Posted on May 4, 2026 by Wendy Frost
Getting outside her comfort zone, Afua Serwaa-Bonsu used her time at The University of Texas at San Antonio to maximize her experiences and set herself on a pathway to success.
Afua Serwaa-Bonsu
A transfer student, she graduates this month with a bachelor’s degree in management from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business.
A graduate of Ronald Reagan High School, Serwaa-Bonsu earned her associate’s degree at Northwest Vista before attending UT San Antonio. “I chose to major in management because it gave me a broad business background, and it helped me learn to understand people, their mindset and where they are coming from,” she said.
Planning to put her head down on campus and focus on her studies, she was drawn into campus life through her participation in the college’s Career Compass program, a required professional development program.
“I started attending different activities my first semester here to meet the Career Compass requirements, and I was soon connected to Alvarez students, faculty and staff,” said Serwaa-Bonsu, who is one of the first graduating classes to participate in this program.
Through those interactions she was encouraged to apply for the college’s Ambassador Program — a group of student leaders who represent the college at activities and programs.
“The Alvarez Ambassadors program has been my greatest joy here, and it has definitely fulfilled me and made me a better person,” said Serwaa-Bonsu, who was also the director of marketing for Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. “It got me out of my comfort zone. Even though people would say that I’m an extrovert, I do tend to get shy around people of authority. So having to do that as part of my job has made me more calm and confident in those situations.”
Through her work with the college’s Student Success Center she learned the importance of completing an internship, so she took on that challenge her first semester at UT San Antonio as well. During an on-campus tabling event, she met and immediately applied for an internship through the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association intern program with RLI Insurance, a specialty insurance company. By winter break, she’d been offered the position, and that summer she traveled to Peoria, IL for the internship.
“It was a great experience for me, and it was the first time that I’d ever been away from home,” she said. “I’d recommend that students do many internships. They allow you to try different things before you jump into an industry. And, working somewhere for three months lets you see, feel and live a company’s culture.”
Because of her accomplishments, Serwaa-Bonsu was named one of four finalists for the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student award in the Alvarez College of Business. She notes that the recognition was meaningful because it showed that the things she had been doing matter and were recognized during her time at the college. “I’ve been given all the confidence that I could have been given by the Alvarez College of Business.”
Finishing up her degree this summer, she is planning to complete another internship and explore opportunities within the insurance industry. “I feel like everything happens when it is supposed to happen,” she said. “You don’t have to do the most to do enough. Things that are meant for you will happen; you just have to remember to say ‘yes’.”
— Wendy Frost
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