From First-Generation Student to Inspiring Leader: Sophia Villarreal

The Humans of Mays Business School series highlights excerpts from conversations with exceptional individuals at Mays who make a lasting impact through their leadership, drive, and dedication. Each story brings to life the diverse journeys, challenges, and triumphs that shape the Mays community. By sharing these unique experiences, we aim to inspire personal and professional growth within our halls and share the origin stories of today’s and tomorrow’s business leaders.

Whether they’re in the classroom, around campus, on the field, or through extracurriculars, Mays students demonstrate a commitment to excellence and service. In this edition, we’re proud to feature Sophia Villareal, a business honors and marketing major on the data analytics and consulting track, with a minor in communications, and the current president of Business Student Council. She’s also active with the sorority Kappa Delta, a former Fish Camp counselor, and a former member of Gilbert Leadership Conference. Sophia is a true embodiment of the Aggie Spirit and the leadership skills we cultivate at Mays.

Joining the Aggie Family

“Nobody in my family has gone to college. My sister is two years older than me, and she was the first one to go to a university. She is at Sam Houston. Whenever it came time for me to decide, I was honestly very unsure because no one knew what the process was like. My dad is from Matamoros, Mexico, so none of my family had any experience. I actually decided on Texas A&M within the last two days you had to accept because I was deciding between A&M and NYU. I didn’t have a tie to either one, but I ultimately ended up choosing A&M because I felt like I would be really supported here. It’s also only an hour away from my hometown, so I could be close to my family. I ended up getting a one-on-one tour with the Business Honors office, so I was able to meet with Claire Raabe and Chris Morley, and they honestly influenced my decision so much. I also liked how marketing has all the different tracks because I didn’t know what I wanted to do within marketing. Over time, I was able to narrow down my path, which was so nice. I decided to come to A&M and have loved it. I am so happy with my decision to come here.”

“Claire honestly really helped me find my place here at Mays within the first two years and navigate what I wanted my path to look like here. I would always make one-on-one appointments with her, and if you ask anybody that has met with her and is in Business Honors, they are all going to talk so highly of Claire and the Business Honors team. As far as within Business Student Council, one professor I have been able to build a relationship with is Natalie Allen. She is the primary advisor for Business Student Council. She comes to our meetings on Sundays every week, and she helps navigate new opportunities or events. She has actually been the advisor for 20 years, so she has had a huge impact on BSC. If we have a question or we don’t know how a dynamic will work, she is able to guide us, especially based on how things in Business Student Council have panned out in the past. Ms. Allen, Claire, and everyone in the Business Honors office have all been so supportive. When I was struggling outside of school or didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in terms of internships, I’ve had really great people to turn to throughout my time here.”

Opportunities with Business Student Council

“Coming into A&M, I wanted to get involved, and I actually joined the Gilbert Leadership Conference, which I loved, and I joined Kappa Delta in my second semester of freshman year. When I first got here, I wanted to have a business organization along with those social organizations, so I went to the Mays Informational. Business Student Council did not present until the very end, and the president at the time, Annie S., got up and gave the spiel about BSC. Something about that organization and everything they do really stood out to me. All of the members who stood up there to talk were so close, and a really big part of joining organizations for me was to find something that would help me feel plugged into the university and have that family feeling because I never really had that before. I went out for BSC and went to the meet and greet, and it felt so easy talking to everyone — it was something I had to be a part of. I actually didn’t know how competitive it was to get into; I was just a freshman wanting to join a business organization. I clicked really well with everyone in BSC, and I happened to make it along in the process, so it has been my main priority since I joined. I am so grateful because we have our little office where everyone can hang out. If I have class at 12:45, I get there at 11 just so I can talk to everyone. Business Student Council has shaped my entire college experience, and it has given me so many mentors. It kind of goes along with Claire and Ms. Allen, and how they were able to guide me, but I also had these juniors and seniors who were in the organization and able to help out and answer questions that I had. It is such an amazing thing to be able to grow because of an organization, and you see people accomplish so much. We have Maroon Coats, we have Fellows, so you get to meet a lot of different people you otherwise wouldn’t have.”

