Posted on May 1, 2026 by Wendy Frost
Wanting to be part of a university on the rise, Russel Ogbor chose to attend UT San Antonio and set his sights on ways to maximize both his experiences as well as his contributions to the university.
Russel Ogbor
“I chose UTSA because this is a thriving university that has so much potential for growth,” he said. “I knew if I could be a part of that growth in any way, that would make my college experience worth it.”
Ogbor will graduate this May with bachelor’s degrees in real estate finance and development and management from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business.
Active on campus, he was a member of the Business Student Council, Investment Society and the Real Estate Society. Outside the Alvarez College of Business, he was an officer in Project Sunshine, a pediatric-focused nonprofit, was a member of the Career Center’s student advisory board and was active in the intramural volleyball program.
“By being a part of different organizations, I’ve been able to connect with different students whether they are majoring in business, pre-health, pre-med or pre-law,” he said. “I’ve tried to put myself out there and get outside my comfort zone. It is nice to have those collaborations. That is the charm about UTSA as a whole too. Not everything is all about standard uniformity.”
A native of Houston, Ogbor leaves UT San Antonio holding two of the top student accomplishments: Spirit of the Roadrunner and Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student in the Alvarez College of Business.
“Being named Spirit of the Roadrunner during Homecoming was one of my core memories here at UTSA,” he said. “I got a chance to be an advocate and ambassador for UTSA and push forward a platform that I was passionate about. I couldn’t imagine what my college experience would look like without that experience.”
Ogbor’s platform, Roaming New Frontiers, focused on helping students better understand the university’s blueprint for downtown. “UTSA isn’t just what is happening on Main Campus, there are multiple layers that will enable this university to thrive moving forward,” he said.
This platform also aligned with Ogbor’s interest in commercial real estate. When choosing his major, he first assumed that real estate was just about selling homes. But, through his coursework, he was exposed to the commercial real estate industry.
“My favorite class was a REFD special studies with Tony Ciochetti,” said Ogbor. “It allowed us to dive deeper into niche topics that we weren’t able to cover within the normal degree plan.”
Continuing to follow this passion, Ogbor completed two summer internships with CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investments. The first internship was in Denver with their capital markets team. Last summer he worked with their investment management team in Dallas.
“It was a great experience, and I really enjoyed the company,” he said. “It was nice to get hands-on experience whether that is from a financial modeling standpoint or a technical aspect.”
Ogbor credits his schooling with providing him a firm foundation for his internship experiences. He learned in real time how to apply that knowledge based on the firm’s processes. He also noted that his internship experiences allowed him to develop his soft skills in terms of communicating, presenting and interacting with leadership.
“I have really bad imposter syndrome,” he shared. “When I walk into a room with people who are more experienced I tend to get anxious not knowing if I fit into this environment. Something that I’ve learned working these internships is that everybody has different backgrounds, but there is no reason to feel that fear. CBRE encouraged those differences, and it was very welcoming.”
After graduation he will begin a new role with CBRE in San Antonio as part of their sales and brokerage team. Looking ahead to his future, Ogbor wants to continue his education, dive into real estate development work then pivot to a nonprofit or public policy role.
“I love the idea of growth from an urban planning standpoint and seeing projects like Project Marvel which are happening in San Antonio today,” he said. “That is something I would like to be a part of during my career.”
Crediting UT San Antonio with opening doors for him and making him a better leader, Ogbor shares that he doubts he would have had the same trajectory if he went to a different university.
“UTSA does a really good job of placing you in opportunities that allow you to grow and to make the most of your talents and resources. I wanted to see growth and change, and being a part of that, even in the slightest way possible, it is going to be a huge importance in how I look back at my time here.”
— Wendy Frost
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