Alumni: Where are they now?

Name: Mauricio Saldaña Jr.

Age: 26

Hometown: Hidalgo

Degree: Business Administration and Marketing

Graduation year: 2014

Job: Fan engagement strategist at State Farm Arena

How would you describe your college years? “It was fun. I really did enjoy this campus. If there is one thing I always talk about is that UTRGV really does have a good business program and that was when it was still the University of Texas Pan American. So, I can only imagine the wonders that they are doing now.”

What do you miss most about college? “I miss school. I miss meeting different people and networking.”

What motivated you to pursue your degree? “I came across an adviser and initially, UTPA was offering the whole international business program, but they were killing the program. I guess not enough funds, so they told us we had to switch. So, I narrowed it down between management and marketing. And I asked one of the advisers, ‘Should you do this all over again, which route would you go?’ And he really motivated me to go towards the marketing side. The reason why was because you can learn management through training. You can get that by working in a company for an x amount of years. Now, marketing, he kind of predicted that the image or perception of a company would be a big impact through social media. And that got me. So, I told myself, I’m going to learn management through marketing regardless. But what I’m going to benefit from marketing is learning how to make whatever business I’m working for different. [I’m going to make] its perception different and bring in clients that are not being attended to or get an undiscovered market, etc., etc.”

Did your degree prepare you for the real world? “Yes and no. It’s way different. School, classes, your instructors, and your professors, everything is structured. The world isn’t. It changes. Once you graduate, be self-aware. You need to take time. Don’t be afraid to just take a step back and kind of figure out what it is that you really want to do with your life. Figure out what your strengths are first. If you notice that you like to be in a certain environment and you feel at your best, then find a way to maneuver your way there and create a type of career out of it.”

Briefly describe what you do in your job? “So, my position is usually given towards sports venue/teams, like the NFL. The Cowboys and all of them will have fan engagement strategists. Now, something that the State Farm Arena is trying to do is trying to identify the audience here in the Rio Grande Valley. So, I have a few interns from UTRGV, who are great individuals and they are very insightful and they are bringing a lot of case studies as well. So, what I have them do is that during events, I have them go take a few surveys here and there. It’s a sample survey and we want to find out where the audience was hearing about the event. Was it from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. and comparing it to television, radio, the newspaper and believe it or not, 70 percent were hearing about the event through Facebook. And it made sense, but we never had the proof. We were able to prove that the majority of people that follow us are between the ages of 25 to 34. They are mostly from Hidalgo County, and Cameron County is second. During our Hispanic Pop events we actually have about 80 percent that come from Mexico. So, one thing that we were able to identify was that State Farm Arena has a big advantage on serving two countries at the same time, Mexico and the U.S. Now, what we are trying to do is figure out if radio serves a purpose. We are trying to figure out if Pandora, or any online music-streaming app, is a better way to go because people spend more time on their apps. So, you could say, my job title is kind of like the science behind our audience.”

Do you do something else besides your current job? “Yes, another business, actually. It’s a construction site, residential and it’s known as Villa del Sol Construction. I’m handling the marketing part of it. It’s a new construction company. We are about a year and a half into the Rio Grande marketing and we are focusing on trends for certain looks for homes. We are not just bringing in traditional. We are bringing in modern looks, whether it’s from Vegas, New Jersey, or Chicago, so kind of look out for us. From the market research that I have done, we are No. 2 on social media presence in the Valley.”

What experiences have you had that you would say are out of the ordinary since graduating? “I can’t say I have, but I feel like I’m heading that direction. I can feel like something is going to happen. I can just say that; I feel it’s coming.”

What is the most memorable moment of your career? “I’m the youngest person at the State Farm Arena and one of the youngest at Villa del Sol. So, when these older people notice your work and they start to take you more seriously and they forget about your age, it makes you more creditable.”

What keeps you pushing forward? “Motivation is really hard. I’m not perfect. I’m motivated and then sometimes I’m not. I have a vision board. My girlfriend brought it up and she explained it to me. Even my yoga instructor told me about it. So, I looked into it. I put images together and the way I interpret is where I want to be and it helps me work towards it. I have it in my room and I look at it every night. It reminds me of where I want to be and it plays a good part into my motivation.”

What’s next, careerwise? “I don’t know, but I know where I want to be. This is where my vision board comes into play. I know what I want my life to look like and I know what I want to be doing. When I envision myself successful, I see myself looking down my window of a skyscraper into the city. I don’t know if it’s going to be here; in fact, it can be anywhere. But, that is what I envision. So, I don’t know where that is going to take me or what line of work I’ll end up at. I just know that right now, and I’m going to hustle because that is the key. So, I’m going to work to get to that goal.”

What advice do you have for anyone pursuing your degree? “After you graduate, don’t go after your master’s real quick. I don’t have my master’s. Nowadays, it was rare that they looked at my résumé. They might have looked at it, but in my interviews they never talked about how I did in school or my GPA or you took these classes. No, it was more about ‘Who are you as a person?’ What skills are you going to bring to my company? And I felt that whether you had your master’s, one thing they always asked was, ‘Do you have any experience?’ So, try to get experience in marketing. Try to get as much experience as possible. Also, there is a difference between branding and marketing. They are very different, so make sure you know the difference. Another thing, always network and get rid of people who are poison. Don’t hang around people who are in the ‘party phase.’ I noticed once I got out of that group and I started hanging out with like-minded people, I could start to see the difference. Hang out where you know these types of individuals will hang out. Are they going to be Friday or Saturday night at the club or are they going to be at Barnes & Noble? Also, engage with your professors after class because the only way you’re going to see something different is by doing something different.”

–Compiled by Brenda Garza