Student Spotlight: Rodrigo Rivera

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Rodrigo Rivera

Major: Canfield BHP, Finance, Minor in MIS

Topics of Interest: finance, statistics, policy research, global markets, Python coding

Finance major, data wiz, numbers guru. Rodrigo Rivera, a talented Canfield BHP senior with a knack for numbers, transferred to the program his sophomore year seeking a more comprehensive education and has majored in finance with a minor in MIS ever since. An international student, Rodrigo comes to us as a native of Mexico, born and raised in Tampico, who came to the states just after being accepted to UT. Now a senior in Canfield BHP, Rodrigo recalls his time interning at Goldman Sachs and shares his experience during the pandemic, working with the Salem Center for Policy, a center that helps students, business leaders, and policymakers apply data-driven insights to complex problems. 

Read on to hear about his experience and research!

Tell us about where you have been and where you are now.

Last spring, I studied abroad in Prague. We were called back in March because of the COVID pandemic but it was still a great experience. I don’t regret going. I spent at least one month and a half meeting people from all over and getting to know Europe.

Then during the summer, I interned with Goldman Sachs in their global markets division. I ended up accepting a full-time offer with them and once I graduate, I’ll go back and move to New York and work full time there in July. 

Now, I have been working with the Salem Center for Policy since last semester. I found out about the role through one of my very close friends. He was already working there while I was studying abroad. To help with expenses at home while at UT, I started working part-time and was looking for similar roles when I eventually got interviewed by my boss, TJ. They were looking for students who already had some coding experience, like Python experience, which I had because of my MIS Minor. I got interviewed and got the role.  Continue reading

Student Spotlight: Kisara Dang

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Written By: Celesia Smith

Name: Kisara Dang

Major: Canfield BHP, Sustainability Studies, Geography, Humanities 

Topics of Interest: social impact, sustainability, agriculture, economic development

In addition to her traditional studies and organizations, Canfield Business Honors sophomore Kisara Dang has spent hours upon hours working on a project with the President’s Award for Global Learning, an accolade that prepares UT Austin students to conduct research and innovate internationally. As a Canfield BHP, Sustainability Studies, Geography, and Humanities quadruple major, Kisara has made a point to devote her time towards impact initiatives on and outside the Forty Acres.

When Kisara came to UT, she wanted to explore opportunities in social justice and equity, the campus community, and environmentalism. She joined the Sustainability Investment Group (SIG), The Daily Texan, Liberal Arts Council, SELL Fellowship, and more in an attempt to find her home at UT. 

“My freshman year was like more of an exploratory experience. (I was) trying to better understand myself and what I wanted to do, because I always knew I wanted to do something that was intersectional and that was connected to environmentalism,” Kisara said. “Saying yes to so many different things freshman year just really benefited me because it allowed me to meet so many people and pursue many different things.” Continue reading

Student Spotlight: Diavione Williams

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Written by Celesia Smith

Name: Diavione Williams

Major: Canfield BHP, Finance + Minor in Sociology

Previous Internship: Texas Education Agency

Position: Grant Compliance and Administration Intern

Topics of Interest: social impact, early childhood education, studying to lofi beats

While some students searched Recruit McCombs for internships in supply chain management, investment banking, consulting, and more, Canfield BHP junior Diavione Williams searched for opportunities in education, whether it be social enterprise or government-related. Diavione ended up interning at the Texas Education Agency as a Grant Compliance and Administration Intern. In addition, Diavione is currently building her own education-based nonprofit, working to help close the opportunity gap throughout her time at UT. 

Diavione’s passion for education stems from her own classroom experiences as being labeled a “gifted student” from an early age, something she says in-part is simply due to her parents’ high expectations. As she got older, Diavione said she realized that intelligence didn’t set her apart from non-gifted students, but rather environmental factors and opportunity. 

“When I was super young, like in preschool, my family instilled in me the importance of education. My parents weren’t really involved in my academic life. It was simply an expectation that I was going to work hard– and I did,” Diavione said. “When you approach education from that standpoint, especially being really young, you’re seen as a gifted student, and then the myth of the gifted student (is formed). As I got older and older I started thinking, ‘What about the kids that aren’t considered gifted students? What makes them so different from me?’ and I realized there’s no difference at all. I realized that there’s just a really big disparity in the amount of education, opportunity, and classroom attention that lower-income or underprivileged students are given compared to their counterparts, so I’ve always made it a personal mission to do something about that.” Continue reading

Partner Spotlight: Campbell Ingraham at Dell Technologies

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Campbell Ingraham

Name: Campbell Ingraham

Major(s): Supply Chain Management and Business Honors with a certificate in Risk Management

Grad year: December 2021

Intern role/title: 2020 Digital Enablement Intern (Finance); 2021 Supply Chain Intern

As many of our Canfield BHP students begin their respective career journeys, internships become more important than ever. Students often find themselves fascinated with the unique positions they have gone on to fill and some even stay on board full-time well after their internship has been completed. As a business honors program, we are very proud of the relationships we have built with our corporate partners throughout the years that enable these internship opportunities to expand. One corporate partner we are pleased to highlight, Dell Technologies, is a popular company with many of our students.

Canfield BHP Junior, Campbell Ingraham, had the opportunity to intern with Dell Technologies as a Digital Enablement Intern within Finance. Additionally, he is continuing his journey with the company as he returns for a second internship within Supply Chain this summer. Hear what Campbell has to say about his experience at Dell Technologies:

Tell us about your intern experience at Dell Technologies.

I enjoyed my internship experience as I learned so much in a short amount of time. From the very first week, I was able to start the primary research necessary for my data analysis project along with my team members. My team was always willing to help and answer questions, and my manager set me up for success from the beginning. When I wanted to meet people from other areas of the business outside of Finance, my manager referred me to people I could connect with. Everyone I reached out to was willing to meet for a 1:1, and the culture was encouraging and collaborative. The Finance internship team was organized, and they coordinated several great events and workshops for the interns focused on providing useful advice and developing necessary skills. Despite the internship being virtual, it truly felt like I knew my coworkers personally due to the company culture. Continue reading

Student Research Spotlight: Peter Huang

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Written by Celesia Smith.

Peter Huang Headshot

Peter Huang

Majors: Canfield BHP, Finance, Math, Economics, Plan II 

Area of Research: Behavioral, Entrepreneurship in Austin, Global Economy & Development

Topics of Interest: Playing and watching soccer, curating Spotify playlists, macroeconomics, podcasts

For some students, research is a way to hone in on a particular career path or develop a specific skill. For others, it serves as an opportunity to diversify one’s knowledge and expand interests. Regardless, research remains a terrific way to get involved with the university. Peter Huang, a senior majoring in Canfield BHP, Finance, Math, Economics, and Plan II, is the latter kind of student– one who enjoys putting his eggs in various baskets. 

During his time at UT, Peter has served in an array of research roles alongside numerous professors, business and non-business alike. In the summer after his sophomore year, Peter elected to conduct unique research alongside finance professor Sam Kruger and IC² Institute’s Professor Elsie Echeverri-Carroll.

“Professor Kruger was working on this really interesting research question. He was basically trying to test if people who commit infidelity are also likely to have more instances of professional misconduct in the workplace,” Peter said. “He tested that by looking at Ashley Madison’s data. Ashley Madison is this dating site that advertises itself as a way to have an affair if you’re married. Back in 2015, there was a big data leak led by hackers who released details on people who had created accounts on the website. Professor Kruger and I took those details and tried to identify the places that those people worked at and then identify, on average, if they too have higher rates of misconduct than people who had comparable occupations, but did not have an account on that site.” Continue reading