On Oct. 7-8, Professor and Mentor Dr. Ulyses Balderas accompanied four students attending the Consortium of Texas Hispanic Institutions conference at the University of North Texas in Denton. This two-day conference allowed students to learn about research and graduate programs.

“The main goal of the conference was to expose students to research projects and to allow students to interact among themselves and exchange ideas that can lead the participants to enroll in our graduate degree programs,” Balderas said. “It is worth mentioning that these students belong to a minority, and some are of Hispanic origin.” 

Students who attended the conference were:

Ish Hernandez, a double major – Economics (BBA) and International Business (BBA) with minor in Finance

“Graduate school is something that I didn’t contemplate after graduation, especially after five years of school and two majors. Attending the event and listening to what is possible to achieve with research made me consider the option of attending graduate school. It is important to mention that in Economics, women represent less than 3% of economists, and it is necessary to change that statistic. This statistic is one more reason to consider graduate school.”

Tamara Lutta, an International Development major with a minor in Economics

Tchilema Piedadem, a joint major in General Business and Political Science

"The conference was an eye-opening event, as well as a great experience, in terms of getting to know other students, the different fields or what you can do with an economics degree. It has motivated me to attend graduate school."

Gabby Rodriguez, a double major in International Development (BA) and International’ Business (BBA) w/ minors in
 Economics and Finance.

"It was a learning experience to meet different research analyses. Meeting other students and professors allowed me to learn more about what I like and do not like. After attending this conference, I look forward to applying for graduate programs to obtain a master's degree and possibly a Ph.D."