Monthly Archives: March 2024

Helen Getachew

Helen Getachew is a Class of 2025 student majoring in the Canfield Business Honors Program (Canfield BHP), Finance, and Government. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Helen initially found the large campus environment at UT intimidating. Very soon, however, she found communities in Student Government, Canfield BHP, and other campus involvements, igniting her passion for helping others find their place on campus. On March 27th, 2024, Helen will be speaking at the university-wide Women’s History Month Celebration.

Starting from her freshman year, Helen has been heavily involved with the UT Student Government. Beginning as a staff, she then ascended into a representative role. In her junior year, Helen was elected to the 2023-2024 UT Student Body, which was one of the most memorable highlights of her time at UT. Reflecting on the experience, Helen describes it as how all her efforts and dedication “culminate into people believing in [her] enough” to choose her to be the change for the university.

Her time as President has been transformative, where she learned about various university resources and implemented grand visions. Additionally, she learned to understand education from a higher level, allowing her to empathize with both students and the administration to be a better advocate. Helen describes being President as labor-intensive but rewarding, where she got to apply many business management skills to the role. For instance, Helen emphasizes the importance of flexibility and optimism for adapting to changing plans, as long as she can still serve the ultimate purpose of benefitting the student body.

As someone with significant campus involvement outside of the business academic circle, Helen suggests that other students can also look toward different parts of campus. By joining organizations in which they have a genuine interest, students can find their community while meeting people of diverse backgrounds.

Still, Helen greatly appreciates all the support from McCombs and Canfield BHP. As a sophomore transfer into Canfield BHP, Helen quickly formed tight-knit relationships within the program by attending similar classes and events. Additionally, Helen was able to open up much more easily with the personable advisers in the Canfield BHP office. Ultimately, this community helped Helen in navigating both internal conflicts and the larger McCombs environment.

Recently, Helen was invited to speak at the university-wide Women’s History Month Celebration, an event that honors the many women at UT who have made a positive impact on campus and beyond. For her speech, Helen will discuss what UT has meant for her as a first-generation student from a low-income background and as a woman of color. Diving into her personal journey of navigating the university, Helen will touch on everything from her imposter syndrome to her involvement in different student organizations. Helen hopes that her unique story of finding her place and voice can inspire others to do the same.

In terms of careers, Helen’s time at UT and in Canfield BHP have laid a solid foundation for her goal of working in the intersection of finance and government. Through opportunities from interning at a private equity firm for impact investing to working at the Texas Capital on advocacy policy, Helen has expanded her relevant knowledge and skills. Looking toward the future, Helen hopes to find a specific career that merges her interests and passions.

Reflecting upon her time at UT, Helen characterizes her time as overwhelming but exciting. She shares her foundational belief that everyone has a place on campus, whether it be in an academic or extracurricular setting. The campus space is truly what one makes of it, and finding community is of the utmost importance. As a woman of color, Helen has found herself in times of self-doubt. However, finding her people helped her overcome these negative sentiments, and she is now able to utilize these communities to help others carve their unique paths to success.

Monica Villarreal

Monica Villarreal is a Class of 2024 student majoring in Canfield Business Honors and Management Information Systems with a minor in Accounting. Growing up in Harlingen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, Monica developed her commitment to giving back. Throughout her time at UT, Monica has combined her impact-oriented perspective with her passion for traveling to take advantage of various international opportunities. As she embarks on journeys worldwide, Monica also journals daily on her trips – a four-year-old habit that immortalizes her vibrant memories.

Her college international experiences began the summer after her sophomore year when she interned in Querétaro, Mexico as a User Experience Designer. Even though she visits Mexico for family frequently, this was a drastically different experience, as it was Monica’s first time working in a foreign country and experiencing the workplace culture. Beyond building tangible skills such as constructing websites with Figma, this internship helped Monica realize her passion for learning Spanish and connecting with her heritage.

Eager to further explore, Monica studied abroad in Bilbao, Spain at the University of Deusto during the spring semester of her junior year. In Spain, Monica took International Business and Cross-Cultural Communication courses, all while practicing her Spanish skills. This five-month period was highly formative for Monica, as the independence of living alone gave her immense courage. Despite the initial stress and fear, she learned to trust and rely on herself.

The pinnacle of her global adventures came during her junior summer in Oaxaca, Mexico, as part of the UT Global Career Launch program. In Oaxaca, Monica consulted for DAVA Artisanal Footwear Co., a group of indigenous Zapotec artisans making contemporary footwear inspired by ancient designs. Working alongside UT students from diverse majors, Monica helped the business develop various solutions regarding scaling production and quality control. Learning to become more empathetic and flexible by adapting her knowledge of business practices with the local perspective, Monica believed her junior summer experience was the “most impactful thing [she has] ever done.” Additionally, Monica also had the opportunity to live closely with an indigenous family and absorbed the vibrant Oaxacan culture. This experience was also instrumental in helping Monica realize that she does not want to work in a traditional corporate job – instead, she much preferred the impact-oriented environment.

Post graduation, Monica will be on the road again through two other Global Career Launch programs. First, she will work in Mindo, Ecuador for six weeks with an association of artisan panela (a type of sugar) producers seeking support to expand their distribution channels. Next, Monica will travel to Hiroshima, Japan, to support an AI image sensory technology startup with marketing for a few months.

Reflecting upon her college experience, Monica believes that the Canfield Business Honors Program has been extremely beneficial in supporting her academic and professional ambitions. Monica says she has found a family in Canfield BHP filled with great friends and helpful academic advisers.

Monica emphasizes the value of studying and working abroad. Additionally, she wants students to do their best to enjoy their time in college, saying that “it is easy to get lost in trying to do well for your career and academics, but it is the journey that matters.”