Highlights
· 1998 Latino Leadership Awards Banquet a Success!
· New Student Board Elected
· Next Banquet Date Set for Saturday, February 20, 1999
Inside
· HBSA Alumni Banquet Receives High Marks
· Visit our new on-line Alumni Registration web page!
· List of Banquet Attendees: Find Out Who You Missed!
The Newsletter of Stanford ’s Hispanic Business Students Association
Volume 3 • Issue 1
August 1998
The HBSA Aguila
The HBSA Prepares for Another Great Year!
4 The HBSA Aguila AUGUST 1998
The 1998-1999 HBSA Calendar[1]
First Quarter:
Resume Writing Workshop 9/25/98
NSHMBA Futures Night 9/26/98
Welcome Back Barbeque 9/28/98
NSHMBA Conference (Dallas) 10/1/98
LPF[2] 10/16/98
Football Game Tailgate Party 11/7/98
Latin Party with LAA[3] 11/21/98
Second Quarter:
Internship Search Workshop 1/18/98
Alumni Speaker 2/1/99
Latino Leadership Banquet 2/21/99
Joint Barbeque with LAA 3/13/99
Third Quarter:
Second Round Admit Barbeque 4/24/99
Cinco de Mayo Party 5/7/99
Year end Dinner at Jerry’s 6/3/99
Hispanic Professional Speaker 6/17/99
HBSA looking forward to an exciting 1998-1999
The Hispanic Business Students Association (HBSA) has a great year planned for 1998-99. With will continue the momentum built from the largest ever group of Latino students at the GSB. The events are designed to raise cultural awareness of Latino issues, offer networking opportunities within and outside of the GSB, and provide the group with opportunities to have fun!
To start the year off, we encourage alumni and students to attend the National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA) Bay Area Chapter’s first annual "Futures" Night, held at Santa Clara University's Adobe Lodge on Saturday, September 26th. This is NSHMBA's gala event to raise funds for college bound Hispanic high school students who qualify for advance placement testing for college credit, but lack the funds to register for such tests. Please call Veronica Guerrero at (650) 933-3936 with any questions.
The highlight of the year’s activities will be the third annual Latino Leadership Award Banquet on February 20, 1999. Based on our recent success, we believe the banquet will continue to grow as more alumni make the trip to Stanford to honor their colleagues.
In addition to the dinner, the HBSA plans to have many social, community, professional, and academic events throughout the school year.
Social events include:
· Dinners with Jerry Porras, our faculty mentor (author of Built to Last)
· Welcome back barbeque to catch up on summer experiences and welcome the entering class
· Cinco de Mayo Fiesta (co-sponsored by the law school)
· Football tailgate party for HBSA members and alumni
· Latin blowout party for the entire GSB (co-sponsored by the LAA)
Community, professional and academic events include:
· National Society of Hispanic MBAs conference held in Dallas
· Community outreach day
· Workshops on resume writing, interview skills, and electives selection
· Local alumni dinners
We plan to have a busy and fun year at the HBSA. We hope that you will not only attend these events, but also help us lead them as well as develop others. Please look for the HBSA table at club day or contact any of us individually to find out more.
1998-1999 Officers
Lisa Landry-Sarmina Co-President
Maria Olide Co-President
Andrew Uehling Alumni Chair
Kirsten Mendoza Social Chair
Jose Vamos Banquet Chair
Tom Burke Corporate Chair
Carla de Cervantes Corporate Chair
Horacio Zambrano Community Chair
Jose Feliciano Liaison with LAA
Drew Garcia Communications Chair
Please feel free to contact us at
Highlights for First Year Students
NSHMBA Conference:
The National Society of Hispanic MBAs will be holding their annual conference in Dallas, Texas on October 1-4, 1998. The conference promises to offer many career opportunities and a lot of fun. Our Co-president Lisa Landry-Sarmina received several job offers from contacts she made at last year's conference. In addition, Victor Arias, Class of 1981 alumnus, has offered to have a barbeque for all GSB students who attend the conference. If you are interested in attending the conference, please send Co-president Maria Olide an e-mail () expressing your interest. She will then contact you and help you make arrangement to attend the conference.
