As a result of the transformative experience that Chris had while participating in the European Innovation Academy 2017 (EIA), he was reminded of his commitment to continuing his education, while mentoring others wishing to pursue an international study abroad opportunity.  The value of the international experience has manifested itself into scholarship money that Chris has donated back to the University and the College of Business for the purpose of supporting current students who need financial assistance to make a study abroad opportunity possible.  Chris also donates his time to assist students as they prepare for the EIA experience by acting as a College of Business Study Abroad Alumni Ambassador.  Chris’s desire to help current Jaguars has been extended to his becoming a Finance Major/Mentor for Freshmen.

Chris states “my goals are to become a reliable team-player, implement what I learned from my business studies at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and grow to become a leader.  I also aspire to become a subject matter expert and learn as much as possible from my peers and leaders at Zachry.”

Chris’s current Director at Zachry, a fellow A&M-SA graduate, shares the following: “Chris currently works as an IT Business Analyst for Zachry Group.  In that role Chris serves as a liaison between the Information Technology Enterprise Support Team and end business systems users working in the different Zachry Group companies.  Mainly Zachry Industrial Inc., Zachry Engineering Company and JVIC.  He interfaces with end users to understand their business and processes requirements, documents those requirements and then looks for innovative solutions to automate manual processes and fill current system gaps.  In order to do his job correctly, Chris has to understand not only the business environments and industries Zachry works in but also understand the technical landscape of business systems and translate the business needs into systems requirements.  It is a role that requires a diverse skill set that ranges from interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills and technical systems skills, in both a domestic and international capacity.”   

Chris states that his most important personal achievement, up to this point, is being featured in the Turino News Paper (Italy) and on the EIA internet site for placing 6^th out of 95 teams from around the world (2017) at the conclusion of his teams new product validation (in Rome) and pitch (in Turin).