Long before the term “global” came into widespread use, UALR alumna Susan Screeton knew she wanted to “go international.”

Screeton, a planning and guidance consultant with Fidelity Investments responsible for covering the University of Arkansas System, wanted to set herself apart as she was finishing her business degree at UALR in the mid-1990s.

“Of course, today we know business has gone global, but at the time I thought about an international focus, it was still a novel concept,” she said.

Screeton sought out an opportunity with a study abroad program in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where she took courses in international finance and marketing and earned nine credits one summer as part of her degree plan.

When she returned to the U.S., she landed her first career position doing commercial real estate with a regional bank in Little Rock and eventually relocated with them to St. Louis.

Screeton finally got the global exposure she was looking for as a treasury management analyst working with the firm, but it required relocating to New York City.

Screeton next grew her business career working with a global Wall Street firm servicing the media telecom sector.

“If you are a large corporate operating globally, you require bank accounts and services around the globe,” she explained.

“I was responsible for helping large corporations create banking structures that facilitated their global banking needs.”

After three to four years of dedicated work, Screeton earned the role of vice president-global cash management sales officer.

She has come full-circle to be closer to family in her home state of Arkansas, where she helps people fulfill their dreams of a comfortable retirement. She offered this career advice for other business majors considering their first opportunities straight out of college.

“I hope this doesn’t sound cliché, but I always tell people to follow their heart,” she said. “Follow your heart with your ultimate goal in mind.”

For Screeton, she said it took about five years for things to begin falling into place after she finished her formal education, but she never lost sight of what she desired.

“It’s similar to the process for financial planning,” she said. “It’s all about the planning. It’s not the goal that is as important as deciding what exactly it is you want. When you know that, then you can do anything.”