Marco Rolim – February 2018
Texas A&M Department of Economics Amazing Student
February, 2018
Name: Marco Rolim
Hometown: I was born and raised in Salvador, Brazil. However I moved to the United States in the early 2000s and spent a short time in England from 2009-2010.
High School: I competed my freshman year of high school at Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas and went on to spend my sophomore year of high school at Manchester Grammar School in Manchester, United Kingdom. I then finished my junior and senior year at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas.
Degree objective: I am currently pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Economics with a minor in Business. One of the main reasons I choose to pursue a degree in Economics was to develop my decision-making and problem-solving skills that will translate well towards a future career in Business. Since I plan on entering the business world upon graduation, I decided to minor in Business to gain a general understanding of the different facets of Business such as Marketing, Management, MIS, and Finance.
Expected graduation: I expect to graduate in December of 2018, however that date may be pushed back to May of 2019 depending on any potential employment opportunities that may arise in the next year.
University highlights, awards, scholarships: This Spring 2018 semester is my third semester at Texas A&M University. In my time here, I have achieved Dean’s List Award for my first two semesters, by achieving above a 3.75 GPA and taking 15 credit hours or more per semester. I have also been given the Aggie Research Scholar Award for participating in a semester-long research project, in conjunction with the Undergraduate Research Assistant program offered by the Texas A&M Economics Department. Another university highlight for me is having attained two internship offers in Supply Chain during my first semester at Texas A&M University through the Mays Business School Career Fair. Lastly, the Economics Department awarded me the February’s Amazing Economics Student title. It is an honor for me to be recognized for my academic achievements and involvements on campus!
Current employment: I am a full time student.
Family ties to Texas A&M: I am a first-generation Aggie! My external family is mostly located back in Brazil, so I’m the only one to attend a university in the southern United States. My brother graduated from Michigan State University a decade ago, alongside my parents who attained MBAs from the University of Michigan.
I chose to attend Texas A&M because… I decided to attend Texas A&M University for a multitude of reasons. The first reason that influenced my decision was based on the strong Aggie Network associated with the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M. While having quality instruction is important, I believe that the connections you make throughout life can greatly impact your ability to pursue your dreams, in this case, academically. Thus, the quality of instruction you encounter at the Economics Department, coupled with the networking opportunities you can find on campus, made Texas A&M University the institution I wanted to attain my Bachelors Degree from. I also appreciated that the Economics Department had multiple opportunities to branch out beyond your field of study to build your portfolio as you apply for entry-level jobs upon graduation. For example, the Department offers certificates such as the Business Economics Certificate and the Quantitative Economic Methods Certificate, which allows undergraduate students to gain additional knowledge and experience while pursuing their main degree. I am very glad that I made the decision to attend Texas A&M University and would highly recommend prospective high school students to consider this institution as your home for the next two-four years of your life!
My favorite things to do on campus are… When I’m not studying, I enjoy taking part in student-run organizations on campus by attending events and socials. I am a member of the Texas A&M Economics Society, Texas A&M Tennis Club, Maroon & White Leadership Fellows, Vegan & Vegetarian Aggies, and the Texas A&M Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America! I also enjoy playing intramural soccer on campus with friends during the school year. For relaxation, a personal favorite is walking around the Research Park Pond and enjoying the nature around West Campus. I’m a big football fan, so I love PAGE 2 going lo football games al Kyle Field during the Fall semester lo cheer on the Aggies. I have occasionally attended both Texas A&M basketball and Tennis games when I have the opportunity to go to the events. The Recreation Center is another great place on campus that I frequent to workout at the gym or play Pickle Ball with my friends on any given weekend.
When I have free time, I like… ln my free time, l try to establish a good amount of both outdoor and indoor activities. I spend time playing tennis with my friends, walking to de-stress, working out at my apartment’s gym or at the Recreational Center, watching entertaining videos on YouTube, catching the Golden State Warriors basketball game, and most importantly, spending time with family. I also grew up playing a lot of video games, so a few times a week, I try to give myself a few hours in the evening to play some games after all of my school work for the day has finished. Life is all about balance, so with as much lime I dedicate per week towards my studies, I also prioritize my health and leisure lime lo ensure a positive quality of life!
