Rachelle Moon (Rice) Named CBA Student of the Year

From earning scholarships to engaging with student organizations, Rachelle Moon (Rice) excelled during her time at UNO CBA. A May 2022 Summa Cum Laude graduate with a degree in Business Administration and concentration in Management, Moon was recognized with a plethora of honors during her time at UNO. One of the most significant was being named Outstanding CBA Student of the Year, at which point Moon was also made a CBA Hall of Fame Inductee.

Moon is now is employed as a Human Resources Analyst on the Campus and Military Recruitment team with Fiserv, a global fintech company where her duties include recruiting candidates for internships, assisting Fiserv’s analyst program, and military fellowships. She credits her immediate professional success to her time at CBA, an alliance begun in her Nebraska City high school years. A Girl Scouts camp her sophomore summer on the UNO campus introduced her to finance classes, piquing her interest in the professional opportunities afforded in the business field.

For Moon, CBA’s varied course offerings and flexible curriculum were major draws. Moon became involved with campus organizations and learning communities, naming the CBA Scholars Academy as most influential. The Scholars Academy is a close-knit community of high-achieving students who are selected after an application and interview process, ultimately earning financial support and professional development opportunities for all four years of their undergraduate program.

“The Scholars Academy connected me with high-achieving students, successful community professionals, and empowering UNO staff and faculty who all helped shape me into the person I am today,” said Moon. “From the initial interview, I was surrounded with driven peers who made me want to work hard and challenge myself. I was able to learn from the experiences and advice of all these individuals, which helped me develop confidence in my ability to excel academically, professionally, and socially.”

While college can be a challenge, Moon found additional avenues for support alongside the Scholars Academy. She recalls that the availability of scholarships, made possible by CBA donors, were essential to her ability to succeed in school. Using the annual scholarship application, Moon was awarded several scholarships that allowed her to graduate debt-free – a privilege she’s grateful for. Entering UNO CBA with undeclared concentrations, Laura Sansoni from the CBA Career Center also aided with personality tests and career outlooks aligned with Moon’s skills and interests, solidifying her direction.

The knowledge she gained at CBA has had a lasting impact on Moon’s daily work. Her capstone professor, Management Lecturer Edward Cochran, was particularly influential in guiding her to create and recognize a competitive advantage in the business world. Marketing and Entrepreneurship Professor Dr. Phani Tej Adidam, who also served as her study abroad professor, taught her to see tomorrow as a new adventure with unknown plans and to keep a sense of humor when things go awry.

“I apply skills from my human resource courses when recruiting candidates and skills from my marketing courses when promoting the company,” said Moon. “Outside of the core course content, though, advice from my professors has been one of the most useful tools as I have begun my career.”

In addition to the Scholars Academy, college highlights included the opportunity to reengage the student marketing program and its connections through Zoom during her term as President just as COVID hit, and the 10-day Scholars Academy business tour in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy led by Director Bethany Hughes. She was also named Undergraduate Honor Student in Marketing.

“I was able to find success at UNO CBA due to the people who supported me. I attribute my success to the classmates, UNO faculty and staff, community mentors and donors, friends, and family members who impacted me while attending UNO,” said Moon. “Being involved in organizations, employed on campus, and engaged in classes helped me to meet so many incredible people. I feel so incredibly honored to receive the accolades I have this year. I’m extremely grateful for the connections I made while at UNO.”