Face of CUNY: Zicklin Student Luis Soto Is the Man in the Middle

Have you seen the CUNY subway ads that say, “Study your way,” and show a man leaning on a desk in the middle of a lawn? That’s digital marketing major Luis Soto (BBA, ’27), a Macaulay Honors student at the Zicklin School of Business. Luis sat down for an interview with Zicklin News.

Zicklin News: How did you get chosen for this campaign?

Luis Soto: I met Yun Yan (BBA, ’27) in one of my Macaulay Honors seminars. She ended up as an intern in the marketing department for CUNY Central and when the subway campaign was recruiting students, she recommended me.

ZN: You’re what is known as a nontraditional student—meaning, basically, that you’re older than the average undergraduate. Tell us more about that.

LS: I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and came to New York as a young man. I joined the Army and when I got out three years later, I moved to Florida and built a life there. I worked 30 years in the logistics industry as a customs broker, which is like a middleman between importers and U.S. Customs. Customs brokers determine what tariffs apply to a certain product and what duties will be paid. They collect these from the importers and pay the customs office. I would also arrange transport of the imported items to their final destination.

ZN: You’ve had a lot of experience. What made you decide to go to college later in life?

LS: I moved back to New York a few years ago and decided I wanted a new career. I was interested in marketing, so I got an associate’s degree in digital marketing from the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), then I transferred to Baruch through the Macaulay Bridge Scholars program.

ZN: Why did you want to study at the Zicklin School of Business?

LS: Zicklin always stood out to me for its reputation and the seriousness of the students here. I wanted to study business and I wanted to be pushed, to be held accountable. When the opportunity came up through Macaulay, I applied and was accepted.

ZN: Terrific! And after you finish your BBA, what’s next for you?

LS: I’d like to create another small business, maybe in tourism or consulting for the logistics industry. The good thing about having marketing skills is that you can apply them to any type of business.

Luis and his kids

ZN: That sounds great! Finally, what’s a fun fact about you that few people would know?

LS: I’m the father of quadruplets—two boys and two girls. Three of them graduated at about the same time I did from BMCC. The fourth will graduate this spring.

This article is the third in a series of profiles of Zicklin students who appear in CUNY ads.

Categories: Alumni, Alumni News, Current_Students, News, Student News