Nicole Cuevas

Name: Nicole Cuevas
Age: 21
Major: Bachelor of Business Administration
College: Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Hometown: Los Fresnos, Texas
High School: Los Fresnos High School 

Why UTRGV?
UTRGV provided me with financial support through their scholarships and grants to attend a university where I can explore and obtain career options beyond my high school degree.

What made you decide on your current major?
I had a love and skill for numbers, so I explored number-based careers in mathematics, engineering, and computer science in the first semester of UTRGV. However, I was still open beyond the STEM field. So, I attempted an accounting course the following semester. I fell in love with accounting. I enjoyed studying the accounting cycle and journal entries. I saw myself using an accounting degree to help my family, serve God and people, and enjoy what I do through my academic and professional career.

What do you hope to achieve beyond completion of your major?
I want to work at Haynie & Company as a staff accountant while attempting to achieve a Master of Accountancy (MACC) and then become Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Fraud Examiner (CFE). I want to build upon my experiences and skills to become a forensic accountant for the FBI or a CPA firm.

What do you like most about UTRGV?
I love the professors who poured into my education by accommodating the course to our needs - primarily through the pandemic. They do not go unseen to me.

What does being a Vaquero mean to you?
As I was born and raised in South Texas, being a Vaquero means being part of the RGV's exponential growth of educated and skilled workers and alumni.

What opportunities has UTRGV helped you find throughout your community?
I figured out my passion and skill for accounting to give glory to God and lend a helping hand to people around me. I met some extraordinary and like-minded students and professors to that I can shoot a text or email. Lastly, a group of fantastic accounting students, a passionate professor, and I started an accounting organization called Brownsville Accounting Association. (Check them out at UTRGV!)

What advice do you have for fellow students pursuing their degrees?
Focus more on the course you will need the most for your professional life. Resting is healing. Do what you can for this semester, at this very moment. You are not always going to be at peak academic performance and live the “if-only” scenario. Ask that question to your professors, classmates, and staffs because it is better to ask than not ask.