Penn State Smeal fall 2022 student marshal inspired by family’s love of finance

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For senior Joshua Rubin, the Penn State Smeal College of Business’s fall 2022 student marshal, being fascinated by the world of finance runs in the family. As a child, he often showed interest in his father’s financial services career and was captivated by his ability to solve business problems with numbers.

“My dad was a big influence in me pursuing finance at Penn State. During his more than 20 years of experience in many different industries of finance, I always seemed to be interested in what he was doing and wanted to learn more about it,” Rubin said.

Rubin, a West Chester native, will be graduating Dec. 17 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, a minor in information systems management and a 4.0 GPA.

After a lifetime of interest in his father’s career, Rubin undertook courses, experiential learning programs and internships that solidified finance as being the perfect fit for his future. He decided to follow in his older brother’s footsteps of studying finance at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business due to the extensive experiences and opportunities available to supplement the rigorous curriculum.

Rubin is now the president of Smeal Student Mentors and has held multiple positions with Nittany Lion Consulting Group. He was a campus engagement intern and engagement fellow with Penn State Hillel, was treasurer of the East Halls Residence Association and previously interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Actualize Consulting.

His sharp finance acumen is exemplified in his myriad recognitions, including the President’s Freshman Award, the Evan Pugh Scholar Senior Award, the Smeal Alumni Society Board Sponsorshop Award and the Nittany Consulting Group Legacy Award for Excellence and Integrity.

“My Smeal journey has been a consistent path of growth through my classes, leadership roles in organizations and other great experiences,” said Rubin. “Whether it was studying for an exam in class, finishing up a deliverable for a client or talking with recruiters at career fairs, I constantly saw myself learning and improving year after year.”

While Rubin attributes his success to all of his professors and advisers, there were two faculty members that had the most profound impact on his journey: Alla Hatfield, academic adviser, and David Lenze, assistant teaching professor of management and organization. As faculty advisers for the organizations he was most heavily involved in — Smeal Student Mentors and the Nittany Lion Consulting Group — both were vital in guiding Rubin in his professional and personal transformation.

“Josh is that person that everyone wants on their team. Conscientious, hard-working, smart, high integrity, with a positive attitude. And beyond his individual contributions, he is an effective and supportive leader who helps everyone around him perform at their best,” Lenze said.

Joining the Nittany Lion Consulting Group was a pivotal moment in his college career — equipping him with a trove of knowledge and defining some of his most cherished Smeal memories, like winning the two-day Carolina Case Challenge at North Carolina Chapel Hill this past spring by developing a successful global expansion strategy for a participating Fintech company.

“It was an amazing experience to travel for this competition and even sweeter leaving victorious,” he said.

And throughout all of these academic achievements, the greatest lesson Rubin said he learned throughout his time at Smeal is the importance of self-awareness.

“Having the ability to be self-aware allows you to learn from your mistakes,” he said, “be empathetic to others and ultimately grow to be the person you aspired to be.” 

It is one of his many qualities that have led Rubin to being recognized with the prestigious distinction of Smeal student marshal, an honor he describes being ecstatic to earn and proud to represent. 

“All the hard work, challenges and learning moments I have encountered have led to this award. I am so grateful for my friends, family, faculty and colleagues who have helped me get to this point and I am so proud to serve as Smeal’s student marshal,” he said.

After graduation, Rubin will be joining PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consulting associate in its finance transformation practice in the Philadelphia office. His biggest advice for first-year Smeal students is to keep an open mind and try new things, such as clubs, organizations and newfangled experiences.

“Getting involved at Penn State and within Smeal,” he said, “will open up so many doors and allow you to meet amazing people.”