Document 2339847

utb.edu/careercenter • The next in this series will appear on Nov. 15.
ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET
Take these steps to
become a UTB student
• Take a campus tour. Contact the Office of
Admissions and Recruitment at 956-882-8295.
• Complete an online admission form at utb.edu or
applytexas.org.
• Take the COMPASS, THEA or a state-approved
test. For testing dates, call the Testing Center at
956-882-8875.
• Entering freshmen or transfer students with fewer
than 30 credit hours must attend orientation.
Call the Office of the Dean of Students at
956-882-5141.
• Meet with an academic advisor to plan a course
schedule and degree plan. Contact the Academic
Advising Center at 956-882-7362.
• All first-time freshmen returning and transfer
students must provide one of the following to
Student Health Services:
–– A certification from a health care practitioner
evidencing that the student has received a
vaccination or booster for bacterial meningitis
no more than five years and no fewer than 10
days prior to the first day of class.
–– An affidavit indicating the vaccination has
been declined for reasons of conscience or
a certificate from a health care practitioner
stating the vaccination would be injurious to
the health and wellbeing of the student.
Financial aid checklist
1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student
UTB business major Alexandra Huerta is part of a team working on an entrepreneurship project.
UTB prepares students to embark on future business ventures
Brownsville
native
Alexandra
Huerta aspires to run a large company
someday. Whether or not she becomes
an entrepreneur, she must understand
what entrepreneurship is all about
in order to reach her goal. A junior
majoring in business, Huerta is a
member of one of 11 teams studying
entrepreneurship at The University
of Texas at Brownsville School
of Business.
“The project is beyond anything I
ever imagined working on as a student,”
said Huerta, who will receive her
Bachelor of Business Administration
(B.B.A.) in Marketing in December of
this year. “It is allowing me to work
in my field of study and gain valuable
hands-on experience.”
Entrepreneurship can be defined as
the undertaking of the organization,
operations and implicated risks of
creating a new business venture with
the goal of reaping high profits. The
entrepreneurship class trains students
to learn the concepts and techniques
needed to develop each of the functions
in the production and development
stages of an entrepreneurial project.
“Entrepreneurs are highly motivated
individuals who are willing and
determined to embark on business
ventures, making their business
successful because they are driven by
a vision,” said Dr. Mark Kroll, Dean of
the School of Business.
Six specialty options that the School
of Business offers are entrepreneurship,
accounting, management, marketing,
international business and finance. The
school is accredited by the Association
to Advance Collegiate Schools of
Business International.
“The end result of the teams’ efforts
in this class will be a business plan for
each team’s inventor to utilize when
seeking the necessary venture capital
to place the plan into action,” said Dr.
Pablo Rhi-Perez, Associate Professor
of Management and Marketing. “The
students, in effect, will have created
a business prototype by the end
of the semester.”
Huerta’s team includes two Master
of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
students as well as several other
undergraduates, including Jessica
Sierra who is majoring in international
business and marketing.
“This class project is helping me
understand what goes into writing an
effective business and marketing plan,
from identifying target markets and
conducting research/analysis to app
development and financial analysis,”
said Sierra, from Matamoros, Mexico,
who aspires to a career that will take
her to Asia as an international cultural
advisor or an international market
researcher. “Overall, this project is a
great opportunity to acquire experience
and skills necessary for my career.”
Six of the 11 entrepreneurship teams
are working on projects that relate
directly to the Imagine Brownsville
Comprehensive Plan. The plan,
(imaginebrownsville.com) identified
five clusters, or areas of focus, that need
an infusion of new business, according
to Rhi-Perez, who co-authored the
initiative’s master plan.
Each team has been assigned a reallife business idea conceptualized by an
“inventor,” the person with the business
idea, who is an active participant in
their project. Also, teams typically have
one or two professionals on board.
“We have a couple of maquiladora
managers on one team, for example,”
said Rhi-Perez. “I know students
always conduct themselves differently
when working with professionals.
Also, this is a way for members of the
local business community to interact
with our students and for students to
shine in front of the professionals.”
Another reason to develop business
opportunities in the Lower Rio
Grande Valley is to provide attractive
jobs for graduates.
“We want to keep these smart
students in the region when they
graduate, not to have them get their
degrees and leave the area due to lack
of opportunities,” Rhi-Perez said.
Aid (FAFSA) online to apply for federal and state
grants, work-study and loan programs (fasfa.
ed.gov). Parents and students should apply for a
pin number at pin.ed.gov.
2.Apply for admission to the university and make
sure all official transcripts are sent to the Office of
Admissions and Recruitment. Transfer students
must request evaluation of transcripts.
3.Take the COMPASS/e-Write exam or other Texas
Success Initiative (TSI) test. Check with the
Testing Center at 956-882-8875.
4.Students will receive either a Student Aid Report
(SAR) or a Student Aid Acknowledgement and
must review the information for accuracy.
5.A financial aid advisor will review the FAFSA.
Comply with all Office of Financial Aid requests for
verification of information or to request additional
documentation.
6.Once the file is completed and cleared, the student
will receive a letter stating his/her eligibility status
and/or award offer by email.
7. Register
for classes before the designated
deadlines as indicated in the course schedule; pay
balance at the Office of Accounting and Finance
before payment deadline. Email your financial aid
questions to [email protected].
PARTNERS IN
EDUCATION
SUCCESS COMES
WITH THE TERRITORY.
Apply now and start registering on Nov. 4, 2013.
utb4u.com
We’ll help you
apply to UTB
at utb.edu/ec.