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Rider offered the experience as a short-term study abroad program, with alumnus Norm Brodsky ’64 sponsoring the full travel and program costs for two students, as well as an additional $1,250 each for the remaining 18 students.

“I was excited to be exposed to entrepreneurs of this magnitude,” says Fernandez, who had never been on an airplane before the trip, “but also because of the traveling aspect; I was excited about the cultural aspect of studying abroad as well.”

In addition to being able to network and gain hands-on experience in entrepreneurship workshops, some students were selected to write and deliver introductions to conference speakers.

On the conference’s first day, Fernandez introduced Lewis Schiff, the chairman of the Board of Experts for the Birthing of Giants Fellowship Program and the executive director of the Moonshots & Moneymakers conference. He is also a longtime business partner of Brodsky, the namesake of Rider’s business college who launched eight successful businesses before becoming deeply committed to the students of his alma mater.

“The first time I met Norm, it was like meeting a celebrity,” Fernandez says, “but he has no problem taking time out of his day to help you. By being so involved, he makes Rider that much better. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Even though he is only beginning his junior year at Rider this fall, Fernandez has been nursing his own entrepreneurial dreams for years. As a sophomore, he placed third in the Rider Collegiate Business Concept Competition (also sponsored by Brodsky), claiming the $500 prize for his business idea that would allow vendors and customers to track the inventory of specific vending machines via an app.

At the Moonshots conference, he was able to discuss the idea with the attendees, who, he says, were gracious with their time and insights, helping him to understand that when it comes to launching a product into the marketplace, perfect can often be the enemy of good.

“I understood the magnitude of this opportunity, and I wanted to make the most of it,” Fernandez says. “The entrepreneurs were warm and receptive, and before long I realized we were speaking together like old pals.”

Fernandez and the other students not only benefited from exposure to the conference attendees; a variety of people connected to Rider were also present. Rider President Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., attended the conference alongside Dr. Ron Cook, a professor; Lisa Teach, an adjunct professor and the former director of Rider’s Center of Entrepreneurial Studies; Liz Carrion, executive assistant to the dean; and Stephen Gerard ’84, an author and entrepreneur, as well as Rider's ambassador to the Birthing of Giants program who made a gift to help students pay for the costs of attending. 

Oxford is a familiar destination for Rider students. For years, Rider has offered two residential programs in partnership with St. Stephen’s House, the Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford.

In addition to the Moonshots conference (formerly advertised to students as the Innovation Intensive at Oxford), the Choral Institute at Oxford is regularly offered to Rider students, primarily those of Westminster Choir College. The program began as a music collaboration between composer Dr. James Whitbourn of Oxford and Dr. James Jordan, a Rider professor of conducting. It has led to acclaimed performances, the publication of scholarly manuscripts, books and choral works, and a Grammy-nominated recording.

Now that she’s back from Oxford and has already accepted a job offer nine months before she will graduate, Wong is approaching her classes differently. “I’m thinking about how I can apply what I’m learning in the classroom directly to my job,” she says. “It’s changed my perspective.”