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The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the UTEP Alumni Association celebrated on Tuesday the 2019 Top Ten Seniors at a banquet on the UTEP Campus.

This year, three of the ten are from the Woody L. Hunt College of Business. The students are: Gustavo Velez-Arce, Maria Elena Martinez, and Mariana Madero Guerrero.

Presented annually by the UTEP Alumni Association, the award is given to UTEP’s most promising future alumni. Through an application process, graduating or recently-graduated seniors are evaluated on a combination of factors, along with the impression they have made on others during their time at UTEP. 

Mariana Madero Guerrero, took advantage of the opportunities UTEP offers to students.

As a Woody L. Hunt College of Business student, Madero joined the Financial Management Association and the Association of Latino Professionals for America, student organizations in which she actively participated. She later assumed leadership roles in each organization. 

Madero was selected by faculty members to represent UTEP at various local, regional and national competitions. At UTEP, Madero says she gained more than a college degree — she found her passions, motivation to succeed and mentors to guide her throughout her life and career.

Upon graduation, Madero will work at the Helen of Troy’s corporate headquarters in El Paso pursue a graduate degree in accounting.

Maria Elena Martinez, an accounting major, plans to have a career as an accountant, beginning with a job offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas upon graduation. Martinez took advantage of student employment and worked as an undergraduate research assistant for UTEP’s Work with a Scientist program and with UTEP’s Entering Student program.

She also served as the professional development director for UTEP’s Women in Business Association (WBA) and as president of Beta Alpha Psi, UTEP’s honor society for accounting, finance and information system majors. 

“My experience at UTEP has been abundant with incredible experiences that have shaped me into the individual I am today, prepared me to take on the real world and foster success in my career path,” she said.

Gustavo Velez-Arce graduated from UTEP in December 2018 with a degree in Finance. He’s landed his “dream job” working as a financial analyst at JP Morgan Chase and Co. in New York City.

“Being at UTEP helped me focus and provided an environment with multiple opportunities … All these different experiences helped me develop strong leadership skills, a passion for mentorship and financial services, and a solid quantitative background in finance,” he said.

As a student, Velez-Arce was awarded several internships and program opportunities with prestigious companies and universities, such as a summer internship with JP Morgan Chase and Co. and the Harvard Business School Summer Venture in Management program. Velez-Arce also served as the president of UTEP’s Financial Management Association (FMA) and the FMA Investor’s Club.