2019 Best & Brightest: Raynier Matias, Rutgers-Newark

Raynier Matias

Rutgers Business School – Newark

“On the perennial pursuit for happiness, success, and knowledge.”

Fun fact about yourself: I worked for a small airline my freshman year of college where I met business men and celebrities on a regular basis, including Warren Buffet, Bill Ackman, Kanye West and Jerry Seinfeld.

Hometown: Hackensack, New Jersey

High School: Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro

Major: Finance and History

Minor: None

Favorite Business Course: Security Analysis

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Dean’s List (8 of 9 semesters), 2014 B-Star Scholar, Judith Fay Ross Memorial Scholarship
  • President – Rutgers Finance Society
  • Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Career Prep Fellow
  • Harvard Business School Summer Venture in Management Program, participant
  • PriceWaterhouseCoopers – Earn Your Future
  • ALPFA (Association for Latino Professionals For America) – assistant director, community service
  • The Observer Rutgers’ Newark Student Newspaper – business writer

Where have you interned during your college career? (List Companies, Locations and Roles)

  • Covanta Energy, Morristown N.J., Summer Intern | Finance Department
  • Goldman Sachs, Jersey City N.J., Summer Analyst |Finance Division
  • Morgan Stanley, New York City N.Y., Summer Analyst |Finance Division
  • Discovery Channel, New York City N.Y., Summer Intern |Ad-Sales Finance Team

Where will you be working after graduation? I have accepted a full-time offer from Deloitte, where I will be working as a Strategy and Operations consultant.

Who is your favorite professor? Professor Francis Ng has been my favorite college professor. I have taken three finance classes with him over the years, and he continues to amaze me. His classroom lectures further developed my interest and knowledge of finance. However, it was our conversations during his office hours that had made him my favorite professor. We would begin our conversations about specific stocks and then expand the discussions to include geopolitical factors and trends that influence the movement of a company’s stock and the stock market itself. Through this, Professor Ng taught me analytical thinking and how politics and economic forces impact companies.

What did you enjoy most about your business school? The Rutgers Business School community has been instrumental in my development. If not for the people I have met, I would not have achieved a fraction of the success that I have achieved thus far. A week into my freshman year, I met upperclassmen who encouraged me to get an internship. Through their early mentorship, I was able to embark on a path towards success. The people I have met along the way, are unequivocally, the part I enjoy the most about Rutgers Business School

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would suggest that students get involved in clubs and do well in school. For anyone entering college, joining a club is most likely the best way to meet ambitious and like-minded people, improve soft skills, and gain experiences to put on a resume. Joining a club will yield countless opportunities for those who invest their time and energy in one. As for doing well in school, it is important to remember that a high GPA will not get you an internship, but it illustrates to the employer that you work hard and can learn.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? The kindness and willingness of people to help have been the biggest surprise to me. Prior to entering college, I thought people who worked in finance in New York City were cutthroat. However, this has not been the case. In fact, by and large, people have been nice and helpful. This taught me that there is nothing to be afraid of when meeting new people.

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying…History or political science because I believe that these majors would help me think analytically about the world and better understand how external factors affect people and the decisions they make.”

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My father, who is an entrepreneur. Since I was a child, my father owned a business and I have always admired and respected him for taking a risk to open it. I initially entered business school with the intention of taking over the family business someday; however, as I learned more about the opportunities in business, I decided to follow my own path.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am proud to be graduating from college. I am very fortunate for the opportunities given to me by immigrant parents who faced countless challenges over the years raising me and my younger sisters. My parents regularly reinforced the importance of an education. The diploma I earn in May will be the result of our combined effort to achieve the American Dream.

Which classmate do you most admire? Since my freshman year, I admired Parris Taylor. He was an upperclassman who mentored me on how to advance my professional career. With his guidance, I was able to earn great internships and learn about life-changing college opportunities like Management Leadership for Tomorrow. Although he’s graduated, we still keep in touch and have developed a friendship beyond an informal mentor/mentee relationship.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My grandmother. She has been my biggest supporter and I cannot thank her enough for all her help. Because of her, I never had to worry about having to cook when I got home from a long day of school. Whenever I needed a bit of inspiration, she would tell me about her childhood on the farm where she was raised and how much of an improvement in my life is compared to hers. Hearing these stories helped me realize that my long hours of studying did not compare to difficulties of farm life. If my grandparents didn’t take risks to leave the farm, I would most likely still be working on a farm in the Caribbean. I thank my grandmother for her endless encouragement, support, and inspiration.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? The top two items on my bucket list are to travel and attend graduate school. Growing up, my travel experiences have been limited, but I intend to see more of the world. From looking at images and reading about the world, I have been drawn to places like Norway, South Africa, Bolivia, and Turkey, and I hope to visit those places over the next 10 years. As for attending graduate school, this has been a personal goal of mine for some time now, and I hope to further my education in order to help advance my career.

What are your hobbies? Some of my hobbies are reading, roller skating, Netflix binge-watching, discovering new music, and hanging out with friends.

What made Raynier such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?

“Raynier A. Matias truly represents the best of RBS-Newark. He is a smart, driven, career-minded, distinguished student. Not only did he do well in class, but also found time to excel in extracurricular activities.

As a high school senior, Raynier was selected to participate in the Business Student Transition at Rutgers (B-STAR) program, which supports high-performing minority students who accept admission to Rutgers Business School. He was also a Managing Leaders for Tomorrow (MLT) scholar.

He has served as president of Rutgers Finance Society. And last summer, he participated in Harvard Business School’s Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP). His career preparation has included summer internships at Goldman Sacks (2016), Morgan Stanley (2017), Discovery Inc., (2018). His drive and experience paid off. He has accepted a full-time offer at Deloitte Consulting.

Raynier has grown into a confident young man with a commitment to helping the community. He is an active contributor to the Rutgers University-Newark student newspaper. He is always available to help his classmates prepare for technical interviews. He also has excelled in his academic roles graduating with a GPA of 3.763 with a bachelor’s in finance and history. I am very proud of his success and look forward to having him back at RBS as an active alum.”

Wanda Cruz-Mendez
Assistant Dean, Director
Office of Career Management
Rutgers Business School-Newark, Undergraduate Program

 

 

 

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