Musa Aioub '22

Rider’s endless opportunities helped Aioub step outside of his comfort zone.

Like many first-year students, Musa Aioub arrived at Rider eager to take advantage of all the college had to offer, but nervous to take the first step. However, his participation in Rider’s Business Honors Program presented him with the opportunity to participate in special projects, build relationships with like-minded students, network with professionals and gain crucial leadership and communication skills. This involvement helped set the foundation for his desire to say yes to new experiences.

“A valuable lesson that I learned while at Rider was to be open to new experiences and go for them even if they may seem intimidating or challenging. We grow through the challenges we go through. Going out of our comfort zone is the most effective way to grow and develop as a student, a professional and a person.” 

This led him to pay it forward by supporting fellow students.

During his sophomore year, Aioub began working as a writing consultant in Rider's Writing Studio (part of the Academic Success Center). His work with the Writing Studio not only benefited his fellow classmates but also provided him with the opportunity to act as a role model, helping others to achieve academic success. “I worked with students of many different majors, learning styles and personalities, and grew tremendously as a leader and communicator.”

Following his sophomore year, he later worked as embedded tutor for Rider's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) helping incoming first-year students with their summer classwork and guiding them as they prepared for college. “Being an EOP student myself, this was an amazing opportunity for me to be able to give back to the program and help the students that are at the point in their journey I myself was at a few years ago.” 

Real-world experience

Aside from taking on leadership and mentoring roles on campus, Aioub also completed two internships, following his freshman and junior year. 

In his first internship with Holman Enterprises, a fleet management company in Mount Laurel, NJ, he worked in the treasury division. “During that summer, I worked on several projects that included working with and analyzing data, creating reports, and more. I worked with upper management and had the opportunity to share and report my work to them. “I learned about data analytics, the finance industry and working as a corporate professional during my time at Holman.”

Aioub’s second internship with Slalom, a global business and technology consulting firm, he worked for their New Jersey market on two projects split across eight weeks. “Working on two projects during that internship contributed to giving me a well-rounded experience where I learned many different skills and about different industries, including software development, programming languages, data analytics, the cloud, and more,” he says.

“Rider definitely played a role in helping me obtain these opportunities. For my first internship, even though I was only in my freshman year, my hands-on and Engaged Learning experiences including my participation in the Business in Action program, helped me stand out from other applicants. Rider also played a role in my second internship, as I actually found and applied to the internship through Handshake (a career exploration platform used by the Office of Career Development and Success).”

From college to career

Shortly after wrapping up a summer internship with Slalom, a global business and technology consulting firm, Aioub was offered a full-time position with the firm following his 2022 graduation. He is currently working as an associate consultant for their New Jersey market. 

“The opportunities Rider presented to me, and all students, have helped me grow into the person I am today. I grew as both a student and professional through hands-on experiences from courses, internships, on-campus employment and more.”