Welcome
Hello, my name is Olivia Vaquera-Guerrero
I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and moved to Austin, TX when I was ten. I lived there until I graduated high school and moved to Houston for college. I am now a mom of two sweet cats named Rico and Alena and a sweet dog named Canelo. I enjoy taking walks around the city and trying different coffee shops. I currently hold a personal competition on which coffee shop has the best Dirty Chai. Cougar Grounds at the University of Houston currently holds the title!
I always listen to music and you can find me listening to a tune while going about my day. I also love to cook and love trying new recipes every week. I cook all sorts of cuisines and my personal favorite has always been Mexican food since I grew up eating it. I am not a very good baker just yet but I am determined to learn!
Let's Get Down to Business
Growing up, I had always been encouraged to attend university. As a first-generation student, I knew it was my responsibility to make something of myself. I knew my family and friends surrounded me with love and support. I was regularly an active student in band, jazz band, mariachi, and other school organizations. Once I got accepted into the University of Houston and the Honors College, I knew I had achieved an important goal, but I needed to know what was next.
I entered the University of Houston as a teaching major. I knew I did not want to become a teacher but had limited time to choose another major since I had come to university with an associate's degree I had completed in high school. To be a full-time student, I declared a Leadership Studies minor from the Honors College. That semester I took two courses that led me to choose business: Leadership Theory and Introduction to Organizational and Behavioral Management.
In Leadership Theory, I learned about different leadership types and how to assess people to see their leadership styles. I discovered I was a servant leader, and my favorite leadership type was transformational and situational leadership. After a semester of projects, essays, and assessments, I knew I wanted to continue this learning about the business field. In my Behavioral class, I learned different ways of management. I learned the basics of what people in the business industry did and how everyone worked as a team to make a business grow and succeed. Learning about Bauer and the opportunities of being in business, I switched my major and am now happily majoring in Finance.
No words describe my excitement for my college experience. I have had a fantastic experience being a business student and striving for academic success. I am happy to make my parents proud and am always very thankful for their support. Knowing what is next and having a clear view of what I want to do keeps me motivated and excited to learn and makes me look forward to future opportunities and experiences.
Education
Travis Early College High School
I attended from 2018-2022. I graduated top 25% of my class with a GPA of 3.7. During the four years I spent at this school, I learned a lot about the inequalities that people like me, low-income with immigrant parents, faced in education. I attended a school that did not provide many resources because of the lack of funding. Throughout my four years of high school, my classmates and I watched as schools with different demographics and social classes excelled in extracurriculars such as sports, marching band competitions, and debate tournaments. Since the demographics of my school were primarily Hispanic and African-American, reaching higher education was often seen as a stretch for us. Because of this, I decided to use this topic in research that I talk about HERE.
Those four years taught me how strong I am, how to grow personally, and how much I can accomplish. My high school career shaped me into the woman I am today. I learned to stand up for what I believe in and further my belief in the importance of higher education.
"Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel"
Austin Community College
I attended Austin Community College through a program my high school offered named "Early College''. I started the program when I entered high school in 2018 and completed my associate degree in 2022 with a GPA of 3.1. I became the first person in my household ever to obtain a degree in higher education. My experience in the program prepared me for a four-year institution. I saved a lot of money since the program was free. I gained practice in writing college-level essays, experienced a workload of a college student, and learned the way professors grade and the communication required when struggling or needing help. I gained insight from other college students, and had it not been for the program, I would have had difficulty adjusting to college life during my first year at the University of Houston. I am proud of the 8th grader who applied to the program and was afraid of high school and college. Because of her, I have made my parents proud and created a future for myself.
Riverbats
University of Houston (Honors College)Bauer College of Business
I have completed my second year at the University of Houston and have had a fantastic experience. I gained more insight into the professional environment by being involved in organizations such as Beta Alpha Psi, Spirit of Houston, Cougar Brass, and HBSA and being an Honors Retreat Counselor. The constant reminder to make connections, put myself out there, and do well academically has become embedded in me. I have learned and practiced different study habits, such as the Pomodoro Technique, and have found apps to help me focus, like Focus Plant, which sets timers when one studies and then grants points once finished. These points are used to grow a garden with different species of plants. I have learned more about myself personally and have grown so much these past two years. It has not always been easy but I know I can count on myself to push through. I know younger me is very proud at how much I have discovered myself, grown mentally, and pushed through challenges one of my background faces. I know she is proud of me pursuing higher education and having goals and dreams for herself! I have become involved in the professional world. I have been attending different office networking events through Beta Alpha Psi and have built solid connections. The Spirit of Houston has given me connections with the Alumni Association where plenty of Coogs who were part of the band offer their help to us and there whenever we need them! Hispanics in Business Student Association allowed me to build friendships and acquantances
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Involvement
Involvement
Volunteer Work
DACA Protest Outside the Office of Ken Paxton
(Link to rally outside the Office of Ken Paxton)
Defending the community is essential to me, especially something I experience daily, and I encourage others to protect their community and speak for themselves. As a sophomore in high school, I volunteered to be an MC at a DACA rally in Austin. We marched from our high school to the office of Ken Paxton, where we heard from various speakers and listened to stories of immigrants and family members of immigrants. This is one of my proudest moments.
My parents are Mexican immigrants, and my sister is a DACA recipient. Being the only person in my family born in the U.S., I see how much racism and xenophobia affect everyday life. I know parents of friends that have been deported, friends who experienced microaggressions when attending schools where they are not the predominant race, and the experiences people share on social media. Living in a state that does not fully support immigrants has been frustrating and disappointing. I have always lived around people with migrant parents or migrants themselves. I see how hard they work to afford their living, education, and future. I will always defend the immigrant community because my parents are immigrants; because of them, I know how hard-working they are and their dreams.
Future Work