Resume Writing Workshop:
It might seem too early to start thinking about writing a resume; however, in order to have the HBSA resume book ready for the NSHMBA Conference on October 1-4, 1998, we need to start as soon as school starts. Fran Noble, from the Career Management Center, has graciously agreed to hold a resume workshop exclusively for HBSA first year students--a preview of a similar resume workshop that the remainder of the first years will need to attend a few weeks into the quarter. Please mark your calendars now for the Resume Workshop to help held on Friday, September 25, 1998.
Welcome BBQ
Professor and Club Advisor, Jerry Porras, has offered to host our welcome barbeque at his elegant home on Monday, September 28, 1998 at about 6pm. It will be a great time for first years to meet the other first year and the second year HBSA members as well as some alumni. Make sure not to miss the fun!
On-line Alumni Registration!
The ever-evolving HBSA web site now has an on-line form for alumni to enter their current information for our database. Please take the time to submit your information, even if you receive newsletters at the correct address.
Find the form at http://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/gsb-hbsa and follow the link to the alumni registration form.
- Drew Garcia
Passing the Torch
“It’s a real club now!” expressed 97-98 Co-President Rodney Prezeau at the end of year Hispanic Business Student Association Barbeque. That statement represents the culmination of an incredible and important year for HBSA.
Two years ago, Albert Lemus and Matt Pozos, 1995-96 and 1996-97 Co-Presidents, envisioned an organization at the GSB that fostered community among Hispanic students and alumni and fostered their professional and personal advancement. It was their vision and commitment that gave birth to the first annual Latino Leadership Award Banquet, which was held in February of 1997. The Banquet brought together students, alumni, admits, faculty and administration to share in an evening full of inspiration, camaraderie and unity.
The vision was furthered by 1997-98 Co-Presidents Rodney Prezeau and Jonathan Romanowsky. Their great commitment was an important factor in making the 1997-98 school year a very successful year for HBSA. In addition to the Second Annual Latino Leadership Award Banquet, HBSA held an LPF2, a resume workshop, several barbeques and several dinners with various corporations. The success of HBSA was fueled by the fact the class of 1998-99 held the largest class of Hispanic students in the history of the GSB. Having the numbers made a great difference to the club and is what lead Co-President Rodney Prezeau to say, “it’s a real club now!”
At the end of the Winter quarter, a new board was elected (see listing above) for the 1998-99 school year We would like to say thank you to everyone who helped make the 1997-98 school year a successful one, and we are looking forward to having another successful year in 1998-99!
- Maria Olide and Lisa Landry-Sarmina
1997-1998 HBSA Resume Book Available in October
If you or your company is interested in sourcing talented Latino students, look no further. Here is a prime source! Stanford GSB students have a variety of interests including management consulting, investment banking, and high-tech. The HBSA resume book, which includes resumes for all first and second year HBSA members, will be available in October, 1997. Donations to the HBSA, to cover the cost of printing the resume book, as well as postage and handling, are recommended but not required.
If you are interested in obtaining a resume book you can contact Tom Burke at
or Maria Olide at .
Advertise Your Company Here!
We have space available to run advertisements or announcements. For further information, please contact Maria Olide at .
Second Annual HBSA Alumni Banquet a Hit!
For the second year in a row, the Stanford Faculty Club’s main dining room served as the backdrop for a gathering of Latino students and alumni, who swapped stories and caught up over cocktails. The ninety or so attendees, up from seventy-five at last year's inaugural event, had a fabulous evening. Dean A. Michael Spence gave all present a formal introduction to the evening's events. After dinner, the HBSA Co-Presidents, Jonathan Romanowsky and Rodney Prezeau, started off the formal awards ceremony by introducing two new traditions. In order to enhance the community aspect of the award, last year's Jerry I. Porras Award winner, Fernando Inzunza (JD/MBA 1977), was recruited to present the award to this year's winner, Victor Arias Jr. (MBA 1982). The attendees were also treated to the unveiling of the Jerry I. Porras Award commemorative plaque, which describes the purpose of the award and lists each year's winner. Following the ceremony, the plaque was to be permanently displayed on the second floor foyer of the GSB.
