower vaccination rates. This comes at a time when the need could not be greater. But I am hopeful that New York and the new administration in City Hall will find the light at the end of this tunnel.

Interview conducted, edited, and condensed by Sierra McCleary-Harris.

Successful Black Alumni Mentor Black Students

When Garrick Mayweather Jr. was invited to the first-ever gathering of Fordham Gents—a group of prominent black alumni mentoring black male student-athletes—he was excited by the idea.

Mayweather’s high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was 90 percent black, he says, and seeing fewer black faces on Fordham’s campus was something he had to adjust to. So walking into a mentoring event just for young black men was “a very good feeling,” says the pre-med senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill. “It’s good to see something you’re a little more comfortable with, and to see notable alumni coming back to help you.”

An offensive lineman who came to Fordham on a full-tuition football scholarship, Mayweather says he already knew a few of the alumni at the Feb. 8 event from their involvement with athletics. Some of them had been athletes themselves.

Fordham Trustee Darryl Brown talked about what his life looked like after his star turn on the Fordham men’s basketball team.

By most accounts, Brown was an exceptional athlete. The Celtics drafted him after he graduated from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1975. But things took a turn in Boston.

“I got smacked,” he said of the pro league. “I realized maybe this isn’t for me and thought, ‘I’m not going to keep knocking my head against the door.’”

After two years in the NBA, Brown was offered a coaching position at Fordham and a chance to continue his education. He came back and graduated with a master’s in communications from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1981. He went on to a 30-year career at ABC and retired eight years ago. Brown offered his story not as a cautionary tale, but simply as one experience among many.

Mayweather could relate; he will take his own shot at the pros when he enters the draft this spring. But if and when his days on the gridiron come to an end, he has a pretty impressive fallback career plan: orthopedic surgery. A high school hospital internship and his experience as an athlete helped him develop an interest in the field. And for good measure, he’ll graduate with a minor in business administration. “I figured since I was at a college with a really good business school, I might as well get a business minor,” says Mayweather.

The student-athletes at the event broke into small discussion groups with seven Gents to focus on a particular topic. Focusing on diversity and inclusiveness, the students and alumni will meet four more times before the end of the year.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our young people to connect with men who have walked this campus in their shoes and can provide a perspective and leadership, not just for right now, but for where they want to go forward,” said Fordham football coach Andrew Breiner.

Mayweather was in a group with Anthony Carter, FCRH ’76, former chief diversity officer at Johnson & Johnson, who also serves on Fordham’s Diversity Task Force. Carter said that the group’s primary purpose is to “instill confidence and leadership.” He was quick to let the athletes know that he and his fellow alumni consider them to be a talented and privileged group. He told the student-athletes that he hopes they will be able to reach out to other students on campus and grow the network.

“The one thing the athletes have in common with everyone else on campus is that they are students,” Carter said. “We want to ingrain in them, ‘What do I owe? What’s my payback?’”

Carter referred to the “diversity crisis” at universities nationwide and said that while there’s still some way to go, he had never seen a program like Fordham Gents back in the early 1970s.

“It feels complete, but only meaning that we can bring folks together and initiate the responsibility,” he said. “It doesn’t solve the problem. That still needs to be worked through.”

Juan Carlos Matos, director of multicultural affairs, said the meeting is a first step. He added that he hopes the pilot serves as a model to eventually include other identity groups.

Mayweather exchanged contact information with Carter and plans to be in touch. “I’m pretty good as far as follow-up emails,” he says.

Though he knew all the young men at the Gents event prior to the gathering, Mayweather says he was struck by how everyone there seemed genuinely engaged—and how the evening gave them an opportunity to see each other in a different light.

“It was nice to be together, to see a side of the guys you never saw before: a more professional side, with everyone dressed up in their best.”

Written with Tom Stoelker

By most accounts, Brown was an exceptional athlete. The Celtics certainly thought so. They drafted him after he graduated from Fordham College Rose Hill in 1975. But things took a turn in Boston.

“I got smacked,” he said of the pro league. “I realized maybe this isn’t for me and thought, ‘I’m not going to keep knocking my head against the door.’”

After two years in the NBA, Brown was offered a coaching position at Fordham and chance to continue his education. He came back and graduated with a master’s in communications from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1981. He went on to a 30-year career at ABC and retired eight years ago. Brown offered his story not as a cautionary tale, but simply as one experience among many.

Later the student-athletes broke up into small discussion groups with seven Gents to focus on a particular topic. The group used the same model already employed by the President’s Council’s mentoring program, but with a focus on diversity and inclusiveness. The pilot phase of the initiative will last two years and the group will meet four more times before the end of the year.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our young people to connect with men who have walked this campus in their shoes and can provide a perspective and leadership and not just for right now, but where they want go forward,” said Football Coach Andrew Breiner.

Anthony Carter, FCRH ’76, who also serves on the Task Force on Diversity and the President’s Council, said that the group’s primary purpose is to “instill confidence and leadership.” He was quick to let the student-athletes know that he and his fellow alumni consider them to be a talented and privileged group. He told the student-athletes that he hopes they will be able to reach out to other students on campus and grow the network.

“Leadership does not discriminate,” said Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Neubauer.

Neubauer said that it didn’t matter whether a student was a freshman or a senior, they should be able to play an influential role. Carter agreed.

“The one thing the athletes have in common with everyone else on campus is that they are students,” Carter said. “We want to ingrain in them, ‘What do I owe? What’s my payback?’”

Carter referred to the “diversity crisis” at universities nationwide and said that while there’s a ways to go, he had never seen a program like Fordham Gents back in the early 1970s.

“It feels complete, but only meaning that we can bring folks together and initiate the responsibility,” he said. “It doesn’t solve the problem. That still needs to be worked through.”

Juan Carlos Matos, director of Multicultural Affairs, said the meeting is a first step in outreach for alumni and young men of color. He added that he hopes the pilot serves as a model to eventually include other identity groups.

For Brenton Petty, a sophomore at Fordham College Rose Hill, the evening provided a great networking opportunity and a bit more.

“Building connections is really key to me, but it’s also great to see guys my skin complexion who want to do great things like me,” said the basketball guard.

Corey Caddle, a freshman at the Gabelli School of Business, said the evening was unique and the timing was good.

“I know there were a few incidents early in the year that we want to get past, that may have put us in a shadow, and may not have felt as comfortable as we did before,” said the wide receiver. “But having something like this is good. It’s good exposure. We meet new people and other African American males just to make that bond tighter.”