The craziest thing I’ve done is… The craziest thing I’ve done recently driving lo Los Angeles (California) and back in a weekend. In the summer of 2017, l was in San Jose, California for an internship with Stryker, and my leisure goal that summer was to visit Los Angeles and spend a few days there. As the summer went on, I was running out of opportunities to go. A few weeks before I had to return to Texas, l rented a car with my intern friend Raymond and drove from San Jose to Los Angeles on a Friday afternoon. We really wanted to stay in Venice Beach, so we AirBNB’d a common living house with 12 other people. We spent all of Saturday and most of Sunday exploring Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Beverley Hills, before leaving Los Angeles at 5 PM on Sunday, knowing we both had work the next day at 8 AM. After taking a few stops, we were able to return to our hotel at 1 AM, just in time for work the next day. It was a really crazy adventure, but one I will never forget.
My favorite place to study is… The location in which I usually study is my apartment! I find it really easy to sit at my desk and focus when I need to. If I were to study on campus, the study rooms in the 4th floor Evans Library are a personal favorite. Regardless of what lime you go lo the library, you will always find an empty room to study up on some homework or the upcoming exam!
My favorite ECON professor is… My favorite Economics professor is Dr. Eric Lenz. T took Dr. Lenz’s Econometrics 461 course in the Fall 201 7 semester, and it was my favorite course that semester. He would always use real-life examples for explaining difficult topics and really showed an inleresl in ensuring everyone in the class understood the material in order to do well in the class. There was a research paper due in his course that was a little overwhelming at first, however Dr. Lenz did a great job throughout the semester by giving us tips and examples to help us on our research paper. I went to his office hours numerous times throughout the semester and had riveting and meaningful conversations with him. I learned a lot from his class, and I would highly recommend every Economics student to take a class from Dr. Lenz. My favorite non-Economics professor is Dr. Jeremy Merrill, who teaches Landscape Architecture at Texas A&M University. I took Dr. Merrill’s course, History of Landscape Architecture, and he was enthusiastic about what he was teaching. He really engaged the entire class in the material and was very creative in the quizzes and tests that he would administer. I also got to meet him outside of class, and he’s such a nice guy with a creative mind that I loved spending time with him during his office hours. Overall, my experience with the professors at Texas A&M University has been very positive and the level of instruction you encounter here is Tier 1!
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with… lf I could share an afternoon with anyone in the world, l would love to share it with Tai Lopez! l always find myself watching his videos on YouTube, and I get so inspired by his advice and mindset on health, relationships, and business that I feel a few hours with Tai would be so rewarding. I have so many questions that I would like to ask him, and the knowledge I would attain would be priceless.
If I knew I could not fail, I would… ff I knew I could not fail, I would start my own biomedical company to pursue a cure for all different types of cancer. Cancer is such a devastating disease that kills millions of people worldwide and causes much pain and suffering to both the patients and their families. I wouldn’t even care if the company was profitable or not; just as long as cancer was eliminated from this earth and so people would have one less disease to worry about.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to… If I did not have to worry about money, I would travel the world and spend months at a time in a variety of different places in every continent. Growing up, I’ve been very fortunate to visit multiple countries, however I would love to experience living in the vacation spots I visited when I was younger for several months to in order to “live like the locals”
What is your passion and how are you committed to pursuing it? This is a topic that really fuels me to pursue my goals in life. I’m really passionate about improving the lives of others here on earth and making a difference towards future generations. I have made it my mission to only work for companies that truly benefit the overall wellbeing of people around the world. Whether that be through the medical, food, or technology industries, as long as lhe company makes a valiant effort towards improving the lives of others, I will gladly invest my time and effort towards the bottom line of the organization.
After graduation, I plan to… After I graduate, I plan on working in either Supply Chain or Operations for a large multi-national company, preferably within a two-hour plane ride from my internal family in Houston, Texas. I do not have a specific preference on the industry, just as long as the company has a similar set of values and mission that l <lo. I also plan on pursuing a Masters Degree within two years after I graduate with my Bachelors from Texas A&M University to ensure further experience and expertise in whatever field I choose to specialize in.
The one Texas A&M experience I will always remember is… One memorable experience during my time at Texas A&M University was my first Aggie football game that I attended in the Fall 2017 semester – Texas A&M versus Louisiana Lafayette! I was invited by my brother’s work colleague, Glen, to go watch the game with prime seals at the 40-yard line. When I entered the Kyle Field stadium, I felt this immense amount of school pride fill my soul as I saw thousands of fellow Aggies wearing maroon and white. That football game was when I actually learned how to do The Aggie War Hymn left/right sway and sang “saw Varsity’s horns off’ with my fellow Aggies. Prior to that moment, I hadn’t really felt a great deal of school spirit towards the university due to a lack of experiences related to Texas A&M University. However, after the football game, I was proud to be an Aggie.