Kiara Ordonez is a senior from Las Choapas Ver, Mexico studying marketing. She recently sat down with Collat's Alumni & Development Office to share her experiences at UAB and the Collat School of Business.
Q: At Collat, I'm involved with __________________.
A: American Marketing Association (AMA), Business Student Leaders (BSL) and the UAB Collat Career Center.
Q: What made you choose to attend UAB Collat?
A: At the time, I chose Collat almost instinctively. I loved the space, felt welcomed, and knew I could find the support I needed here.
Q: What is your favorite part about Collat?
A: The people: I’m always meeting someone from a different background and together we’ve created a little community here.
Q: Who is your favorite professor or class and why?
A: I think my favorite professor so far has been Dr. John Hansen from my professional sales class. It was such a fun and interactive course where I feel like I learned a lot. Dr. Hansen is especially good at capturing his students’ attention and I think it’s the way he incorporates storytelling.
Q: The store I frequent the most is __________________.
A: Levi’s, the sales are great, and I love the quality of their clothes.
Q: Describe your day in a six-word sentence.
A: Life is great but very busy.
Q: What's the closest thing to you that is green?
A: A tube of green paint, currently being used for my art project.
Q: Who are the people who make your life better?
A: My mom and dad are my support system, no matter how far away. My siblings make me laugh every day, and my aunt and cousins are always there in case of an emergency. My friends are constantly planning days to hang out and destress. These people truly make my life wonderful.
Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
A: Anytime I feel overloaded, I always think back to my dad’s simple words of encouragement: "Todo se puede en esta vida, así que échale ganas," which translates to "Everything is possible in this life, so put in the effort." I think this truly reflects our work ethic. It reminds me that I can accomplish anything as long as I work hard, and that the effort I put in, or the stress I feel, is never for nothing, because there’s always a goal worth striving toward.