{"id":223955,"date":"2024-05-06T13:36:26","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T17:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=223955"},"modified":"2024-05-13T18:23:07","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T22:23:07","slug":"montclair-football-stars-score-big-in-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2024\/05\/06\/montclair-football-stars-score-big-in-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Montclair Football Stars Score Big in Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Montclair State University football players who command attention on the field will shine at<\/span> Commencement 2024<\/span><\/a> on May 13 when they both receive undergraduate degrees from the Feliciano School of Business. The two student athletes are part of the 4+1 Bachelor\u2019s\/MBA program, one of Montclair\u2019s 80 combined programs that allow students to earn two degrees in five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Red Hawk football captain Nicholas Burgess, aka \u201cAgent 0\u201d because of his uniform number, and offensive lineman Cameron Siebert, #64, will receive Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Management and Accounting, respectively. They\u2019ll both return to campus this summer to work on their MBAs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nicholas
Football captain Nicholas Burgess means business when it comes to academics. (Photo courtesy of the Feliciano School of Business)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Managing his business<\/b><\/p>\n

With Burgess\u2019 selection as New Jersey Athletic Conference [NJAC]\u2019s 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Region, All-District and All-Conference one might think that football is his Plan A. It\u2019s definitely his Plan B.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan A has always been getting an MBA and working in finance. \u201cI love football, but I never had a dream of playing pro football,\u201d he says. Still, Burgess plans to participate in next year\u2019s NJAC pro-scout day and \u201cif that opportunity shows up, I’ll commit to it. If not, I’m OK with my football career.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising given that Burgess was named NJAC\u2019s Academic Athlete of the Year.<\/span><\/p>\n

But first, he\u2019ll take care of business. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to get an MBA, regardless of the timeline,\u201d Burgess says. \u201cFor me to be able to do it while doing my undergrad degree, and then be able to finish it within a year is everything you could ask for. The program is everything and more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Burgess credits academic advisors with making sure that students \u201care on top of our stuff. We’re learning more about the professional world and general business, and then you’re able to see how your undergrad experience applies to your graduate school experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But those who know Burgess credit his accomplishments on his hard work and determination.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything he does, he does it 100%, whether it\u2019s football, his internship or his classes,\u201d says Head Football Coach Mike Palazzo. \u201cHe cares. There\u2019s nobody on this team or who knows Nick who can say he doesn\u2019t care about, not only his success, but the team\u2019s success.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Management Instructional Specialist Lisa Brooks Greaux has taught Burgess in four business classes the past two years and gives him high praise. \u201cNicholas sits in the front row, dead center, and he’s always paying attention, always taking notes, always asking questions, but the interesting thing about him, probably because he’s also captain of the football team, is that he engages the rest of the class,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, he actually raises the bar for the rest of the class, by his participation and by his presence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of his success juggling academics, football and an internship at the financial firm Morgan Stanley, Burgess was featured in an award-winning, eight-minute YouTube video titled <\/span>A Day in the Life of Nicholas Burgess, Feliciano School of Business Student<\/span><\/i><\/a> about the star student\u2019s athleticism, passion and legacy. In it, his parents Silas and Nickia Burgess say he\u2019s worked hard and been successful as both a student and an athlete.<\/span><\/p>\n