Feature
A Student Perspective
Bauer College Board Adds Two Student Representatives to Roster
Bauer College students Andre Hal and Veronica Herrera represent the college’s graduate and undergraduate communities, offering their perspectives as new representatives on the Bauer College Board.
In this last year, more than a dozen of the area’s leading business executives and strategies have joined the Bauer College Board. And for the first time, two student representatives are now members of the important advisory group that provides counsel to Dean Paul A. Pavlou and college leadership.
Marketing & entrepreneurship senior Veronica Herrera and MBA Candidate Andre Hal have been added to the board’s roster, providing insight to the board from the student perspective.
We recently spoke to Herrera and Hal about their new roles on the board, their goals and how they balance their responsibilities of school and service.
Veronica Herrera
Marketing & Entrepreneurship Senior
“I seek to become a businesswoman who inspires others, gives back and makes an impactful change.”
— Veronica Herrera,
Marketing & Entrepreneurship Senior
Herrera is an engaged student, participating in the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, Hispanic Business Student Association, Bauer Consulting Organization and the Stimulating Urban Renewal Through Entrepreneurship (SURE℠) Program. In 2019, she was part of a student group that completed data collection and an environmental analysis for the college’s five-year strategic plan. She is also a 2020-2021 Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholar.
Q: How long have you served as a student rep on the BCB?
A: I have served as the Undergraduate Student Representative on the Bauer College Board for about six months. I was inducted this summer.
Q: As a student representative, what is your role on the board?
A: The Bauer College Board consists of seven sub-committees that focus on specific initiatives for the college. I am part of the Branding and Reputation Committee. My role is to work alongside my BCB team members to create initiatives that will help us enhance the Bauer brand.
Q: How do you hope to make an impact on the BCB for your fellow students?
A: I hope to make an impact by helping shape the direction of our college through my contributions to the initiatives that the BCB is committed to accomplishing. I believe that these projects will help my fellow students obtain a superb educational experience and return on their investment. I am elated to be a part of the Bauer College Board and committed to representing my fellow students to the best of my ability.
Q: How do you balance your school activities and BCB responsibilities?
A: I balance school activities and the Bauer College Board responsibilities by being aware of my time management. I am genuinely passionate about making an impact, so I make time for the BCB and all of the other organizations that I am a member of.
Q: How do you stay involved at Bauer outside of the classroom?
A: I am currently a member of the Bauer Consulting Organization, the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship Alumni Network, and the Cougar Venture Fund. I also represent Bauer in the National Millennial Community and the Texas Business Hall of Fame Alumni Association. The National Millennial Community is an invite-only community of students from universities all over the United States who seeks to provide an environment for members to share their thoughts and perspectives with key influencers of government, businesses, and communities.
During my time at Bauer College, I have also been a member of the SURE℠ Program, the Hispanic Business Student Association and the Bauer Strategic Planning Committee, and I have served as the Student Representative for Bauer during the AACSB International accreditation. Additionally, I have participated in three business pitch competitions.
Q: Why did you choose Bauer?
A: I chose the Bauer College of Business because of its diversity, focus on leadership, and quality of students. My goal was to surround myself with peers who had strong values, different viewpoints, and diverse backgrounds. I knew that this would help me grow and become a well-rounded person and leader. I believe that diversity and leadership are two crucial elements to creating the best teams and organizations. The diversity of students Bauer had and its focus on developing leaders reassured me that I was making the best decision.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: My plans after graduation consist of pursuing my passion for strategy consulting and entrepreneurship, with the goal of obtaining my MBA from Bauer and starting my entrepreneurial ventures. I seek to become a businesswoman who inspires others, gives back and makes an impactful change.
Q: How would you encourage other students to make an impact on the college?
A: Bauer is full of opportunities to get involved! I encourage every student to get involved as much as possible, whether it be through one of our student organizations, our nationally ranked programs, or volunteering opportunities. Invest your time wisely — you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to. Always challenge yourself!
Andre Hal
MBA Candidate
“I would encourage other students to make an impact by just getting involved in something on campus.”
— Andre Hal,
MBA Candidate and retired Houston Texans safety
Andre Hal is an MBA candidate and retired Houston Texans safety. He played college football at Vanderbilt and spent his five-year NFL career with the Houston Texans who drafted him in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Hal was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in June 2018, with the Texans announcing in September of that year that the disease was in remission, and he was activated to the roster in mid-October. After retiring in 2019, noting that his health did not play a role in his decision, he started the graduate business program at Bauer College.
Q: How long have you served as a student rep on the BCB?
A: I have served for a year now as a student rep on the BCB.
Q: As a student representative, what is your role on the board?
A: I am on the MBA Board as a student representative. As a student representative, my role is to give the board insight on how the students are feeling and the things the students want and need to be more successful at the university.
Q: How do you hope to make an impact on the BCB for your fellow students?
A: I hope I am able to make an impact on the BCB by helping students have a better experience while at the university.
Q: How do you balance your school activities and BCB responsibilities?
A: I balance my school activities and my BCB responsibilities by going back to my professional football career days. I had a very busy schedule every day, so I needed the focus to stay on task. I use those skills of time management to help me now as a representative on the BCB.
Q: Why did you choose Bauer?
A: I chose Bauer because on my search for schools to go to, I heard Bauer had a great MBA program and I was already in Houston, so I enrolled and after my first year on campus, I believe I made a great choice.
Q: How would you encourage other students to make an impact on the college?
A: I would encourage other students to make an impact by just getting involved in something on campus. It would help them develop as a person and help the university.
