Checking Every Box
Getting to the Stevens School of Business wasn't a long trip for Aracely Candelaria. The North Bergen, New Jersey, native was raised a few miles from campus, and her father had lived in Hoboken, so Stevens was a familiar name in her household long before she applied.
The distance she has covered discovering ways to get involved, grow and make an impact is another story. The third-semester finance major has become a 2026 CME Group Foundation Scholar, a peer leader, Director of Finance for the Stevens chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), Professional Chair for Stevens Women in Business, Social Media Coordinator for Stevens Christian Fellowship and a member of the School of Business Dean's Student Advisory Board. Following her first year, she also completed a summer research position focused on cryptocurrency token research.
Aracely, a first-generation student, knows how the list sounds when she says it out loud. She says the time commitment is worth it because every role has brought meaningful experiences, connections, and lessons into her life.
“I do all the extracurriculars that I choose to do, even though there is a lot of commitment involved, because I feel like the people that I work with and the activities really shape and represent who I am,” she said. “Those extracurriculars have really poured into me, whether it is the programs they offer or the people that I've met. While they are time consuming, they've done so much for me that speaks volumes about who I am today versus who I was a year ago, so I want to give back to the community in any way that I can.”
Aracely found campus life intimidating at times, but she began to find her community by getting involved.
"When I first arrived on campus, I met someone who has since become one of my good friends and served as a mentor to me throughout my first year," she said. "That really made me feel comfortable in ALPFA, in this space, in my identity and who I was. He inspired me to seek out more opportunities and meet more professionals. Now I have a mentor through ALPFA who works at Bank of America. That’s one of the reasons I really love ALPFA. I can give back to people and let first-years experience what I experienced with that mentorship, encouragement and support.”
Seeing her speak to a group of first-year business students in her role as a peer leader, one would never guess her ability to connect with audiences didn’t come naturally. Her father always encouraged and inspired her to trust her voice and have the confidence to express herself, even when it felt uncomfortable.
"I was not always outgoing in high school, but I began to recognize how my dad’s curiosity and willingness to introduce himself and connect with others opened doors to new opportunities,” she said. “By introducing myself to Assistant Dean of Student Success Michelle Crilly, I was able to connect with her and eventually join the Dean’s Student Advisory Board as the 2029 cohort representative. Serving on the board has given me the opportunity to listen to and learn from others, but it has also allowed me to build a meaningful relationship with Michelle. She is absolutely amazing, and I feel so lucky to know her and learn from her.”
Developing those connections has opened doors beyond campus. Aracely first learned about Citi’s Freshman Discovery Program through her connections in ALPFA. The virtual program introduced the different career paths within financial services through workshops, conversations with Citi professionals and opportunities to learn about the industry firsthand. She also gained insight into how banks operate beyond front-office roles and how emerging technologies, including AI, are shaping recruitment.
Her involvement in SWIB presented another professional development opportunity. The AmplifyME Finance Accelerator took place last October as a simulation-based program led by an industry mentor over Zoom. The experience gave participants the chance to step into the roles of finance professionals and gain a better understanding of how financial professionals respond to changing market conditions.
"We take all these classes in the School of Business, but sometimes you don't have a genuine understanding of what a bank actually does," she said. "The Freshman Discovery Program gave me a broader view of different career opportunities and what I want to do. It also allowed me to grow my network through virtual coffee chats. I learned about professionals' day-to-day experiences, and how to get my foot in the door when it's time to apply for internships."
Aracely’s continual examination of opportunities in finance, both from a technical and philosophical perspective, led to introspection about the kind of professional she hopes to become. Those thoughts became an important part of her application for the CME Group Foundation Scholarship. After the School of Business' Corporate Outreach and Professional Advancement (COPA) office shared the opportunity, she applied and was selected for a $20,000 scholarship. The foundation flew her to Chicago for a day at CME Group headquarters.
The recognition still hasn't fully sunk in.
"These experiences give me hope,” she said. “It shows me that other people support me, want to be there for me and believe in my capabilities, both who I am now and who I could be in the future."
The list of those who believe in Aracely starts on the Stevens campus in the classroom. She credits her professors with being open and encouraging.
"Your professors are part of your network," she said. "They want to help you, and they want to get to know you. A lot of them have worked in the industry, so they can give you advice and be a mentor to you."
For all the steps she has taken toward her goals, Aracely knows she still has much more to learn and many more opportunities ahead of her.
"I know a lot of people think I have everything down and all together, but I really am still learning," she said. "Trial and error is helping me figure out what's working and what's not and figuring out who I am and who I want to be."
