Darryn Lee has wanted to make it to Wall Street since 10th grade. He came to Temple to make that happen, and gained significant international exposure in the process. After three internships, extensive involvement in student groups and independent research in China, Lee landed an analyst role at BlackRock, the world’s largest investment management firm. One of his mentors, Kendrick Davis, served as the 2009 Temple commencement speaker. Now Lee, who is receiving his bachelor of business administration in international business and finance, will take the same stage to emphasize the importance of role models and mentorship.

TT: What attracted you to Temple?

DL: I wanted some international exposure. I came to Temple because the undergraduate international business program is ranked seventh in the country, in addition to being a leader in student diversity and technology. I thought the Fox School would be very interesting for me. I also have an aunt here, so it all fell into place.

TT: What did you first get involved in?

DL: The International Business Association, where I became director of finance and alumni relations. I became very involved with the Residential Hall Senate, serving as the vice president of James S. White Residence Hall, and that led to me becoming a resident assistant. My freshman year was vital in terms of being a catalyst for a lot of things I’m involved with now, especially extracurricular activities and community involvement, like the local YMCA off Broad and Jefferson.

TT: Describe your internship experiences.

DL: My mentor from a scholarship organization back home in Los Angeles is a Harvard alum and runs his own hedge fund. He calls me up one night and says, “Do you want to work at a hedge fund this summer?” I didn’t even know what a hedge fund was, but I said, “Sure, why not,” so I prepped and interviewed with his friend and got the job. The next year, the Fox honors program sent over their listserv a scholarship opportunity with AIG, so I applied for that and got it — a full-tuition scholarship along with a summer internship in New York City. While I was there, I randomly went to a BlackRock event – uninvited, unregistered — and I took all the business cards I could, and maintained those contacts until my junior year. There was a time where I even missed class to go to a business conference at Wharton to meet those contacts and other people from Wall Street firms. I kept networking and was able to get an interview session with BlackRock the day before I left to study abroad in Madrid. They contacted me a month into my study abroad, and I called them back via Skype. They offered me a summer internship with the Portfolio Analytics Group in New York City, and I accepted right on the spot.

TT: And that led to a job offer?

DL: Yes. I’ll be working full-time at BlackRock, the world’s largest investment manager, with about $3.6 trillion in assets under management. I’ll be doing portfolio analytics in New York City at their headquarters. The group specializes in helping clients understand where their investment risks are coming from in their portfolios, in addition to offering advisory services on other parts of their business.

TT: What Temple programs or opportunities made this possible?

DL: The biggest one was definitely the William C. Dunkelberg Owl Fund. In my opinion, it’s the best student professional organization for someone who wants to get fundamental investment analysis exposure. It’s led by Dr. Jonathan Scott, who has been a tremendous help for me over these four years.

TT: How reassuring is it to already have a job lined up?

DL: Those who are in the William C. Dunkelberg Owl Fund have Type A personalities. All of the graduating seniors within the Owl Fund have full-time offers already. Places like Franklin Templeton in San Francisco, RBS in Tokyo or at Deloitte here in Philadelphia. It is very reassuring to be surrounded by like-minded individuals, and to know I will have something after graduation.

TT: Describe your roots.

DL: I come from the inner city of Compton, Calif., growing up under a single-parent household. My mother had to work two jobs, so even in elementary school I was getting up at 4 a.m. to get on the bus and go to the babysitter’s house because my mother had to make sure she got to work early. My mother is a strict disciplinarian, and education was a huge focus. It came to a point where I was eating chicken four or five days a week because that’s all we could afford. And I’m like, “I want to have filet mignon.” So that fueled me.

TT: What is the one thing you want the commencement audience to remember about you?

DL: I want them to take away that this kid, for lack of a better term, is a beast. That kid, despite his circumstances, is motivated. He’s dedicated to helping out the community. He’s respectful, he’s disciplined and he understands what you have to do to get where you want. And he knows that nothing is going to stop him.

— Brandon Lausch