Posted on May 20, 2020 by Wendy Frost
Balancing her time as a UTSA soccer player and a star business student, Sarah Bayhi graduates this May with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in marketing.
This Houston native committed to UTSA as a sophomore in high school to become a part of a budding soccer program. “I wanted to play college soccer. I’m thankful that I was able to play my senior season,” said Bayhi, a defender.
“Being an athlete teaches you a lot about time management and managing priorities,” she said.
In addition to her time on the field, Bayhi excelled in the College of Business. She was a member of the Investment Society, named a Distinguished Business Student and was a finalist for the College of Business Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award.
Reflecting on her academic studies, her favorite class was Risk Management taught by Ron Sweet, MBA ’91, lecturer II in finance.
“We learned about business exposure,” she said. “Instead of following a textbook, we studied real-world applications in relation to the market. All of our reports were modeled after projects used in industry.”
She also had the opportunity to travel with Sweet and Investment Society members in January to Costa Rica. “My favorite memories of my time at UTSA were playing soccer and the trip to Costa Rica. We learned how the microloans the Investment Society was making to small business partners impacted their entire community.”
Finding time to focus on professional development was also a priority for Bayhi. She participated in the college’s Career Action Program and various workshops to gain practical experience.
“By participating in these events you learn how to sell yourself and how to talk to professionals,” said Bayhi. “It is a learning environment, and they give you feedback on how to improve your performance.”
Her training paid off, and she interned with three different companies while at UTSA. The most recent internship with Embrey Partners this spring resulted in a full-time offer as a financial analyst with the real estate development company.
“A recruiter from Embrey contacted me through LinkedIn,” she said. “Originally they were looking at me for a marketing position, but after they learned about my finance background during several rounds of interviews I was offered a finance role instead.”
Bayhi credits attending a workshop on LinkedIn at UTSA with helping her land this position. Based on tips she learned she increased her activity on LinkedIn, networked and received endorsements for her skills.
“Ultimately, the applied skills I learned in my upper-level courses have translated directly into my work at Embrey,” said Bayhi, who plans to return to UTSA next year to work on her master’s in finance with a concentration in real estate finance and development.
Finishing off her time at UTSA remotely in Houston, Bayhi is thankful for her time as a Roadrunner.
“I wouldn’t change anything about my experiences at UTSA,” she said.
— Wendy Frost
