G R E E H E YSC HOL ARSPROGRAM

On November 1st-3rd, St. Mary’s University Bill Greehey School of Business and the Greehey Scholars Program (GSP) hosted the Undergraduate Scholars Program Administrators Association (USPAA) Scholar Summit. The summit brings together students from different scholar programs around the nation and is held at a different university every year. Friday’s festivi-ties included breakout sessions planned by the GSP, a mariachi band, and keynote speaker Eric Fortenberry. The conference’s sessions were led by various scholar program directors, while GSP program director Mathew Joseph and student coordinator Ginnette Garcia coordinated the logistics for the summit. Additionally, members of the GSP volunteered their time to assist in the conference. GSP members gave campus tours, aided in sessions, and also spent Saturday evening guiding the attendees around downtown San Antonio for dinner, a walk-ing tour, and a river taxi trip. The students I met at the conference were not only smart and capable, but also motivated and active individu-als. The sessions we participated in were collaborative and sparked thoughtful discussion about our individual experi

ences as scholars. When comparing and contrasting our indi-vidual experiences, we were able to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each of our programs. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have met so many talented students at the USPAA conference and I know the GSP was honored to host the summit this year.

St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TexasFall 2013

In an effort to increase the number of applicants the Greehey Scholars Program receives each year, a group of students joined together at the beginning of the semester to create a team specifically focused on recruitment. Directed by senior Kelsey Davis, a group of twelve students has been actively reaching out to both local and international high schools. The hope is to yield a greater pool of applicants, a more competitive application process, and thus increase the overall quality of the program. Students have been reaching out to schools in different ways, including phone calls and e-mails, while updating social media and contents on the St. Mary’s website. Additionally, select scholars have participated in local high school presentations, promotional tables, and college fairs to encourage qualified graduating seniors to apply. As a result of this outreach, the team has found high school students

are more receptive when hearing about the program from a current scholar. In addition to the creation of a marketing team, a few other aspects will change in the admissions process this year. Dr. Mathew Joseph recently announced that selected applicants who advance to the interview round will be required to visit the campus and spend the weekend of March 21st with scholars who will provide feedback on how they fit in with the group. Furthermore, applicants will write an admissions essay on the spot rather than submitting it prior to the interview day, which will help attest to their writing skills. An additional interview will also be conducted by scholars themselves, which will supplement the traditional interview led by the Admissions Committee. There is an air of excitement among scholars in anticipation of what talent incoming freshmen will bring next year.

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A New Approach to Marketing By Paola Retes

Scholars Hosting Scholars By Sarah Cantu

www.stmarytx.edu/academics/business/greehey-scholars-program

USPAA Scholar Summit Keynote Address

Volume 4 , Issue 1

This past summer, I interned at USAA in a department within marketing called Military Affinity. We target market groups that have an affinity with the military with the belief that members trust their organization and by partnering with those that they trust, the group becomes an advocate for USAA. I personally interned on a Relationship Management team that managed five of these relationships.

Throughout my time at USAA, I was able to meet various leaders across the company through fireside chats and one-on-one meetings. There was one unique

experience that occurred, though, that superseded the rest; myself

and one other intern out of over 220 interns were chosen to speak in front of the Executive Council. The premise of the full day meeting, or People Day, was to further discuss what USAA could change going forward to attract the young leaders of the future and remain competitive in Corporate America.

Had I ever been asked to imagine what my internship was going to consist of- briefing, speaking, and networking with the top leaders in a Fortune 144 company would not have been on my list. The experience was one that I will hold onto for the rest of my professional career.

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A Career-Defining Internship By Kelsey Davis

New Faces Are ReFRESHing!

Justin Garcia• Hometown: Helotes, TX• High School: Sandra Day O’Connor • Major: Corporate Finance & Risk Management • Thoughts on the GSP so far: The program is

amazing and in it I have found my closest friends.• GSP Activities & Extracurriculars: GSP Marketing

Team, club baseball coach

Michael Maciel• Hometown: Sugar Land, TX• High School: George Ranch• Major: Corporate Finance & Risk Management• Thoughts on the GSP so far: The program allows

me to be surrounded by other individuals with similar aspirations and priorities.

