Business Majors at St. Edward's Propel Their Success
What does it mean to go full-on during college?
For students at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, that means taking advantage of exciting classes, internships, research, service projects, campus life, and study abroad. We caught up with alumni from The Bill Munday School of Business to find out how their experiences in their major at St. Edward's set them on the paths they're on today.
Accounting
Sarah Bode ’16, Accounting, is a senior accountant at the e-commerce startup Cart.com
“The professors at St. Edward’s truly cared. They took the time outside of class to look at my resume, edit applications, and help me navigate my internship and career opportunities. I completed five internships during my college career, all of which stemmed from the career center or referrals from professors, and I was able to stand out among my peers given my extensive work experience. One of the companies I interned with, KPMG, became my full-time employer upon graduation and gave me a full-ride scholarship to obtain my master’s in Professional Consultancy, which has a focus in accounting with data analytics. It was a life-changing experience, and I have been fortunate to meet an incredible group of individuals through the process and expand my network across the country.”
Accounting Information Technology
Ismael Moreno ’14, Accounting Information Technology, is a risk consulting supervisor at RSM, the leading U.S. provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market.
“One of my strengths during college was the fact that I completed multiple internships by the time I graduated. I landed my first internship because my tax accounting professor, Dr. Louise Single, had given me a glowing recommendation. This is a clear illustration of what St. Edward’s and its faculty stand for: If they believe in someone, they will help them achieve their goals. Without Dr. Single's glowing recommendations for internships, I would not have had the opportunities I did or the chance to go to grad school in Sydney, Australia, and then get a great job back here in Austin. Not only was I able to choose the position that best fit my skills right after college, but also, after a few years of growing my knowledge of the industry, I was able to share what I had learned with two different not-for-profit organizations as a member of their board of directors.”
Business Administration
Shawn G. Weinstein ’08, Business Administration, works on the National Basketball Association's events team, with a specific focus on global event management and development.
“As a Business Administration major and student-athlete, I developed skills that I apply in my professional career today. My professors and coaches helped cultivate management, innovation, and strategic and analytical thinking in the classroom and teamwork, leadership and communication on the court. I've had the opportunity to live and work in amazing cities around the world and credit much of my growth and confidence as a global business professional to my time at St. Edwards. My courses and the Athletics program prepared me for the ever-evolving business landscape. Years later I still have relationships with coaches and professors in the St. Edward's community who all care for the success and growth of their students past graduation."
Digital Media Management
Myrka Moreno ’19, Digital Media Management, is an audience engagement producer at The 19th, an Austin-based independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. She is one of six journalist in 2022 to receive the prestigious MJ Bear Fellowship, which supports journalist under 30 whose works represents the best of digital news.
“What I liked about my Digital Media Management degree is that I was constantly learning something new — graphic design, social marketing and even operations management. I felt prepared to work on a product from start to finish. This gave me the confidence I needed to try new projects and methods as the social media editor at Hilltop Views and the digital intern at the Texas Observer. My professors empowered me to step into any role I was given by equipping me with skills to look at projects from different perspectives. This has helped me pitch and follow through with new projects in my current position and assist in a variety of products throughout the publication.”
Economics
Kate Lamoreaux ’18, Economics, is a research analyst for NORC at the University of Chicago. NORC is an independent research institution that provides data and analysis about social science and public opinion.
“My B.A. in Economics allowed me the flexibility to take classes within the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. This was extremely valuable because I now work with social scientists across disciplines to evaluate U.S. healthcare policy. My coursework prepared me so well for my job that what I do feels like an extension of my classes. Every day, I use what I learned in econometrics, along with what I learned from my classes about social welfare, public policy, sociology, political research and statistics, and epidemiology. Working in research is not too different from going to office hours, working as a teaching assistant, and working as a research assistant, all of which I did at St. Ed’s. I am forever indebted to my professors.”
Entrepreneurship
Shelby Henderson ’09, Entrepreneurship, is the owner of O’Glory Catering.
“During my senior year at St. Edward’s, I participated in an Entrepreneur Showcase, where we created a business plan and had the opportunity to present it to people playing the role of potential investors. This truly impacted my life. As an entrepreneur, I find it very important to have a business plan and to have an elevator speech handy so that when an opportunity presents itself, I am prepared to explain why I need financial assistance for my business.”
Finance
Marie Gonzalez ’05, Finance and Spanish, is a senior risk specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
“Moreau’s message of not cultivating the mind at the expense of the heart was ever-present at St. Edward’s. It has been the preservation of heart that has led me to not waver on the integrity of my work, to have hard but meaningful conversations, and to genuinely care about the people I work with. When strategic objectives and the bottom line are targets, the heart can sometimes be sacrificed. However, more companies are starting to realize that creating a positive culture (one of heart) not only creates a better work environment — it also helps foster innovation and success.”
International Busines
Jeremias Alvarez ’01, International Business and Spanish, has worked as a policy analyst and consultant for the federal government and the private sector and is currently a partner at Guidehouse, a global strategy, management and technology consulting firm.
“I built many of the core skills I utilize today in consulting at St. Edward's. I learned to think critically at St. Edward’s, and that helps me provide informed perspectives and recommendations to consulting clients. I learned effective written and oral communication skills, and those help me communicate with teams, clients, and other business partners. The St. Edward's experience and liberal arts training required us to work in teams, and everything in the consulting world is done in teams. St. Edward’s was where I first learned that collaboration with others is critical to your collective success.”
Management
Matt Konrad ’15, Management, is the opening general manager at the Aloft Austin South hotel. He previously worked with White Lodging Services, a hotel management company, opening hotels in Austin, New York City, and Colorado.
“I continually look back at the leadership philosophy paper I wrote in Dr. Dunn’s Organizational Behavior/Leading Teams class. In this paper we reflected on what kind of leader we are, how we lead and how we motivate others. I redo this paper on my own every time I start a new position as a way for me to step back and rethink who I am as a leader and where I can continually improve to guide my team to success.”
Marketing
Sarah Zubiate ’06, Marketing, and Finance, is the founder and owner of ZUBI’s line of allergen-free salsa, queso and crema.
“While at St. Edward’s I completed a paid internship at Raymond James and Associates, where I conducted research and analysis and attended meetings with the investment bankers. It was fascinating exposure and a foundational step for me to eventually work my way up to the role of a fixed-income trader at Fidelity Investments. At St. Ed’s I also worked as an assistant to one of my management professors, which solidified my desire to be a business owner one day. I drew on what I’d learned from my time as a professor’s assistant when opening ZUBI’S and launching into retail in 2017. The community at St. Ed’s became like a family to me and I will forever cherish my time spent there.”
