Graduate student receives scholarship from Executive Women of New Jersey

Elvira Kastrati, a Master of Business Administration student, was selected to receive an Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ) Graduate Award of $5,000 to assist her in achieving her scholastic goals. 

The leading senior-level executive women’s organization in New Jersey, EWNJ is committed to increasing the number of women in top corporate leadership positions through mentor and scholarship opportunities. EWNJ has awarded over $1.2 million in scholarship assistance to non-traditional graduate school students in New Jersey. 
 “At first, I couldn’t believe that I won the scholarship,” Kastrati says. “I was so excited, full of tears and so, so grateful for being selected among a group of outstanding women. The scholarship came at a perfect time in my life and of course it is already contributing towards reaching my career goals.”
 On top of pursuing a MBA, Kastrati has two children, a husband and she is a professional brands territory manager for Atrium Innovations, a global company that develops, manufactures and commercializes science-based nutritional health products. Once she graduates, she plans on continuing to climb the corporate ladder equipped with the skills she has learned from Rider.

Rider's MBA program is accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). It combines a market-driven, deep core curriculum with flexibility — the program is available online and in-person, with several concentrations available to students. 
 Kastrati notes that her professors — Dr. Leonore Taga, associate professor of economics, Dr. Larry Prober, associate professor of accounting, and Dr. Howard Reese, professor of supply chain management — delivered curriculum in a way that has immediately benefitted her current career. 

“The outstanding professors of these courses and their amazingly engaging teaching skills, their enthusiasm about topics and their accessibility to students have helped me not only understand the newly covered topics and apply them in class, but also apply them in my daily work, contributing directly to success in my career," she says. "I’m forever grateful to have been their student and always thankful for having them open the doors to so many career possibilities.”
 Kastrati discovered the EWNJ scholarship opportunity through her academic coordinator, Jean Cherney. To apply for the scholarship, she had to write an essay as to why she deserved the scholarship and upload supporting documents such as her transcripts and two nomination letters from two of her professors. 
 The EWNJ board of Directors and Scholarship Committee will honor the scholarship recipients at the organization’s annual holiday party on Dec. 13 at the Brach Eichler, L.L.C law firm in Roseland, New Jersey. 
 “I want to thank the committee at EWNJ for selecting me for this award. I’m forever grateful to you,” Kastrati says. “You inspire me to not only achieve my professional dreams but also work towards making a difference in the lives of others, such as you have made in mine. EWNJ, you remind me that I’m not alone. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your generosity and support.”