Student's drive for excellence earns her Dean's Distinguished Leadership Award

Monica Sung did it all as a Rutgers Business School undergraduate.

She excelled as a finance major and triple-minored in art history, political science, and business analytics. She headed the award-winning chapter of the business honor society, Beta Gamma Sigma, at Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick. She won competitions that showcased her business prowess, and landed impressive internships — all while enjoying a busy social life.

“I made really good use of my Google calendar,” Sung joked.

In recognition of her success, she received the dean's Distinguished Leadership Award during the May 11 undergraduate commencement ceremony. Created in 2011, the award is given to student leaders from the graduate programs and the undergraduate programs in Newark and New Brunswick who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, service to the school and leadership potential. Recipients of the award have their names inscribed in the school bell.

Rutgers Business School “opened so many doors for me,” Sung said. “I was surrounded by people who are ambitious and strong.” Sung enrolled in an honors arts and sciences program that allowed her to study other subjects of interest to round out her education. “That pushed me to think in so many different ways about how the world impacts business,” she said.

J.P. Morgan hired Sung as an analyst in residential mortgage-backed securities financing. “I enjoy reading fine print, so that’s something I’m really excited about,” she said. Her new job begins June 25.

Sung constantly challenged herself as an undergraduate. During her junior year, she served as a peer instructor in the First Year Interest Group Seminar (FIGS), developing lessons and teaching 30 freshmen about pursuing a business degree. The seminar helped solidify some students’ interest in business, but also led others to decide it wasn’t for them, she said.

Sung helped Beta Gamma Sigma grow to more than 200 members while she served as president. The organization provided tutoring and mentoring, and collected and distributed nonperishables for a community food pantry.

Sung said graduating is bittersweet. She is excited about the future, but she has strong ties to Rutgers: her sister and a dozen cousins attended the university, and three relatives work there, she said.

Sung is proud that she has remained close to the friends she made as a freshman, many of whom pursued different areas of study. “When we get together, we have these great intellectual conversations,” she said. “I don’t have to talk about finance all the time."

-Margaret Crouse