WSSU student receives unexpected job opportunity on golf course
Justin Ross, a business administration major, finance minor from Philadelphia, has secured a full-time, post-graduation job with Vanguard, one of the world’s largest investment management companies.
Scholar and student-athlete Justin Ross received the opportunity of a lifetime while playing golf with his father this summer. Ross, a business administration major, finance minor from Philadelphia, has secured a full-time, post-graduation job with Vanguard, one of the world’s largest investment management companies.
Ross will begin his senior year at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in just a few weeks. He’ll have less stress than most seniors as his post-graduate plans are already established. He will be joining Vanguard’s Acceleration into Financial Professional Program next summer.
Ross can attribute this accomplishment to a networking opportunity he seized when he met one of Vanguard’s senior managers on the golf course.
“It was funny how it all worked out,” says Ross. “I play golf a lot. He was playing with his son and I was playing with my dad and that’s how we started talking. I kind of got this job through just networking, putting my name out there.”
Through the Acceleration into Financial Professional Program, Ross will have the opportunity to work in several divisions and get a broad look at the company’s structure. Once he completes the program, he will be able to choose a department to join.
Ross is currently a Chancellor’s Scholar and a member of the WSSU Men’s Basketball team. During the 2019-20 academic year, he earned the Chancellor’s Cup for having the highest student-athlete GPA. Ross credits his parents for his motivation to succeed.
“My greatest inspiration has to be my parents,” says Ross. “My dad has a great work ethic and my mom has always kept me on the right path and gave me great guidance to do the things I’m currently doing. The everyday things you need to know to be successful; I owe to both of my parents.”
Ross, whose father, Monte` Ross, is a 1992 graduate of WSSU, says that Winston-Salem State empowered him and gave him a sense of self.
“WSSU has helped me find my identity,” says Ross. “I attended predominately white schools growing up. So, coming to WSSU and being able to immerse myself in my own culture where I’m in the majority has empowered me.”
While pursuing the Vanguard opportunity, Ross considered the company’s track record for having minorities in leadership positions.
“There are several high-ranking officials of color,” says Ross. “People like Greg Davis, Vanguard’s chief investment officer. They also have African American women in leadership roles. That’s one of the things that drew me to the company.”
Ross advises other students to always put their best foot forward, regardless of the environment they’re in. “You never know who may be watching. That first impression goes a long way,” he says.
“As the saying goes, ‘Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know,’” says Ross. “For me, preparation met opportunity and I’m just trying to take full advantage of it.”
About Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.
