First-generation college graduate Mikell Quiroga joins Moody's as ratings analyst

In 2019, Mikell Quiroga immigrated from Colombia to New Jersey in search of opportunity, which he imagined would involve the hustle and bustle of doing business in a New York City skyscraper.

Now, Quiroga is stepping into that vision as a ratings associate for Moody’s, a global financial services company whose offices tower over the city.

“Moody’s provides credit ratings and analysis for companies across different industries, including data centers that support today’s growing digital economy,” Quiroga said. “I’m excited to be part of where the industry is headed.”

After graduating from North Bergen High School and earning his associate’s degree in business at Hudson County Community College, Quiroga entered Rutgers Business School as a finance major. He strategically added a second major in supply chain management so he could stay an extra semester and continue to build experience in his field — serving as an intern with Moody’s, which resulted in a full-time position.

Quiroga met Moody’s leaders through the Rutgers-Newark chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), where he served as treasurer. He also credits two graduate-level courses he took through the selective Rutgers Wall Street Financial Modeling Accelerator with helping him develop the technical skills needed for the job.

Quiroga accumulated additional experience and enjoyed helping students as a peer advisor in the business school’s Office of Career Management and as a financial aid assistant. He also worked as an associate at a preeminent public affairs firm and previously held an operations position supporting young men post-incarceration — a role he secured through the Rutgers Scarlet Service Initiative.

Quiroga is a first-generation college graduate.

“This is something that my grandmother, who raised me, always wanted for me,” he said, “and making her proud is a feeling I cannot describe.”

This article is part of "January Graduates Launch Careers and Fulfill Dreams Ahead of May Commencement" by Beth Fand Incollingo for Rutgers Today.