This week 113 BHP seniors will graduate from the Business Honors Program. This year’s class has accomplished amazing things and made a lasting impact on the program, McCombs and UT. Here is a compilation of just some of the class member’s reflections of their time on the 40 Acres and in the BHP. Congratulations to all graduating students, we look forward to hearing about all of the great things you are doing as alumni!
“I am so fortunate that my peers, faculty and staff members, and countless others placed their trust in me over these past four years. Because of them, I have been blessed with myriad opportunities to improve BHP, McCombs, the University, and the Austin community. Despite the many things I’ve done outside the program, BHP is where my college experience starts and ends. BHP is what I’ll brag about after graduation. BHP is what means the most to me because BHP is my family on the Forty Acres.” — Michael Daehne
“I am blown away every day by the incredible commitment, passion and dedication exhibited by my peers. I draw so much of my inspiration from those phenomenal individuals around me. The Business Honors Program has given me more than just a major – it has given me purpose, motivation, and above all, a family.” — Erica Brody
“Having the opportunity to serve as Leadership Kickoff co-chair this year was a phenomenal experience as I could remember how important Kickoff was to me my freshmen year, and was so excited to be able to be part of the team that began a new freshman class’s chapter and open their eyes to the tight-knit BHP community.” —Angie Deng
“As a recruiter for BHP, I always tell prospective students that BHP is a major, a program, and a community. Throughout my 4 years in the program, I am amazed at how connected these elements truly are. From collaborating with my peers on projects to working with the BHP staff and making lifelong friends with students and professors alike, I have had an integrated academic, professional, and social experience that has personally developed me in completely unexpected and humbling ways.” — Bhargav Srinivasan
“I see giving back to the Business Honors Program as an important part of my BHP experience. As a BHP Peer Mentor last semester, I loved sharing stories, problems, successes, failures, and advice with all my ‘BHPlayas’. One of my happiest moments was a peer mentor was finding out that two of my mentees will be mentors next year! It gave me a warm sense of validation to see my mentees learn as students and decide to give back to the BHP community.” —Sameer Desai
“I am well known for my almost unwavering smile, for my goals to see the good in most situations and in most people, and for my true desire to spread happiness and make sure others are having as bright of a day as I am. While I have tangible distinctions that I have earned during my time here at UT, I am most proud of these intangible ones because they are recognized by everyone I meet and aren’t measured or calculated or printed on certificates. Rather, I have earned these by being true to myself and who I have set out to become.” — Jonathan Liu
“HBA stood out to me from the minute I got to UT, and I have made it my goal to make it the best organization it can be over the past four years. HBA has given me the opportunity to do so many things I never would have done otherwise and to significantly grow as a leader. It has helped me to meet my best friends and give back to the community. It has completely shaped my life in college, and I only hope that I have been able to give as much back to HBA as HBA has given to me.” — Heather Graham
“I have been fortunate enough to have outstanding mentors and have access to great resources. I have sought to make sure my peers, especially those younger than me, can say the same. As a chair on the Texas Undergraduate Investment Team, I taught finance, accounting, and financial valuation methods to the younger students in McCombs. I believe my experience and the knowledge I gained from this team as an underclassman, were imperative in helping me achieve my career goals. I hope that my mentees will continue to pay it forward and improve the quality of education for the next generation of McCombs students.” — Shalin Dalal
“I have been a peer mentor for the freshmen since I was a sophomore. I believe I have played an important, albeit small, role in shaping the incoming BHP classes over the past three years. I have consistently given my perspective over the important traits and tasks of successful mentors and have seen the most recent group of mentors be the most involved, diverse, representative team of my three years of mentoring. I mentor because I love it.” — Ben Rogers
“I have continuously taken steps to broaden my horizons and enrich my life. Understanding that different cultures and societies will play an important role in the future, I sought to diversify my experiences at UT by immersing myself in all that our university has to offer. As a confused freshman, I did not know how my experiences at UT Austin would come to shape my personality. However, now as I prepare to graduate, I cannot help but be satisfied with my experiences as an undergraduate in the BHP.” — Anuj Khandelwal
“My experiences in BHP have allowed me to find my identity and confidence as a student leader. They have also instilled in me a passion to expand beyond this niche, seize other opportunities McCombs provides, and share my story with other students who may feel as lost and confused as I was when I first entered UT. I believe that leadership does not end with the individual but serves as a chain-reaction that inspires passion, confidence, and action in the people who encounter it.” — Grace Kim