Adrian Perez
Name: Adrian Perez
Age: 22
Major: Finance
Hometown: Brownsville, Texas
Why UTRGV?
I chose UTRGV because it was close to home, which allowed me to financially support myself without asking a lot from my parents. I wanted to be able to study and help my parents on my spare time. UTRGV also provided a great atmosphere with its amazing natural wildlife presence and attractive architectural design.
What made you decide on your current major?
Finance was something I always wanted to pursue since my parents are small business owners. After the recession, my parents’ business struggled financially so I wanted to learn more about the economy and how it affected small businesses. I wanted to understand the effect of inflation on the market and my purchasing power. My parents also instilled in me the mentality to learn financial techniques that could help in my future decisions, such as big purchases and credit card debt.
What are your plans after graduation?
My short-term plans after graduation are to move to Houston and find a job in the banking or insurance field. An ideal starting positon I am striving for is as a financial analyst at a commercial bank. After a few years of experience, I plan on returning to school and pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Houston where I have always planned on attending.
What are you involved in on and off campus?
At UTRGV, I am employed as a lead orientation leader (OL) whose job is to guide entering students through entering freshmen orientation. My job requires me to supervise other OLs, assign job duties and execute orientations efficiently. This job helped me gain experience as a supervisor while exceling as a student. All this was thanks to the help of my wonderful boss, Brenda Rodriguez, who trained me to run daily job duties while mentoring me to be a great leader.
What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
My biggest accomplishment to date is reaching my last semester of my undergraduate courses. This means a lot to me since I had no path to follow and no one to get advice from when I was lost. Thanks to my encouraging mom and girlfriend, I ended up surpassing my personal goals and limits and I am truly glad to have had their support along the way.
What advice do you have for future students?
For me, time management was key! Without a detailed schedule of my day I would not be able to efficiently manage my assignments. I quickly learned that owning a planner helped me schedule and complete my homework, quizzes and exams. So, find a strategy that helps you be more efficient, try new techniques to help you study and stick to what works for you. Because what might work for someone might not work for you.