Posted on March 16, 2023 by Rebekah Alegria
Meet Russel Ogbor , an undergraduate real estate finance and development student at the Carlos Alvarez College of Business!
Russel Ogbor (center) with fellow roadrunners.
Expected Graduation: 2026
Favorite class, professor or topic you’ve learned about this year?
My favorite class I have taken this year is MGT 3003 Business Communication & Professional Development. This course has taught me proper etiquette and critical thinking skills based on the variety of business interactions I could have in my career. Aimee Laun is setting her students on the right path to succeed in multiple facets of life that transcend the atmosphere of the classroom.
What hobbies or interests do you have outside of school?
One of the hobbies I have outside of school is playing the ukulele. I do this in my free time to keep a musical sense in my life. I also enjoy my attempts at cooking at the dorms whenever possible, along with bike rides around campus to stay engaged with UTSA life. Starting in March, I plan to volunteer with Project Sunshine to provide playtime and activities for children in local hospitals.
What is the most memorable experience you have had at UTSA?
My most memorable experience on campus so far was attending the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Symposium. It was an informal event that conveyed the message of employers who value their employees’ unique needs, viewpoints and potential to outperform their competition. As a result, diverse and inclusive organizations attract greater employee trust and loyalty, which are morals I plan to take with me as I journey forward in life.
What challenges have you faced in your academic journey and how did you overcome them?
The challenge I’m currently facing is living up to the precedence of being a UTSA honors college student. There are many requirements and guidelines that we follow that can be overwhelming to adhere to. You hear stories about the honor students that came before with exemplary feats and statures that make you feel like an imposter sometimes. However, I’ve been able to combat this stigma by talking to Honor Counselors and Peer Mentors as they reassure me that it’s about cultivating your own story and not focusing on others. With this mindset, I’ve been able to thrive during my first academic year at UTSA.
Do you have any previous/upcoming internships/job offers you are proud of?
I had a previous internship with NASA during my senior year of high school. Under the NASA HUNCH program, I, along with other students, were tasked to create a particular hardware structure prototype that NASA could potentially fund and sponsor as an actual mechanism to use on the International Space Station (ISS).
What do you hope to achieve in your future career?
In the future, I aspire to be a loan originator or real estate agent to help first-time home buyers achieve their goals of buying a home in an efficient, comfortable manner that relieves the stress that comes with this high-scale transaction. Also, I would love the opportunity to be a Chick-Fil-A Operator. Based on my three years of experience with the organization, I would love to continue to convey courtesy and care for the company that has shown me the same sentiment in return.
— Rebekah Alegria
