COMMUNITY STORIES: JACQUELINE VASQUEZ
Odessa is known for its oil and gas and history with Friday Night Lights. It holds tradition and culture.
In Odessa, I met some of my best friends, grew up with them and graduated with them at Permian High School. It has helped me shape a feeling like home was always with them and it will always be here in Odessa.
It is a small town but it sparked in me a desire to explore the world beyond its borders, and I carry that adventurous spirit with me wherever I go.
The faculty’s expertise and the university's strong connections to the industry were crucial factors in my decision. Financial aid played a significant role in my choice, and I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from UTPB that made it possible for me to attend. My experience at UTPB has been exciting, I have a lot of opportunities and collaborations on my campus.
Some of my responsibilities within Student-Made include ensuring that all fundamental accounting tasks are executed consistently and timely, and analyzing and reporting on data to provide helpful strategies for Creators to grow their sales in the marketplace. I have been a part of Student-Made for one semester, and this year will be my second semester.
I am shy and have always stayed within myself, but going into my third semester at UTPB, I met new people and friends who made me want to do more with myself and be more involved. It has been fun being part of a team. All the managers at Student-Made UTPB are fantastic and motivated. I enjoy being a manager with them. They are a great team of students.
Working with creators and students with so much talent and creativity makes me happy that I can help them and work with them to succeed and give them the confidence they need for their future. In college, you create the life you don't have to escape from— and Student-Made has given me more confidence and lets me get experiences working with others. Collaborating with others has made me come out of my shell.
I work a lot with Excel in school, in Student-Made, and in my personal life, and I know that I will use it in the future. So, my manager position right now will be beneficial for whatever my role will be after graduation.
What I hope to take away from Student-Made is eventually letting out my creative side and becoming a creator myself. I hope that I can aim to be a resource that fosters learning, creativity, problem-solving, and meaningful conversation. Overall, Student-Made has been an ultimate journey of sparking new ideas, having a strong support system, and learning new things every day.
