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Meet Eli Joseph

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eli Joseph.

Eli, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey started in June 1994, when I was born and raised in New York City. Growing up in a conservative Haitian household, formal education was held in high regard by my parents. Additionally, I developed an interest in numbers, and this fascination with numbers continued to evolve as I grew older. From 2008-2012, I attended from Benjamin Banneker Academy and graduated with academic honors as a student-athlete, where I briefly ran cross country and played basketball. Three years later, I subsequently graduated from Queens College with a bachelor’s degree after completing a 30-credit load semester.

I wanted to challenge myself to try new things as I utilized the skills that I learned over the years and cultivate applications that can bring certain quantitative theories to real-life. This challenge led me to pursue a career on Wall Street. While working on Wall Street, I pursued a master’s degree in business administration at Brooklyn College- graduating in 2016. With a master’s degree, I really didn’t feel satisfied with the way that I was utilizing my skills. So, I felt compelled to leave Wall Street and start a new chapter as an educator while pursuing my Doctorate degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.) at Felician University. By the age of 22, I became a business faculty member at Marymount Manhattan College-teaching courses in Economics, Business Statistics, and Information Technology.

By the age of 24, I became a faculty member at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies and a member of the Grammy Recording Academy (GrammyU). Before my 25th birthday, I successfully became the first-ever graduate in school history to have received a doctorate degree in Business Administration.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When people hear about a 25-year old college professor who received his doctorate at the age of 24 years old, they tend to believe that everything worked out perfectly, but based on my experience, it was the complete opposite! Throughout my studies, I had to deal with academic and professional politics along the way. I sent thousands of different job applications to prominent firms, only to be rejected by each and every one of them. I felt isolated at times as I struggled with the notion that I had to accomplish my objectives alone. I overcame the struggle of rejection and feeling isolated by seeking valuable advice and mentorship from other professionals who had similar experiences.

Please tell us about your work.
What’s so interesting with this question is that my occupation varies depending on the time of the day. I am a faculty member at Columbia University and Queens College. I specialize in data analytics, statistics, and behavioral finance. I am also a medical examiner at Quest Diagnostics, where I record and verify medical information of prospective insurers. As a medical examiner, I am responsible for recording and collecting the client’s physical measurements, vital signs, urine sample, blood samples and/or saliva samples for major insurance firms like AIG, Prudential, Williams Penn, John Hancock, New York Life, and State Farm Life Insurance. My diversified skills allow me to generate multiple income streams in a variety of sectors.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My mother and my entire family deserve much credit for my successes. They played a big role in my development. I also would like to credit Dr. David Turi, who served as my doctoral advisor during my time at Felician University and Dr. Mark Ritzmann, who played a major role in bringing me on board at Columbia University and was generous enough to sit on my dissertation committee board.

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Image Credit:
Photo Credit: TEDxSyracuseUniversity
Photo Credit: Felician University

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