“Business Student Council is the umbrella student organization for Mays Business School. We work directly with the Dean’s Office to provide events and services for all of Mays. We do this by putting on the career fair. It is actually the largest student-run business career fair in the nation, which is incredible. I had the opportunity to run the career fair last year, which was extremely challenging, but to this day, I have not had a more rewarding experience. Just getting to see the impact you make on students’ lives, alongside your committee and volunteers, was incredible to see all of our hard work come together. Also, you get to hear about everyone getting internships and full-time offers, which is so rewarding. We also put on Maysfest. We try to schedule it during big exam weeks or the middle of the semester because we pass out free food and run the Mays exchange sale. We are in charge of all the Mays apparel. Any T-shirt you see, Business Student Council made it. Also, we give out two ring scholarships every year, which is an application and interview process only for Mays students, run by our service committee. I love the aspect of BSC where we put on Mays-wide events, but also, it is a very small council of about 90 people. As a group, we just took a trip to Boston, and the goal is to give our members the opportunity to learn about companies outside of Texas and get a feel for other cities, which is a huge privilege. During the Boston trip, we were able to meet with New Balance and Wayfair. We also went on a tour of Harvard and explored the city. Overall, we have a lot of opportunities to encourage professional development, but BSC is huge on mentorship. I mentioned earlier that in my first two years, I had a lot of people to look up to. Now, being a senior, about to leave, it has been really cool, especially on exec, that I have been able to pour into everyone else. I kind of remember the shoes I was in, and you will find that across the board with all the juniors and seniors in BSC. We remember being in their shoes as freshmen and sophomores, and so we prioritize talking to them.”

“One thing I love about BSC is that everybody has their own event that they plan, but then at the end of the day, it’s all hands on deck. Even with something as small as socials, we have our own projects that each committee plans, like all the socials and professional development events, or bigger council retreats and banquets. So, they plan it, and then everybody shows up, and everybody is so appreciative of it. Nothing that you do in BSC goes unnoticed. For the career fair, you put so much time and preparation into that event, but the day of it is so rewarding because you see all of your friends help and support you. They’re also proud of you, and then knowing that you get to extend that even more to all the Mays students is incredible.”

Inspiring Others

“Being on exec is an incredible opportunity. There are about 90 of us in the council, and eight of us are on exec with seven different committees — one exec per committee. Serving as Career Fair Vice President last year, I ran my own committee and was able to see the impact I had on everybody from getting to know members a lot more intentionally, going through the recruitment process with others, and playing a bigger role in not only helping others grow their love for A&M and Mays, but for BSC as a whole. It was super fun, and I could not imagine myself not continuing to play a hand in that. I loved my experience so much on exec last year, and I was a step ahead in terms of building relationships with people and continuing to strengthen the relationships I already had. Also, knowing that I could do that on a fuller scope and lead the team, with everyone serving to the best of our abilities to support Mays and foster leadership, was amazing. It is really easy to come up with a lot of different ideas, and big ideas are great, but one thing I wanted to instill this year was just always making sure we are getting 1% better, and I feel like that is something we’ve been able to do really well this year in terms of the council. We want to make the council a little bit better. It has been incredible getting to have another opportunity to serve because I remember how impacted I was by our president freshman year and how much they played a role in shaping the overall experience. I am a huge people-person. I can be serious, but I also just love making sure everybody’s having a fun time no matter what. Walking into the office, the career fair, or Maysfest after volunteering all day is really tiring, but I have the mindset of ‘We are here, we have the privilege to serve, and it’s such an incredible opportunity, let’s make the most of it.’ I try to instill that mindset in everything I do and everyone around me. I wish more people could know about the opportunities that BSC has and how much we are trying to help Mays students. I feel like it can get a little misconstrued because we do have a lot of privileges, but I hope people see the impact we hope to make.”

