International Criminal Justice major and Honors student Anthony Rowtie ’22 spent his summer learning from the experts at Pfizer Inc., giving him a front-row seat to one of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies. As an intern on Pfizer’s Government and Litigation team, Rowtie conducted research and updated databases, engaged with attorneys general across the country, and even sat in on meetings about the Covid-19 vaccine. But it was the conversations he had with his managers and team members at Pfizer that had the greatest impact on the first-generation college student. “I had the chance to work at a great organization with a group of inspiring people who taught me about the law and encouraged me to have a growth mindset. At Pfizer, my mentor Lynne Ross, Program Manager John Blakey, and Assistant General Counsel Markus Green ’95, a John Jay alumnus, really went out of their way to make sure I was connecting with leading legal professionals and participating in conversations that would help with my professional and personal growth,” says Rowtie, a Bronx, New York native. “My internship at Pfizer brought me out of my shell. I’m an introvert, I’m usually very shy, but Pfizer did a great job of creating opportunities for interns like me to find their voice and feel seen.”

Narrowing His Career Paths
Before coming to John Jay, Rowtie wasn’t sure what career path he wanted to take. He thought about joining the military, becoming a professional cartoonist, or even dabbling in the comedy circuit, but he found a greater sense of clarity after meeting with his mentor at the College, Charles Davidson, Ph.D., Director of the Pre-Law Institute (PLI). “I remember in my first meeting with Dr. Davidson, he asked me, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ and I began telling him all these wild ideas I had for a career. He then asked, ‘What are you interested in?’ and that’s when I began to tell him how I really love interacting with and learning from people from different places, cultures, and religions. I try to be open-minded and non-judgmental. Dr. Davidson looked at me and said, ‘It sounds like you might be interested in a career in diplomacy, something in the foreign service, a foreign service officer.’ That one conversation changed the trajectory of my life and we’ve been working to make sure I apply to the opportunities that would put me on that path since then.” At the end of the Spring 2020 semester, an opportunity to intern at Pfizer became available and Davidson reached out to Rowtie suggesting he apply. “I didn’t know if my resume was strong enough for such a big company like Pfizer, but Dr. Davidson encouraged me to give it a try, apply, and send my resume. I interviewed a few days later and landed the job.”    

Interning at Pfizer
Working on the government litigation team, Rowtie immediately got to work at Pfizer perfecting his navigation of the fast-paced virtual workspace environment, updating the company’s database, and diving into his research assignments. “I felt honored to be chosen by Pfizer, especially at such an important moment in our country’s history. Knowing the critical role Covid-19 vaccines will play to bring our country back to normal, I was proud to be part of a company that’s leading the way,” he says. “I also knew I was representing John Jay and wanted to give it my all.” Not wanting to waste a single moment, Rowtie engaged with the lawyers in the team, sitting in on weekly meetings with Ross, providing feedback, taking notes, and compiling reports for the department. “Even though I was just an intern, Lynne, Markus, and John immediately made me feel like I belonged at Pfizer. I felt comfortable enough to ask questions, share my thoughts, and actually converse with them. Sometimes that’s a difficult thing to do in the workplace, but they made it easy,” he says. Virtually attending an Attorney General Alliance conference, Rowtie was able to sit in on panels about Covid-19, the Supreme Court, and cybersecurity. “One of the things that really excited me about this internship was the chance to meet with attorneys general from across the country and have conversations with them,” says Rowtie, who went on to meet with Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan separately via Zoom. “Lynne was incredible. She introduced me to AG Donovan and made it possible for me and my co-intern to speak with him via Zoom. That was really cool. It gave us the chance to speak with an attorney general on a very human level. We had a chance to find out about his journey to becoming attorney general for his state. It was an important experience that gave us a better understanding of the role and responsibilities of the attorney general—it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”

Embracing the Pfizer Experience
Elaborating on the additional programming opportunities offered to interns by Pfizer, Rowtie recognizes the company’s commitment to uplifting interns through virtual events and discussions with special guest speakers. “Pfizer made an incredible effort to support interns, laying out virtual events and programs to help us feel inspired to become better versions of ourselves. They created workshops so we learned how to make the most out of the technology we were using. There were sessions on the extraordinary work Pfizer is doing. And, we had numerous guest speakers including Swizz Beats. He spoke to us about entrepreneurship, his upbringing in the Bronx, how he broke into the music industry and pushed himself to go to Harvard because he wanted to better understand the music business,” says Rowtie. “This extra programming showed me how much Pfizer wants its interns to see all that’s possible for them, so they can reach their full potential.”

Boosting His Self-Confidence
Going over what he considered among his proudest moments during the internship, Rowtie talks about the chance he had to give advice to students coming up behind him. “As part of its work with the New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project, Pfizer asked me to speak to high school students about the college experience. I shared with them information on the application process, the value of learning time management, and I raised awareness about scholarships and the importance of participating in extracurricular activities. It was a talk meant to empower them, but I felt just as empowered by the experience.” Feeling that extra boost in self-confidence, Rowtie says, was a direct result of how the team at Pfizer treated him—as a trusted and valued member of the team. “They treated me and all the interns on the team with respect. The team I worked with at Pfizer trusted us to work on our own, manage our time and projects, and get the work done to the best of our abilities. They created opportunities for us to take the lead on projects, motivating us to take initiative and think outside the box, and that helps build your self-confidence and improves your reliability and work ethic. You think to yourself, If they believe in me and my capabilities, then I should certainly believe in myself,” he says.

Before the end of the internship, Rowtie was tasked with a special project, one he hopes inspires other John Jay students to pursue internship opportunities. “Lynne asked me to do research and come up with a list of projects and activities students at John Jay might be interested in. She wanted to use it as a foundation for the creation of an internship program—a partnership between AGs, Pfizer, and John Jay—for John Jay students. To be able to assist in the creation of something that may help other John Jay students was exciting,” explains Rowtie, who was invited to return to Pfizer next summer. “My internship with Pfizer opened my eyes to all the great work they’re doing out in the world, but they’re also doing amazing work within their own company. To have a program in place that gives college students the opportunity to connect with professionals and feel like they belong in that workspace, to feel that their work is necessary to the company’s success and that they’re part of the team is remarkable and affirming. It’s an experience I wish all John Jay students could have.”