Voices

GDI Student – UK Company

GDI Student – UK Company, Class of 2021 (Human Resources Management)

Accepting the offer to be a part of the Global Development Initiative in January 2021 was a great decision that helped me grow immensely. The administrators of the program did a great job structuring the program to make good progress, as well as facilitating an effective online collaboration between the companies.

Olabanji Osifowokan

At UT Dallas:

Freshman in Information and Technology Systems

What’s the best thing about being at UT Dallas?

The best things about UTD and Jindal School are the opportunities and resources provided to the students to enable them to thrive academically, socially and professionally.

What’s most surprising about college?

I don’t have to wake up so early for my classes. And I have the ability to create a schedule that accommodates my personal needs and this has been so beneficial.

How have your personal goals changed since you’ve been at UTD?

Prior to enrolling at UT Dallas, my personal goals were tied to my high school career. I aimed at being the best high school student I could ever be, but now I am aiming toward building myself professionally while also being the best college student I could ever be.

Blair Flicker

Assistant Professor in Management Science
Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina

The PhD program at UT Dallas has been nothing short of life-changing. The faculty—diverse in research interests but unified by deep expertise—turned me into a true scholar. My thinking is so much clearer now compared to when I began the program. My professors prepared me for a successful career as an academic by constantly pushing me, but gently. I had two kids during my studies, yet I was never questioned about how I chose to balance my research progress with family time. I do not know if I could have found a more supportive environment at any other institution.

Neha Kaisani, BS in Supply Chain Management and Marketing ‘21

Technical Account Manager, Qualtrics

DMHP has enhanced my UT Dallas experience by allowing me to engage with our school while still receiving a more rigorous, challenging, and rewarding education. The program has granted me a group of students that constantly push me to be my best and also allows me to give back to a community that has done so much for me.

Megha Goyal, BS in Global Business and Finance ‘21

Finance Rotation Program Associate, Capital One

DMHP has been an integral part of my experience at UT Dallas. It has provided me with so much from challenging academics with great professors,a strong professional networking platform, to some of my best friends and peers that I know I could rely on for anything. DMHP has really helped push me in so many different ways and has given me so many valuable experiences that I wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere.

Pratiksha Tonpe, BS in Marketing ‘20, MS in Marketing ’21

Analytics Strategist, Carmichael Lynch

Honors students like me are so passionate about learning and challenging themselves and DMHP offers us the perfect outlet for our curiosity. I have loved my DMHP experience because of the wonderful people I have met and experiences I’ve shared with them. There’s just some sort of excitement with the honors classes and it’s because you aren’t sitting in a room full of strangers; you’re sitting with the person you sat next to on the subway when you went on the DC/New York trip or the person you knocked out when playing dodgeball at Group Dynamix. You don’t just get that kind of classroom environment just anywhere.

Valerie Wijeweera, BS in Information Technology and Systems ‘21

Operations Leadership Development Program Participant, Travelers Insurance

DMHP has provided me with a network of friends to pull ideas from, encourage each other throughout our classes, and support each other as a community within our cohort. I have found some of my best friends through DMHP, and after attending Ursuline Academy of Dallas, I have found that a solid community can provide impetus to building each other up and pushing forward to become the best version of ourselves. Overall, DMHP has provided the perfect opportunity for members to network with professionals, volunteer in the surrounding community, and socialize with others inside and outside each cohort; moreover, DMHP offers a perfect blend of academic rigor, professional development, network building, service, and community.

GDI Student – Swedish Company

GDI Student – Swedish Company, Class of Spring 2022 (Rural Broadband Development)

I am extremely pleased that I was able to participate in the Global Development Initiative (GDI) internship program. For me, the experience was wonderful and enlightening in many ways. Having to meet mentors and interns who have their distinct individuality, but share a similar cooperative motivation was a first for me. There was never a lack of moments in our collaborations, whether we were serious about accomplishing our goals or laughing about random topics that I would have never expected to appear.

Samuel Tiburcio

At UT Dallas:

Freshman double majoring in Accounting and Information and Technology Systems

What’s the best thing about being at UT Dallas?

The best thing so far is the staff. I had schedule conflicts for Spring 2021, and I got responses from advisers right away to fix my issues. When I had a career crisis at the beginning of the fall semester, my adviser gave me insight as to what I needed to do and gave me advice on how I should tackle my problem.

What’s most surprising about college?

The most surprising thing about college so far is how flexible my time is. This could be a double-edged sword. It could help you be more efficient with how much work you’re going to finish for classes, or it could also let you procrastinate.

How have your personal goals changed since you’ve been at UTD?

My personal goals changed drastically since I’ve been here. I was originally just an accounting major but now I’m also pursuing an ITS degree. Taking college classes changed my outlook on life, especially what I want my career to be.

GDI Client Company – Mexico

GDI Client Company – Mexico, Company Founder & CEO, Fall 2021 (Renewable Energy)

I had a great experience at the GDI program – you get multiple benefits when participating in it. As for our company, we got very rich information for making decisions on the strategy to enter the USA/Texas market in the energy sector. And as for getting to collaborate with undergraduates, you get the opportunity to understand the new generation, their needs, and skills, and overall, since most of the time you get multicultural participants, the sessions and projects are even richer and fun to team up with. It also opens a good opportunity either to find a project of collaboration with the students or with the professional people involved in the program. I recommend it and persuade any company to become part of it and participate in it. Thanks for accepting us to be part of it.