“A former manager of mine had a huge impact on me. He told me, ‘It’s all about your mindset.’ That is something I have brought with me to school, and I tell this to everyone in BSC because I truly believe that you can have a lot of really great things happening, but if you are not in the right mindset, how can you take advantage of those opportunities? Or how can I make sure I am using these opportunities to the best of my ability? It is all about your mindset. We have this privilege, we have the opportunities, so let’s make the most of it. I take this into my everyday life. The first time my manager told me this, I felt like it was so cliché. Of course, it’s about your mindset. But I started to think about it more, and it does help me because it is easy to get overwhelmed or be hard on yourself when we are surrounded by such high-achieving individuals. If you are always comparing yourself to them, you will not be successful. I like to think that with what I am given, I am always going to make it work. You do not have to compare; you can be happy and supportive of everyone because we are all successful in our own ways.”

“The Business Honors office reached out to all the marketing majors and offered us the opportunity to apply to be a Stickler Fellow. The purpose of this program is to support you when applying for internships and to grow your network within marketing. They chose one person from A&M, and I was lucky enough to be that person. This program partners with colleges across the nation; I want to say there are 30 fellows total in the nation, so it is a huge deal. They paired me with a mentor, and she was able to help me answer questions. This was around the same time that I was looking for internships, so my mentor was able to offer insights and guidance throughout the process. There is also a Zoom call with all the fellows to foster connections and help introduce you to other people in the industry.”

Empowered by Mays

“I feel like Mays has shaped my leadership in every way possible. All of the people that I have had the opportunity to look up to and learn from — I’ve mentioned Claire Raabe and Ms. Allen, and also within Business Honors — have supported us academically and in career growth through professional development events. You have the opportunity to hear from really successful people and learn from their impacts or advice, so I have been able to hear from some really amazing people over the past four years. Whether it’s through servant leadership or even just in terms of how to have a good mindset, I feel like Mays has really helped me discover what works well for me as a leader and what doesn’t. I have learned the tools necessary to be the leader I want to be and how I can inspire people. There is not one specific thing that I can pinpoint about how Mays has helped me; it has made me who I am today, especially the Business Student Council. I think I have grown so much in terms of how I can be intentional through servant leadership. It is so easy to say that you want to give back or help someone in this way, but if you fail to have good intentions, that’s where it can all go astray. Mays, BSC, and everyone I look up to and have learned from has helped guide me to distinguish how intentional servant leadership and mentorship can really help grow a person, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.”

“I was at an advantage during my internship with Synchrony, especially being in the data analytics and consulting track, because I had already worked with a lot of different programs before. I also had a good general knowledge about what to do in that realm. Hearing from my intern friends about their internship experiences and the education they received at their schools, it sounded more general, and I really appreciated how, at Mays, especially in marketing and within the different tracks, they try to give you different experiences. If you work with different companies — I think I worked with probably two or three different companies throughout my time — it’s like you’re getting to consult for them and get a deep dive into what it looks like for that company. I was able to leverage a lot of the experiences that I got from Mays, and I feel like I was really prepared going into it because of that. When the company was recruiting me, I was able to talk about how passionate I am about A&M and the family I have here and the support I receive, and the other schools they recruit from don’t have that story. They don’t really see how passionate people are about helping others and just being with each other in a super supportive environment. It was really cool because just talking about my love for A&M made me stand out versus somebody else.”

The Journey Ahead

“I had an amazing internship this past summer with Synchrony, and after graduation, I am going back for a two-year rotational program. I am super excited to participate in the program because I know I like marketing, but I have no idea what I want to do within marketing. In this program, you do three different rotations in the two years, which is incredible because then I don’t have to choose. I can still learn and discover what part of marketing I want to continue with after the program. It’s also really cool because I’m the only one they recruited from Texas. Over the summer, I was with a big cohort — there were 70 interns who were doing it with me. There were eight other marketing interns, so we were all learning and growing together. They housed us in an apartment complex, so it felt like a summer camp for 10 weeks with so many amazing people. There are about 45 of us going back, so we’ll all live in Stamford. Stamford is a gorgeous city and super walkable. There’s a train that takes you directly into New York City, just a 45-minute ride, so I was going to New York twice a week. I’m really excited for what is to come. Not only are you having different rotations to grow and learn from, but you’re also in a leadership program. Every week, you’re getting to hear from C-suite members and really high-up people within marketing, finance, or any track. We are getting to hear more about their story, how they got there, and any advice they have for you or any of their leadership tips.”