Rutgers MBA enabled student to think about business on a higher level

His experience in the MBA program gave Nick Felli the connections and knowledge he needed to land a senior financial analyst job in the pharmaceutical industry at graduation.   

NEWARK, N.J., Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- When a spot opened on a team vying to win a prestigious contest, Rutgers Full-Time MBA student Nick Felli volunteered to fill the vacancy. The team placed first in the Tepper International Case Competition for its analysis of supply chain disruptions for semiconductors.

"I really wanted to experience everything the MBA had to offer, so I was willing to put myself out there," said Felli, who concentrated his studies in finance and entrepreneurship. "It was pretty tough because we had a late start. It was probably because of the challenges that made us dig deep and push hard."

Felli said he and the team used concepts they learned in their MBA courses to snag the victory. It is one example of how Felli is translating classroom lessons into real-world experience. He also leveraged his Managing Growing Ventures course to help a Newark dance studio, Inspira Arts, secure funding and improve its business model. He learned financial modeling from a professor who worked on Wall Street. "We're getting the training they get at Goldman (Sachs)," said Felli. "The Rutgers MBA enabled me to think at a higher level about business, and the world in general."

Now he's applying those lessons in the workplace. After his graduation in May, Felli began working at Quest Diagnostics as a senior financial analyst. "Career services was very helpful throughout the process of exposing me to companies and getting my foot in the door at Quest," he said.

Interested in learning more about the Rutgers MBA? Attend an online MBA Info Session on Thursday, Nov. 16, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Felli attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and graduated Amherst College with a bachelor's in mathematics and economics. He worked for a year at Epic Systems Corp., a medical records company in Wisconsin, before enrolling at Rutgers Business School. He was attracted to the Rutgers MBA program because of its strength in pharmaceutical management and supply chain management, areas that were of higher interest to Felli after the pandemic.

Video: Felli explains more about why he chose to do his MBA at Rutgers.

Felli, 25, said he is one of youngest MBA students in his class, but he has landed leadership positions, including president of the Black & Hispanic MBA Association. "I've grown a lot," he said. "It's one of the most active clubs at Rutgers and a great network. It is another place to feel like part of the Rutgers community." The leadership he demonstrated didn't go unnoticed. Before he graduated, he was selected to receive the Certosimo Family Leadership Award.

Felli was listed among the 2023 MBAs to Watch by Poets & Quants. Read his profile.

Rutgers Business School's TeamUp mentorship program helped Felli get a corporate finance internship at Auramet International, a precious metals trading company in Teaneck. Felli was a 98% match with the company's chief financial officer Mark Edelstein, a Rutgers alumnus. "I wanted a mentor for life as well, and he's really been that. He's helped me career-wise and life-wise," said Felli, noting that Edelstein offered advice about how to interview for jobs and how to assess career prospects. Felli also interned at JP Morgan Chase and for the New Mexico Angels.

Dean Vera, director of the MBA Office of Career Management, described Felli as the "quintessential student for any career management office."

"He partnered with my office to hone his interviewing skills and joined case competitions to gain real-world experience," Vera said. "Landing a corporate finance role at Quest Diagnostics culminated all his efforts."

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SOURCE Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick