
The business school students behind Rutgers University Business for Youth.
High school students visit campus for business school experience
Three hundred students from seven area high schools kicked off the start of a new academic year for the Rutgers University Business for Youth program with a day of activities at Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick.
More than 30 Rutgers Business School students volunteered to help deliver a meaningful experience to the high school students. The three RUBY co-presidents, Omkar Iyer, Class of 2026, Siya Batra, Class of 2025, and Isha Parikh, Class of 2026, lead the day-long program.
"It was really exciting to kick off the RUBY academic year, especially seeing how much the program has grown," said Co-President Siya Batra. "When I first joined RUBY, there were only eight of us, and now we have so many more students involved. We started the year by hosting a meeting where all the mentors could connect, and now we’re planning a game night event to build those relationships even more."
"It’s amazing," she said, "to see our mentors bonding and getting ready to give back to high school students."
During their visit to campus in January, the high schoolers were introduced to the different topics they could study at the business school and learned some basic financial concepts. They also toured the RBS-New Brunswick building and went through the first steps to prepare for a business plan competition.

The RUBY Program aims to provide high schoolers with the awareness, information, guidance, motivation, and culture necessary for them to be adept in both business and social environments. By providing them with an experiential learning experience, RUBY supplements the teachings from their high school business classes and prepares them for college.
During a series of visits to campus, the students attend classes (including college preparation lessons), interact with current college students that often lead to mentoring relationships. They have opportunities to visit nearby corporate offices and work on developing soft skills through team building and presentations. The program also encourages the involvement of parents to help develop a “culture” of high performance.
Ankita Kodali, who graduated from Rutgers Business School in 2021, worked to revive the RUBY program in 2020, after it had remained dormant for years. She worked closely with Ron Richter, who teaches finance at Rutgers Business School.
"In a nutshell, RUBY is a program that helps high students get a jump on their career exploration,” said Professor Richter. “In addition, RUBY gives our RBS students the opportunity to practice leadership, team building and presentation skills. It has been a joy working together with our RBS students and the high school students.”
For 2025, the seven high schools participating are Piscataway, North Brunswick, East Orange, Sayreville, South River, Toms River South, and Franklin High School. The RUBY curriculum is designed for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, giving staying power to the program and building upon the knowledge they are able to attain.
Press: For all media inquiries see our Media Kit