Julio Tovar, Bachelor’s in Accounting

Accounting Major

I am honored to receive the JYSP Scholarship, as I know that only very few get the chance to receive it and the opportunity to study without worrying about how to pay for college. This scholarship will allow me, upon graduation, to pursue a career in which I can support my family and myself and provide a higher standard of living than we have.

Shreya Hazare, MSF SPRING 2020

The experience at the Finance trading lab has been one of the most enriching periods during my MS finance course. My one and a half years at Finance lab as a Student worker, TA, and Lab manager has been a great learning experience. With Lab workers, it always felt like an extended family. The finance lab gave me a chance to not only train students on various financial concepts but also learn something from every student I have met.

Dayton Greene

At UT Dallas:

Freshman in Finance

What’s most surprising about college?

At the start of college, I assumed that my professors would be rigid and tough to deal with, but they have all been very helpful and have made some of my more difficult courses much more manageable.

What is a class that was particularly hard that, in the end, you mastered?

I like learning about history but the history course I took required a heavy amount of reading and a paper based on a book that was repetitive and ponderous. However, I put in the work, studied and ended up with an A+ on the paper and an A- in the class overall. I did enjoy learning about the different topics presented, but it did take up the bulk of my study time.

How have your personal goals changed since you’ve been at UT Dallas?

My personal goals really haven’t changed much. I simply want to do the best that I can in all of my classes.

Mina Ameri

Assistant Professor
The University of Pittsburgh

I started in the Jindal School of Management knowing nothing about research. But during my 5 years of PhD, I grew from being a student to being a researcher. And it was all because of the help and guidance I received from the kind and caring people there and especially my amazing advisors. Now, my professors and classmates have become my lifetime friends and I will always have what I’ve learned from them, how to work hard, how to not give up, and how to help others on similar journeys.

Ben (Zhiyao) Zhao, MSF SPRING 2021

Hi! This is Ben (Zhiyao) Zhao, I am currently working as a full time Credit Risk Senior Analyst at Citigroup. During my time at UTD, I worked as a graduate teaching assistant for Finance Trading Lab during calendar year 2020. This was one of my beautiful times at college. I not only learned necessary skills I am using day to day now, but also participated in many interesting events and made friends. Finance lab provides opportunities for students to learn and touch financial tools that many financial institutions are using. I learned how to use FactSet and Capital IQ, learned how to obtain financial resources such as projection, debt structure, and credit ratings. I also got the chance to have many leaderships experiences as organize Finance lab’s events and schedule. I was networking at Finance Lab getting to know many professionals, studying at Finance Lab to learn knowledge, and helping students to understand financial materials. This was a memorable experience I will always take in mind.

Julio Tovar

At UT Dallas:

Sophomore in Accounting

If you work off campus, are there things you’ve learned at UTD that you apply at work?

I am part of the environmental services at UT Southwestern. Thanks to some of my Jindal School classes, I have been able to understand how management works on a much larger scale and see how inventory is managed.

What’s the best thing about UT Dallas and Jindal School so far?

I think the best thing has been learning and being able to understand how systems work. When I was kid, I would always wonder how and where businesses would get large amounts of food or supplies and how they would keep track of it all when there were at least 100 items on every order. Understanding the infrastructure of companies has been the thing I have been intrigued with most. Jindal School classes have been answering those questions.

How have your personal goals changed since you’ve been at UT Dallas?

My idea/goal when I got here was that I would be here for four years and get my degree. But now I see that these four years are for me to better myself.

Giovanny Lopez

At UT Dallas:

Junior in Finance

What’s the most surprising thing about being in college?

The most surprising thing I have found out about college is how the professors and staff are so willing to help.

What is a class you enjoy and why?

A class I am enjoying right now it my Commercial Property Risk Management and Insurance class, mainly because it has opened my mind on how I view the different aspects and impacts of how risk is all around us.

What is a class that was particularly hard that, in the end, you mastered?

The most challenging class I have taken would be Business Law. By far this is the class I studied for the most and would not mind having to take it a second time!

Christy Chinn, BS in Finance ‘22

Finance Major

Joining DMHP was the best decision I could have made; this program has provided me the opportunities to better myself and my community in a variety of ways. DMHP has also introduced me to a diverse group of students with whom I have forged countless friendships. Whether it be professionally or personally, the aim of the program is to make its students better. My honors classes are always my favorite, while they are also my most challenging. Outside of academics, I am provided with opportunities to network with and learn from some of the best in the business, and I will be forever grateful for all the encouragement and growth that this program has brought to me.

Kendall Quigley

Operations Leadership Development Program, at STERIS

Operations Leadership Development Program, at STERIS Capstone projects help students use their classroom skills in real-world cases, but companies also benefit from having their outside expertise to provide new ideas and solutions. All companies should take advantage of this experience.

Akash Singh Verma , MSF SPRING 2022

During my time at UTD, my best experience has been at the trading lab. As a top performer in the UTD stock track competition, access to financial databases at the trading was crucial to my success. In addition to that, the peer learning environment at the lab helped me enhance my skills, which made me more competitive in interviews. Overall, I can confidently say that the Trading Lab contributed to my development not only in the technical aspect but also helped me form connections and networks I will cherish forever.