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Daimeon Savage `01, M.B.A. `04 considers Mercy College, “the foundation for his successful career in finance,” and is now excited to pay it forward as a member of the . He has long been a steward of the College’s programs and, with his fellow advisory council members, plans on spearheading initiatives to help people celebrate their Mercy degrees and get alumni more involved.

Savage first learned the importance of being engaged, and how to balance work, extracurricular activities and academics, at the prestigious high school Kingston College in his home country of Jamaica. A talented soccer player and honors student, he came to the United States on a scholarship to attend college in North Carolina. But after two years, Savage decided to transfer to Mercy at the recommendation of a friend who believed he would thrive in the College’s environment and greatly benefit from the athletic and academic offerings. 

His friend was right. Savage enrolled as an international business major after transferring and graduated in two years with the support of advisors. He played soccer for Mercy, successfully balanced his work commitments and coursework and often gave speeches at campus-wide events at the request of then-President Lucie Lapovsky.  He was even the voice of Mercy – when dialing the general campus phone number, Savage was the answering voice, thanking the public for calling and listing the contact roster.

Savage was an already accomplished young man in the traditional sense from his schooling in Jamaica and involvement at Mercy. But what Mercy gave him went beyond the intellect to gain high marks on an exam.

As an international student, Mercy students, faculty and staff became his family, and elevated his confidence to succeed as a finance professional in the competitive New York market.

After graduating in 2001 summa cum laude, Mercy offered Savage the role of Government and Community Relations Liaison, a full-time staff position uniquely tailored to his strengths, where he made connections with high profile community members and learned real-world skills. He also worked for Mercy’s Office of Admissions and pursed his graduate degree at that time. In 2006, he was recruited by a finance firm and started a career path in his field of study managing private equity funds, hedge funds and mutual funds.

Savage continued to be sought after by financial management firms and gained additional experience in operations and accounting. Then, he hit a bump in the road – Savage was laid off during the 2008 financial crisis.

“I stayed diligent at that time and used my experiences from Mercy to move forward. Being on the soccer team, I learned how to thrive in stressful environments and interact with people from different cultures thanks to my teammates. Mercy also aided me in becoming fluent in Spanish, being a true team player and staying open-minded,” said Savage.

He used these proficiencies to fortunately land on his feet and has since enjoyed jobs at firms such as Goldman Sachs and his current company, State Street Global Advisors.

In terms of the words of wisdom Savage has for Mercy students, he advises, “Don’t take things personally, but try to use a personal touch when dealing with people. Don’t take yourself too seriously but take your career seriously. Never be too proud to say I don’t know, but always find the answer. And, expand your cultural horizons.”