Nonstop

Rick Raymond

Rick Raymond '07

Former Posse Scholar Rick Raymond ’07 got his professional start at Lehman Brothers in New York, first as an intern (three summers running) and then as a business analyst. Extraordinarily active at Dickinson, the self-proclaimed extrovert hasn’t let up, now working as a product specialist/relationship manager at IHS Markit by day while running his own business (with three other Dickinson alums) by night. Read on to see how the former American studies major juggles it all, what drives him to do it and how he embraced Dickinson’s “engage the world” ethos.

Can you speak to how Dickinson’s useful liberal-arts approach helped you along your career path?

My liberal-arts education allowed me to start at Lehman Brothers human resources as an intern, traverse my way through a few technology departments and end up in a hybrid business/tech role for my full-time position as a business analyst in the Equities Technology division. The position was extremely writing intensive and required someone who is able to ask all the right questions while managing multiple tasks and projects and reporting to various individuals across the firm. A liberal-arts education prepared me to be effective at this because it required a lot of flexibility and on-the-spot learning/training. Creative thinking and problem solving were required, as the roles and responsibilities changed from day to day.

What was your favorite activity/organization at Dickinson?

It is extremely difficult for me to pick just one because I was jokingly referred to by my peers as “the president or a member of every club on campus” while I attended Dickinson. So I would have to break it down into two categories: The most meaningful organization would be the Commserv/Bonner Program and the most fun was Run With It.

What jumps out as a great memory from your time at Dickinson?

Too many to name, but a few in particular are related to a series of community service trips that we conducted while working with the community service office. My first time visiting San Francisco, Oakland, Nashville, New Orleans and Jamaica were all through the Office of Religious Life and Community Service [now the Center for Service, Spirituality and Social Justice], where we substituted our personal vacation time over winter/spring breaks to volunteer. We served at homeless shelters in California, rebuilt hurricane-devastated homes in NOLA and built structural enhancement at an underfunded elementary school in Jamaica, just to name a few.

How do you stay involved with/support Dickinson?

I’ve donated financially to Dickinson nearly every year since graduation, and I’ve donated my time as well. I have been involved in the Dickinson Admissions Volunteer Society, reunion programs, Career Center/career day panels and New York alumni event planning and organization.

Your alma mater is a living and breathing representation of yourself. If the college was great when you attended and no longer is, your association with it is linked to its current status, so why not assist in making it a better place than it was when you attended? Provide others with opportunities that you never had, and pay it forward.

How did you get interested in your work, and what about it excites you most?

I got involved with my current day to day full-time career as a result of landing an internship at Lehman Brothers. Originally I wanted to be in technology as a software developer, but after a few weeks of work, I realized it was not the right fit for me. I’m excited by human interaction and helping people solve problems. While I still like the analytical side of things, I get the most satisfaction through a hybrid-type role that incorporates the two.

Separately, I run an event planning company alongside fellow Dickinson alumni Paris St. Clair ’09, La’Dell Peton ’09 and Selasi Setranah ’10. Our company assists with the production, marketing, organization and placement of both small- and large-scale events, including but not limited to birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette celebrations, happy hours, corporate functions, fundraisers, fashion shows and concerts. I have always been an extrovert, and this business aligns perfectly with my interests.

What comes to mind as something unforgettable that you’ve done since you graduated?

One of Dickinson’s most popular phrases is “engage the world.” While I did engage the world through my extracurricular activity and studies while at Dickinson, postgraduation I traveled alongside my closest friends/business partners to over 15 countries for leisure, cultural experiences and business purposes. In other words, I accomplished this feat of engaging the world in much more of a literal sense of the phrase. Moreover, I personally think being able to juggle the aforementioned successful partnership venture together with my partners while all maintaining separate day-time and full-time careers is an amazing feat.

If you could have dinner with anyone famous, living or dead, who would it be?

That’s an easy one for me: President Obama. I’d like to pick his brain about his journey and how much he’s learned during his time as commander in chief.

You just built a time machine: Where and when do you go?

A hundred years into the future to see what has changed in the world and to see how my grandchildren and great grandchildren turned out, what legacy I’ve left behind.

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Nothing. As unbelievable, egotistical or off-handed as that may sound, I say this because, while my life is far from perfect, the mistakes that I’ve made, the risks I’ve taken, the relationships that I’ve built have made me appreciate what I’ve been able to accomplish and keep me excited about the possibility of everything else I may accomplish in the future.

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Published June 14, 2016