Outstanding business students overcome challenges and succeed
When Daniel Moore started classes at the University of Houston-Victoria at Katy as a Global Master of Business Administration student, he wasn’t prepared to balance school work and an oilfield downturn in the company for which he worked.
Though Moore’s job was safe, several of his counterparts were let go, and he was forced to pick up the extra work while balancing family life at home and school. Fortunately, he was able to take both online and face-to-face classes at UHV that helped make his busy life and school goals more realistic. He will complete his master’s degree in May with plans to continue his human resources role in the petroleum industry.
“I knew that planning well would be the key to my success,” he said. “Being a father, a full-time employee, an active church member and a master’s student really took a focused plan and discipline to make this dream a reality. UHV provided the accessibility I needed to make it happen, and sometimes I don’t know how I did it, but it all worked out in the end.”
Moore, a Katy resident, is the spring outstanding graduate student in the UHV School of Business Administration, and Sophia Jorski of Katy is the school’s outstanding undergraduate student.
Each semester, professors from UHV’s three schools select outstanding graduates to be honored during commencement. UHV will hold two spring graduation ceremonies on May 12 at Faith Family Church, 2002 E. Mockingbird Lane. The 9 a.m. ceremony will be for graduates of the schools of Arts & Sciences and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. The 1 p.m. ceremony will be for graduates of the School of Business Administration. A live streaming broadcast of the ceremonies can be seen at www.uhv.edu/graduation.
“Daniel and Sophia are resilient students who have a real focus for their futures,” said James Jordan-Wagner, interim dean of the UHV School of Business Administration. “Their dedication to excellence and determination through difficult times truly inspires those around them, and I wish them well as they progress in their futures.”
Jorski will receive her Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting in May and has plans to pursue a master’s degree in accounting and become a Certified Public Accountant. She is especially honored to have received the school’s outstanding student award. She withstood an unexpected family struggle just as she was preparing to begin her UHV studies, but she still managed to complete her degree in less than two years while working part time.
“I told myself that regardless, I was going to do this and finish strong,” she said. “Thankfully, I have had an amazing church family and group of friends who supported me through it all.”
As he prepares for his graduation, Moore is grateful for the flexibility in courses offered by UHV and the lessons he learned, including those his dad taught him early in life, he said. His father encouraged him to ask a lot of questions, always be on his A-game and not overload himself with courses so that he could work full time.
Jorski, who also worked during her studies, appreciated the accessibility of online and face-to-face courses offered by UHV and the life lessons she learned during her studies.
“I’ve had difficult life situations happen during my college studies that could make people want to quit,” she said. “But I knew I wanted to get my degree, and I gave it my all.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
