Road to Consulting Program opened doors for first-generation honors student to launch career as consulting analyst

The Scarlet Knight seed was planted when Kevin Soza was just five, after his mother enrolled him in a Rutgers pre-college program in kindergarten. By seventh grade, the Newark native had earned a place in the Rutgers Future Scholars program and a full scholarship. 

Nearly two decades later, that same university is still opening doors for him. A finance major at Rutgers Business School-Newark, Soza has accepted an offer to join Accenture as a consulting analyst after graduation, crediting the lessons he’s learned and the connections he’s built on campus.

Those connections began through organizations like the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and Rutgers Business School’s Road to Consulting. ALPFA gave him the fundamentals — how to network, build a résumé, and connect with professionals. Rutgers Road to Consulting took him further. 

“Road to Consulting helped me think like a consultant,” Soza said. “It gave me exposure to firms like PwC, Accenture, EY, and McKinsey. Through Road to Consulting, I met a management consultant at Accenture who became a mentor and helped me secure my internship and return offer.”

Rutgers Road to Consulting, like other Road to Success programs at Rutgers Business School, is a selective, intensive career preparation program for sophomores and juniors interested in working in the consulting industry. The program teaches soft skills, prepares students for interviews, and provides networking opportunities designed to connect students with industry professionals and jobs.

Looking back, Soza said Rutgers offered everything he needed to grow. “If you want a competitive edge and to stay in New Jersey – or if you’re out of state and want access to strong programs and proximity to New York for networking – Rutgers is perfect.”

A lifelong learner, Soza sees consulting as a natural fit. As he’s discovered from conversations with professors and peers, “It teaches you a lot in a short span of time,” he said.

 “You’re staffed on different projects, learn fast, and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset by proactively identifying opportunities to create value.”

That hunger to learn runs in his family. Soza’s parents emigrated from Honduras and built a life in Newark through hard work and persistence. His mother, always his strongest advocate, believed education could change his life – and, unknowingly, sparked his career path when she brought him along to the New York City home of a finance executive she cleaned for. 

“He would give me newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and talk about what was going on in the market,” Soza said. “That’s when I first became interested in finance.”

Soon, that interest grew into purpose. “Growing up, my family didn’t have financial literacy,” said Soza, a first-generation student and the eldest of four. “So that’s the end goal — I want to give my family good financial literacy.”

His drive to give back extends beyond his family. “As a resident of Newark, I’m a product of nonprofit organizations across Newark and a product of Rutgers giving back to the community,” he said. “Those organizations took a chance on me. It’s only fair I give the same love back.”

That perspective deepened through the Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC), a program at Rutgers University-Newark that blends academics with social impact. There, Soza found a space that challenged him to think critically about leadership, equity, and how to become a positive change agent.

“It’s a blessing to watch firsthand how Kevin cares for and cultivates community in such a meaningful way. He truly exemplifies the ethos of the HLLC and excels at navigating interdisciplinary approaches to solution-making,” said Timothy Eatman, inaugural dean of the HLLC. 

Soza’s spirit of mentorship shines in his work as a peer advisor in the Office of Career Management, where he helps students the way Rutgers once helped him. His favorite advice to share with younger students: “Closed mouths don’t get fed,” and “Learn how to dance in the storm.” 

Those and other lessons Soza’s learned at Rutgers will keep shaping how he shows up – for himself, his family, and his community.

-Elise McIntosh