Posted on December 4, 2022 by Rebekah Alegria
Born and raised in San Antonio, Carlos Alvarez College of Business student Farah Hamed will graduate this December with a double major in both finance and management. Though she spent most of her childhood traveling to and from the Middle East visiting family, Hamed’s passion for the 210 is eternal. With a high school class of only 70 students, she was eager to experience the beauty of a 30,000-plus community of Roadrunners and found herself immersed in the culture almost instantly. Now moving on to the next chapter of her life, Hamed will attend graduate school at UTSA to obtain her MBA while beginning her full-time job as a Financial Analyst for USAA .
During your time at UTSA, what organizations have you been involved with?
One of the biggest organizations I have been involved with is the Business Student Council. I served as president for two and a half years. I loved it. Growing up, I always wanted to give back to the community. By participating in organizations like the Business Student Council, I was able to give back in terms of volunteering, donations and other things of that nature. I was also a part of the Student Government Association. I served as the Chief Justice for a year and was the Carlos Alvarez College of Business Senator for another year, which was awesome too.
Learning about the impact that we can make as students for the rest of the student body and knowing that your voice truly does matter here is incredible. Especially hearing from my friends at other universities who don’t have as much of a voice. Knowing that we can talk to UTSA’s administration and will be heard is an amazing feeling.
Another one of my favorite organizations that I have been involved with is Rowdy Crew. Currently, I am the Executive Coordinator of Spirit Initiatives. One of the big initiatives that I have been pushing for is more student and athlete connections. And that is something we’re working on now. I think we are on the right track.
Why did you choose to get a B.B.A. at the Carlos Alvarez College of Business?
When I first got to UTSA, I was originally pre-med. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. When I decided that I no longer wanted to be pre-med, I ended up landing in business accounting. From there, I started taking my basics, began to meet my professors and I began to learn more. Professor Ronald Sweet and Professor Heather Staples were key components during my time as an undergrad. Learning about the real-life experiences that they’ve had in the business world with finance and management played a big part in why I ended up choosing finance and management.
What have been some of your proudest accomplishments at UTSA? 
If you were to ask my mom, she would tell you it’s the “Who’s Who at UTSA” award that I received or being on the Dean’s List. But I think my accomplishments tie back into my memories. This past spring, I was one of 10 students chosen to represent UTSA in the Battle of the Flowers Parade and in the Night Parade at Fiesta 2022. It was such a special experience because you could see how much the city loves UTSA.
Another accomplishment I’m proud of is the work I’ve done with Rowdy Crew and Business Student Council. In Rowdy Crew, we tie a lot of our events into giving back. The Pie at the Paseo event we did recently is a great example. Originally, we would just give out pie to students for free, but this year students were able to donate a dollar or canned goods to throw a slice of pie at an athlete. The donations were given to fund the Roadrunner Pantry.
What is your favorite thing about being a Roadrunner?
My favorite thing about being a Roadrunner ties back to my student involvement. I got so involved with the university throughout my college career and looking back, there are so many good memories that I don’t think I can just pick one. But one thing I can say is that I love just how much you can do here. Most people come to campus, go to class, leave and that’s it. But for me, I asked myself, “What can we do to make a student’s experience at a football game better?” Or “What can we do as students to help other students because of our connections to athletics and student activities? What can we do to make student life a better experience?” The power you have as a student is evident and so is the empowerment of UTSA toward its students to be bold. The only obstacle in front of you is really just you.
What advice do you have for current business students and incoming freshmen?
The advice that I have for any Alvarez College of Business students who want to get involved is to put yourself out there. At the beginning of my college career, I was given this advice: some of the greatest risks you’ll take will reap the most rewards. There will be a lot of things that are scary, and you won’t want to do. But putting yourself in those situations and putting yourself out there is going to benefit you more than you know. One day, you might not want to go to that networking event. But then you push yourself to attend, and you meet a person from some random company and the next minute you are friends with them on LinkedIn and suddenly you have a job offer a couple of years later. And I say all of this because that happened to me! So, take those risks, take those chances and don’t forget to invest in yourself and your future.
— Rebekah Alegria
