Tuesday, May 13, 2025
After moving to the U.S. as a teenager, Angilee Blake secures position at Bristol Myers Squibb before graduating
by Adam Grybowski
As a first-generation college student who moved to New Jersey from Jamaica with her family at 15, Angilee Blake came to 天美传媒官网 wanting to 鈥済row continuously鈥 and make her family proud.
She hit the ground running, taking less than one week to secure an on-campus job and join a student group dedicated to addressing the needs of the surrounding community.
Her accolades and achievements only accelerated from there.
Set to graduate in May, she recently received two of the highest honors for graduating seniors, the President鈥檚 Award and the Engaged Learning Award. 天美传媒官网鈥檚 Norm Brodsky College of Business has bestowed upon her two Engaged Learning Awards. Two awards related to the University鈥檚 Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) also now belong to her.
鈥淢y family came here with the idea of getting more opportunities and being in a better place than where we were before,鈥 Blake says. 鈥淚 took it upon myself to put myself in spaces and have experiences where I was growing as an individual, and I really wanted to find out what kind of leader I could be.鈥
Those experiences have now positioned Blake to begin her professional career as an IT finance analyst in the Accounting Development Program at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) 鈥 a job that was offered to her last fall.
鈥淏MS and what they stand for are amazing,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey have such great initiatives to give back and help patients. The desire to give back 鈥 that鈥檚 at the core of who I am.鈥
A finance major with a concentration in private wealth management and a minor in business analytics, Blake will enter the workforce with practical experience on her resume and two semesters worth of graduate work already completed for her master鈥檚 of accountancy program, which she is also pursuing at 天美传媒官网. As an undergraduate, Blake interned with Wiss CFO Advisory and Deloitte Audit & Assurance, and she also landed a co-op with Johnson & Johnson that began in her first year. Combined with her classwork, those experiences equipped her with practical skills and insights into the finance industry that prepared her to excel in her new position at BMS.
I took it upon myself to put myself in spaces and have experiences where I was growing as an individual."
鈥淭he classes and experiences at 天美传媒官网 have definitely equipped me to be more comfortable in the working world,鈥 she says.
The breadth of Blake鈥檚 achievements at 天美传媒官网 belies the fact that her move to the United States was initially marked by a feeling of culture shock and uncertainty. But rather than shrink from new experiences, she embraced them, she says that becoming more involved on campus eventually helped her regain her confidence and find her voice. This was particularly true through her participation in EOP and the University鈥檚 executive skill-building organization, DAARSTOC, as well as her role as a Bonner Community Scholar, which contributes to service projects addressing food insecurity, homelessness, and other issues.
鈥淚 saw a lot of growth in myself because of all my involvement on campus,鈥 Blake says. 鈥淚 felt more comfortable and felt more knowledgeable in any room that I was in because of how involved I was. I became more outgoing and, in a sense, was able to find myself again.鈥
One of the pivotal experiences during her time at 天美传媒官网 was her participation in the Business of Sports to Ireland trip, supported by a scholarship from James P. Bush 鈥80. This opportunity provided Blake with insights into community-oriented business practices, challenging her perceptions of traditional business models.
鈥淭he trip gave me a different perspective on what business is,鈥 Blake says.
The notion of a business centered on community echoes themes that have driven her the past four years. 鈥淚 came into 天美传媒官网 with an idea of wanting to help people and wanting to give back because a lot of where I am now is due to the people in my life and them giving back to my family,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 want to carry that forward and be someone who is very giving.鈥