Get to know Karlie Ramirez, Management with Entrepreneurial Studies senior, and President of the Hispanic Business Student Association. The Hispanic Business Student Association at Texas State University strives to create necessary opportunities in both the academic and business community for its members. The program is designed to aid student in developing advanced business skills, provide a medium for cultural enrichment, and encourage the pursuit of true and ethical ideals. HBSA’s goal is to prepare members for their future endeavors and encourage them to become great leaders while fostering communication with the McCoy College of Business Administration, building business acumen and professional skills. HBSA welcomes all majors, ethnicities and classifications. Their dedication to promote diversity stems from Texas State University's goal to encourage the advancement of Hispanic college students in the business world.
Q: How will your major and HBSA help you reach your goals?
I am a Business Management major and I have a concentration in Entrepreneurial Studies so eventually in the future I would love to open a small business. HBSA brings in different speakers at our bi-weekly meetings, each speaker talks about something related to business and gives pointers on how they managed to get to where they are. We provide our members with the tools and connections to help them succeed in whatever they choose! I have made some lifelong friends and gained so many skills by being in HBSA. In this day in age the saying goes "it's not what you know but who you know" I feel like networking is a really important thing, and HBSA gives our members that opportunity to meet and network.
Q: What resource on campus do you recommend for students to utilize?
Career Services! I feel that all of the classes in McCoy give you the tools you need to succeed and then you take those tools and actually practice them at Career Services.
Q: What has been the most meaningful part of your McCoy Experience?
I think having the opportunity to have professors that are so passionate about what they do and have actually gone and experienced what they teach about. Also, having the opportunity to join organizations and connecting with people that are going through the same situations as me.
Q: What makes your organization special/unique?
HBSA focused on four main foundations. Academics, Family, Community, and Professional Development.
Academics: We are here at Texas State to graduate and start successful careers, we try to help our members by making sure that they stay on top of their academics.
Family: We try to be a family away from home. College is hard and stressful, but having a support system backing you up when your family can't be here makes it so much easier.
Community: We volunteer our time as much as we can. We try to help our surrounding community with different things like river cleanups or packing snacks for under privileged elementary students.
Professional Development: We bring in guest speakers and stress the importance of being professional in all careers whether you want to be a business owner or a teacher.
We try to offer our members as much as we can so that they can be well rounded in all aspects of life. We offer our members the tools they need to succeed.
Q: What is something you wish someone would’ve told you before you started your college journey?
Make sure to join student organizations and get involved! Find a group of people that will help you as you venture into this crazy world we call college. It is scary when you don't know anybody or anything. Having a group of people that understands what you are going through makes it a lot easier.
Q: How can students join your organization?
To join HBSA contact our Director of Recruitment and Retention, Laura Valencia at drrhbsatxst@gmail.com or our President, Karlie Ramirez at presidenthbsatxst@gmail.com. Our website is another good source on getting to know us visit hbsatxstate.com
We would love for anybody interested to contact us and join our familia!
