Mays motivates multifaceted student

Business Honors major Angela Lowak has left no stone unturned during her exploration of the Texas A&M University experience. In addition to serving as the volleyball co-captain, the Phi Beta Phi philanthropy chair and public relations chair of the Student Athlete Advisory committee, she is pursuing undergraduate degrees in Business Honors and Supply Chain Management while also planning her pre-requisites for the pre-med route. As the youngest of five children, Lowak jokes that her vast array of interests stem from having “youngest child syndrome” and wanting to experience everything life has to offer.

While growing up in New Braunfels, Texas, volleyball was the popular sport and for Lowak, who measures in at about 6 feet tall, it seemed like the obvious choice. When college recruiters began showing interest in her sophomore year of high school, going to a competitive out-of-state school was the main goal until it was suggested to her that she visit one Texas campus: Texas A&M University.

“I was immediately blown away by the unity of people and the welcoming atmosphere,” Lowak said. “Texas A&M had the perfect combination of competitive athletics and strong academics. I would be surrounded by staff and students encouraging me to reach my highest potential.”

Now a junior at Texas A&M, Lowak is utilizing her natural talents and the skills she has developed on the court and in the classroom to achieve her goals.

“I have figured out what type of leader I am. This discovery was made through real-life applications on the volleyball team,” she said. “In class, I would learn about different approaches leaders take or how to communicate with a team, and then immediately after class, apply the different techniques at practice. I learned that authenticity in leadership style is key and that my character is what’s going to help me succeed beyond my expectations and most importantly, leave me the happiest.”

Lowak also takes the opportunity to demonstrate her character on a global scale by teaching Bible lessons in Swaziland, Africa, volunteering in orthopedic and rehabilitation hospitals in Ho Chi Minh and collaborating with students from all over the world in the 2014 Global Enterprise Experience to create a business solution to a significant global challenge.

Though she does not know where her academic journey will ultimately take her, she is excited about the prospect of adventure and grateful that Texas A&M has allowed her the opportunity to explore her passions and wide variety of interests with the resources that few universities can offer.

“Mays has taught me to make more decisions based off of my short-term goals,” she said. “I can’t be afraid to take a risk and travel the road less traveled. Pursuing business and medicine is sometimes scary, as the two doors are very different from each other and I can’t see the two roads intersecting. However, both doors are open, which means I will continue to move forward until a door is closed or the two paths intersect.”

ABOUT MAYS BUSINESS SCHOOL

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,600 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.