Five graduates to watch
At the annual Honors and Awards Banquet, five seniors from the College of Business received recognition for their outstanding work based on excellence in five areas: Service, Academics, Engagement, Global Perspective and Leadership. These students reflected on their time at the University and detailed how their experience studying at the College set them up for success after graduation.
Erica Bickel - Leadership
Over the years at the University, Erica Bickel participated in Nevada Student Ambassadors, Blue Key Honor Society, the College of Business Peer Mentors, Business Student Council and served as Associated Students of the University of Nevada Event Programmer. Bickel held several leadership positions in each of these organizations and found a passion for civic engagement. Bickel graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing and a minor in communications.
"I think the College of Business gives their students every opportunity to succeed," Bickel said. "I joined Business Student Council as a freshman and became a business student peer mentor. With that opportunity, I connected with students coming into the College, and I think the contact from student to student is very valuable in terms of networking and building leadership. I also learned networking from the student council, because I planned events and reached out to community members, which helped build my leadership experience a lot."
Jared Desamero - Engagement
Jared Desamero graduated as a first-generation honors student Summa Cum Laude in economics and finance. Driven by a desire to help others succeed, Desamero was awarded for engaging with other students on campus as an Academic Mentor, a Career Mentor and Associated Students of the University of Nevada Director of Clubs and Organizations. Desamero plans to pursue a career in management consulting and business development.
"Management consulting is a practical application of what I learned here at the College of Business then combined with the mentorships I have done here at the University," Desamero said. "I also want to switch from the private sector to the public sector by working in economic development. This way, I can foster some community development and apply my knowledge of economics to make a big difference. I found this passion during my time here at the College and working with ASUN."
Alexander Nicoll -Service
While earning his B.S. in information systems, Alexander Nicoll served the Reno community through multiple avenues and held leadership positions within the Interfraternity Council.
"The College of Business provided me the opportunity to meet many diverse personalities. It gave me the tools to be able to approach anyone and be able to spark a meaningful conversation," Nicoll said. "Giving back to your community is a priceless feeling that allows you to positively affect others. If you have the ability to make a difference, no matter how small or big, you should do it. I will use my service experience in my future career by incorporating charity and giving into business. Eventually, I would love to own a business and be able to positively affect the community."
Mary Quiroga - Academics
A McNair Scholar who researched entrepreneurship and inequality, Mary Quiroga graduated with a dual degree in economics and mathematics. She is an alumna of the American Economics Association Summer Program, where she completed 12 credits of graduate coursework and a research project on poverty and drug-related death. Quiroga accepted an offer of employment at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she will be a research analyst for two years before she plans to go on to graduate school for economics.
"The College of Business has aided my studies by providing supportive mentors like professors Mehmet Tosun and Todd Sorensen," Quiroga said. "I started researching the gender wage gap because of Sorensen. It is an issue important to me as a woman, and I am curious about the determinants of the wage gap and want to answer my questions in a scientific way."
Joseph Rosal - Global Perspective
During his time at the University, Joseph Rosal studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan. "I think it is important that international business students study abroad to get a perspective on what they are learning," Rosal said. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in international business with a minor in Japanese studies. Rosal served as a driving force to start the Tokyo business program.
"I was originally studying Japanese language, so it was common sense I would want to go to Japan to study abroad, but they did not have a business program. So I did my research until I found a program that would work, and it happened to be in Tokyo. I helped build this study abroad program from the ground up, and I was actually the first one who got to go, and I was so excited about that."
If you would like to support student achievement recognition, please contact Christina Sarman, executive director of development at csarman@unr.edu.
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