When Daniel Moore was a first-year student at Rutgers–Camden, he had a difficult time envisioning his college graduation. In fact, he didn’t even know if he wanted to continue with his education.
On May 19, as he crosses the Susquehanna Bank Center stage to receive his diploma, what once seemed distant and uncertain will become a clear reality.
“I wasn’t here because I wanted to be,” says Moore. “I felt like I had to be here. It was a difficult time for me personally, and I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t know what road to take and I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Moore, a Washington Township High School graduate, was living on his own and supporting himself for the first time in his life. He had also been coping with the death of a close friend and didn’t have a desire to apply himself academically.
During his first semester at Rutgers–Camden, Moore withdrew from all of his classes.
“That first year made me upset,” says Moore, who now lives in Williamstown. “Hearing my high school friends talk about their success in college and their plans after graduation made me embarrassed for my first year here. I felt like I wasted time and I grew determined to find my passion and become successful.”
That was all the motivation Moore needed to return his second year and build relationships with students and faculty at Rutgers–Camden.
“Once I applied myself and found what I wanted, I quickly began to excel,” he says.
Moore decided to double major in accounting and finance and minor in economics.
“It seemed as though the financial crisis occurred as soon as I started doing well in college, so naturally, I became a little discouraged about the economy,” Moore explains. “But I stayed interested in business and stuck with it. “I wanted to be well-rounded. I spent a lot of time with my professors and turned to them for career advice and guidance. That’s one of the things that I love about Rutgers–Camden. It’s a close community and you have the opportunity to build strong relationships with all of your professors.”
Moore was elected president of the Rutgers School of Business–Camden Accounting Society, was inducted into numerous honor societies, and wrote articles for the Business School newspaper, “Minding Your Business.”
Through the Rutgers–Camden Career Center, Moore landed a job with Philadelphia public accounting firm Asher & Company, where he will begin working in the fall. The company is paying for Moore to take his CPA exam this summer.
“I’m very excited to have that opportunity,” Moore says. “I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for Rutgers–Camden. Being here gave me the direction I needed and helped me realize my potential.”
He continues, “If there’s a lesson from my story, it’s that there are second chances in college. If you trip, you can get back up. Even if you aren’t sure which path to take or don’t do well at first, you can still succeed if you want it bad enough and are willing to work hard.”
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Media Contact: Ed Moorhouse
(856) 225-6759
E-mail: ejmoor@camden.rutgers.edu