More than 20 years ago, Teri Moten sat in on a business course taught by Louie Ren, a University of Houston-Victoria faculty member, and now her life has come full circle.
In late March, Moten spoke to Ren’s class and a class taught by associate professor John Kagochi during the annual UHV School of Business Administration Alumni Week.
“As a UHV alumna, I think it is my duty to share my knowledge and professional experience with UHV students,” Moten said. “I truly enjoy speaking with them and helping them navigate the professional world.”
Alumni Week was held March 30 to April 2. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it took place through conferencing apps Microsoft Teams and Zoom, said Rosie McCusker, senior recruitment coordinator for the business school at the UHV Katy instructional site. The event is in its 10th year, and UHV alumni from different areas of the business world are invited to speak to students about various topics.
Typically, alumni speak to students face to face during classes, but most of the scheduled speakers were able to quickly adapt to this year’s virtual format and speak to several classes of students from both Victoria and Katy.
“We are grateful to our UHV alumni for staying connected and sharing their professional insights and tips with our students,” said Ken Colwell, the school’s dean. “UHV is fortunate to have alumni who are so involved with us and support their alma mater.”
Moten graduated in 1996 from UHV with her MBA and is the owner of Moten Consulting Group in Victoria. She was one of 11 speakers and spoke to two classes of students about the importance of building a network for their careers and professional development. Networking can lead to internships for students and future job possibilities, and knowing how to reach out to potential employers or co-workers in a professional manner can make a difference in a student’s life, she said.
UHV marketing student Samantha Waters of Cypress found Moten’s lecture so helpful that she reached out to Moten after the session for more information about networking. Before the event, Waters was worried after an internship opportunity fell through because of the coronavirus. She was considering changing her major to human resources and did not know of many internship opportunities within that field, but Moten was able to help Waters make connections.
“Teri is amazing, and she has been a great help connecting me with others who could help me transition to the field of human resources,” Waters said. “I love that UHV has Alumni Week. I feel close to our alumni now, and it is helpful to connect with alumni who have taken the same classes and ask for their advice.”
Other speakers during the UHV School of Business Administration’s Alumni Week were:
- Oscar Voigt, director of Event Success at WRSTBND
- Ramtin Barzin, senior claim manager at Aetna
- John Schroeder, global business development manager for a research and development firm in Sugar Land
- Robert Royer, president of Building Brands Marketing
- Adam Jourdane, specialist in health care law
- Natalie Head, pricer for downstream retail fuel sales and marketing in North America for Shell Oil
- Emmanuel Quansah, UHV assistant professor of management
- Kerry Kavourgias, customer service and operations manager for CPFD Software
- Nafis Bhuiyan, founder and principal consultant of NAB Marketing Professionals