• GSP Activities & Extracurriculars: volunteer tennis camp for children, GSP Marketing Team

Lucia Paz• Hometown: San Pedro Sula, Honduras• High School: Escuela Internacional Sampedrana• Major: Management• Thoughts on the GSP so far: Although this

program is challenging, it is well worth it.• GSP activities & Extracurriculars: Habitat for

Humanity, INSTA, MSA, SAYL, SM Friends

Tirzah Robinson• Hometown: El Paso, TX• High School: Northwest Early College• Major: International Business• Thoughts on the GSP so far: The GSP is more

work than I ever expected, but also even more rewarding than I ever thought.

• GSP Activities & Extracurriculars: GSP Marketing Team, Undergraduate Research Symposium

Timothy Trinh• Hometown: San Antonio, TX• High School: Ronald Reagan• Major: Accounting• Thoughts on the GSP so far: Everyone in the GSP

is very friendly and I am really enjoying the program.• GSP Activities & Extracurriculars: Accounting

Club, Habitat for Humanity

Lucia Paz, Justin Garcia, Timothy Trinh, Michael Maciel, and Tirzah Robinson

Kelsey Davis, Senior

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Any Greehey Scholar can account for the fact that Federico Avila is a different breed of student. Upon meeting Federico his freshman year, it was apparent that his passion for finance defined who he was as a person. A little background on Federico; he discovered a true passion for finance when he attended a summer program at Georgetown University during high school that taught the fundamentals of business over a six week period. Avila came to St. Mary’s to take part in the GSP after applying thanks to a high school recruiter who told him about all the program had to offer for a burgeoning businessman.

Upon arrival at St. Mary’s, Avila was immediately entranced by the world of banking. His passion and determination led him to intern at Citi in El Salvador, working in investment banking the summer after his freshman year. He took the initiative to get to know the bankers and from his drive they offered him an internship at Citi the following summer. Following his sophomore year, Avila interned at both Citi in El Salvador and UBS in Switzerland and New York City where he was exposed to both investment banking and sales and trading roles.

Experience in the banking industry drives who Avila is on a daily basis. A regular school day for him consists of waking up by eight, a half-hour before the market opens, to see what has happened in Asia and Europe overnight. If he likes what he sees then he will put in trades for his personal portfolio, his virtual portfolio, and consider new trades for the student-managed

portfolio. Between classes, Federico spends the majority of his time on the Bloomberg terminals doing research while streaming financial news. While this may seem a little extreme, any friend of Avila knows that his devotion and interest in the business world spans far beyond the classroom.

Upon graduation in May 2015, Avila hopes to land a job in New York City at an investment banking firm. However, he realizes that it is harder to get both internships and full-time job offers as a foreign exchange student, since not every company will give him the opportunity to work because of the high costs associated with hiring international students. However, UBS gave him that opportunity and he did not take it lightly, saying, “My ultimate goal is to get a full time offer at UBS because it all comes down to the people and I truly enjoyed the mentoring environment and camaraderie at the company.” Federico says the fact that he is an international student makes him want to succeed even more because he considers himself an

achiever. The professional development

offered through the Greehey Scholars Program (GSP)has also helped Federico to thrive in the business world. He states that his passion is what sets him apart; “I enjoy it…I truly love what I do. Most people go for the compensation, but I want it because I love it.” Federico believes that the GSP put him in a position to be as competitive as an Ivy League student and he looks forward to any challenge the future brings him.

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Federico Avila at the Bloomberg terminal

News, Charts, and Trends By Ginnette Garcia

Kelsey Davis: Military Affinity Marketing intern at USAA – San Antonio, TXGinnette Garcia: Corporate Audit intern at Union Pacific Railroad – Omaha, NEAbigail Hernandez: Finance intern at Union Pacific Railroad - Omaha, NEJudi Molina: Discovery Intern at Deloitte – Houston, TXPaola Retes: Credit Department intern at Valero Energy Corporation – San Antonio, TXTrevor Waite: Chief Risk Office intern at USAA – San Antonio, TXMatt White: Financial Leadership Development Intern at Verizon Corporation –Basking Ridge, NJCarlos Salas: Accounting intern at Closed Loop Recycling-- St.Louis, MO

Summer 2013 Internship Ticker

Newsletter produced by the GSP Marketing Team