Before conferring the award, however, Fernando Inzunza took a moment to honor the man for whom the award was named, Dr. Jerry Porras, a member of our own GSB faculty. In addition to acting as a mentor for Latino students at the GSB for nearly a quarter century, Dr. Porras was himself a recipient of the Brillante Award from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and is the co-author of the celebrated bestseller Built to Last. During his short acceptance speech, Victor Arias Jr., also a member of the Stanford Board of Trustees, thanked everyone present for the award and the students for organizing the event.
After the conferral of the award, the crowd was entertained by the Mariachi Cardenal de Stanford, a student group that performs traditional Mexican music. Dr. Porras concluded the formal part of the evening with a final toast to all present and a hope that this event would continue to serve as an annual gathering of the community. As a final note, Jonathan Romanowsky and Rodney Prezeau wrapped up the night by thanking the sponsors of the evening, Goldman Sachs, and the administrators, without whose help the evening would not have been possible. Showing their commitment to the banquet as well as the HBSA in general, the distinguished list of faculty and administrators in attendance included Michael Spence, David Brady, Margaret Neale, George Parker, Marie Mookini, Lynne Reynolds, Allison Rouse, and James Van Horne. Also in attendance were members of the HBSA's sister organization on campus, the Latin American Association, demonstrating the closer ties these two organizations have recently forged.
Many attendees then retired to the Blue Chalk in downtown Palo Alto for drinks and a few games of pool. Award winners mixed with other alumni, present students, and admits in a casual environment late into the night.
- Rodney Prezeau
Victor Arias Recieves 1998 Jerry I. Porras Award
The 1998 Jerry I. Porras Award for Latino Leadership was presented to Victor Arias, Jr. (Class of 1981). The Jerry I. Porras Award has officially become a tradition at the GSB. The award was presented at the second Latino Leadership Award Banquet, which was held on Saturday, February 21, 1998 at the Stanford Faculty Club. The Jerry I. Porras Award, named after current GSB professor and advocate for Hispanic students at the GSB, was created last year in order to honor Latino GSB graduates who have contributed to the Hispanic community throughout their careers.
The unanimous selection of Victor Arias was based on his dedication to various Latino communities, the GSB and Stanford University. Despite his young age, Victor has given a lifetime’s worth of community service. After leaving the GSB, Victor became a co-founder of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), which is a nationwide umbrella organization focused on assisting Hispanics through their careers. NSHMBA provides scholarships for potential MBA students, forums for MBA graduates to meet potential employers and ample social and networking events. Also, Victor served as the president of the Stanford Business School Alumni Association. In addition, Victor is the first Hispanic GSB graduate to serve on Stanford University’s Board of Trustees, a position he has held since 1996. Other achievements include serving on University of Dallas Board of Councillors, being a trustee of the Union League Boys and Girls Club, serving on the City of Chicago Advisory Panel being a board member of the Irving, Texas Economic Development Foundation and acting as trustee of the Irving Symphony Orchestra.
Despite his many accomplishments, Victor was quite surprised to learn that he had been chosen for the award. In his acceptance speech, Victor emphasized the importance of giving back to the community and his belief that Latino graduates of the GSB are in position to make great contributions to their Hispanic communities. He also praised Jerry Porras and Fernando Inzunza, the 1997 award winner, for acting as great role models for him, and other GSB students and alumni.
In addition to his charitable acts, Victor has achieved tremendous professional and personal success. He has held Partner and Vice President positions at LaSalle Partners and Faison-Stone (both world class real estate firms), respectively. Most recently, he acted on his entrepreneurial aspirations and started DHR International, the 10th largest executive recruitment firm in the country. Finally, he has a beautiful family with his wife Sandy and children Victor, Jacob and Crista. Lisa Landry-Sarmina commented after the banquet, “It’s wonderful to have a young GSB alumni achieve success and give back to the community and his school. He’s definitely made a difference.” Rodney Prezeau said, “Victor is a great role model. His passion for community service and devotion to his alma mater should inspire current GSB students and alumni to do more.”
After the banquet, Victor joined a group of GSB students and alumni at a game of pool at the Blue Chalk Cafe. Still riding his high, Victor, “the Shark” proceeded to win eight consecutive pool matches. That evening, the man could do no wrong.
- Jonathan Romanowsky
GSB Alumni and Students Attending the 1997 Banquet
Gary Andazola, Alumni
Victor Arias, Alumni
Gabriel Baldinucci, GSB Admit