Mays Business Online

Recruiter Sonia Garcia's diverse background helps her connect with students

BY ALYCIA C. ZUEHLKE

Staff Profile - Sonia Garcia Lock eyes with Sonia Garcia and you will immediately receive a smile. Mays' undergraduate recruitment coordinator knows how to welcome people. Although welcoming people isn't just part of her job, it is also her life philosophy.

"Treat others like you would like to be treated and you will get good results," Garcia says, quoting one of her life mottos.

For Garcia, appreciating people is easy. She spent her childhood and young adult years immersed in various cultures, living in several countries and learning four languages. These diverse experiences help Garcia in her role of piquing high school students' interest in attending Mays Business School.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Garcia's family moved to Puerto Rico when she was 13. She lived there until 1989 when she moved to Boston to begin her college education at the University of Massachusetts, where she earned a BS in political science, international relations and French.

"It was very challenging, the first few years, learning a new language and going to college, but I had the support of my parents," Garcia says. "My parents don't have college educations, yet they've always been very supportive of education for me." Their encouragement led her to earn a master's from the University of Rhode Island and a doctorate in higher education administration from Michigan State University, which she hopes to complete by December 2004.

Garcia believes her education and exposure to different cultures enables her to understand more about life and work well with diverse people. This is especially beneficial in helping Garcia connect with high school students. She travels throughout Texas meeting with prospective college students — many of which are first-generation college students like her.

"I have really embraced every country, every culture that I've been and I try to immerse myself into the culture," says Garcia, whose Italian husband, Leonardo Lombardini, is an assistant professor with Texas A&M's Department of Horticulture Sciences. "I embrace everything in the culture and it is not difficult for me at all because of all of these similarities that I think (people) have."

After spending her life in cultures around the globe, adjusting to new places is nothing new for Garcia. Her calm when faced with new circumstances helps her reassure incoming college students wary of the unknown.

"It's a great place," says Garcia about Mays Business School. "As a recruiter you have to sell the school, (but) when you are in an environment where you like everything, it doesn't really take a lot of effort."

Garcia enjoys helping students embrace all that Mays has to offer. She also believes her role is vital because it helps bridge the gap between students, parents and the university.

"My position not only helps decrease the bureaucracy and red tape that students might encounter when applying to an institution as large as A&M and to a school as competitive as Mays," says Garcia. "But it also helps to create the much-needed personal touch that parents and students crave — I think that is definitely key."

Ultimately, she says, her goal is to bring the brightest and the best students to Mays and A&M.

Knowing Garcia, that should not be difficult. @



Recruiter Sonia Garcia's diverse background helps her connect with students BY ALYCIA C. ZUEHLKE	Lock eyes with Sonia Garcia and you will immediately receive a smile. Mays' undergraduate recruitment coordinator knows how to welcome people. Although welcoming people isn't just part of her job, it is also her life philosophy. "Treat others like you would like to be treated and you will get good results," Garcia says, quoting one of her life mottos. For Garcia, appreciating people is easy. She spent her childhood and young adult years immersed in various cultures, living in several countries and learning four languages. These diverse experiences help Garcia in her role of piquing high school students' interest in attending Mays Business School. Born in the Dominican Republic, Garcia's family moved to Puerto Rico when she was 13. She lived there until 1989 when she moved to Boston to begin her college education at the University of Massachusetts, where she earned a BS in political science, international relations and French. "It was very challenging, the first few years, learning a new language and going to college, but I had the support of my parents," Garcia says. "My parents don't have college educations, yet they've always been very supportive of education for me." Their encouragement led her to earn a master's from the University of Rhode Island and a doctorate in higher education administration from Michigan State University, which she hopes to complete by December 2004. Garcia believes her education and exposure to different cultures enables her to understand more about life and work well with diverse people. This is especially beneficial in helping Garcia connect with high school students. She travels throughout Texas meeting with prospective college students — many of which are first-generation college students like her. "I have really embraced every country, every culture that I've been and I try to immerse myself into the culture," says Garcia, whose Italian husband, Leonardo Lombardini, is an assistant professor with Texas A&M's Department of Horticulture Sciences. "I embrace everything in the culture and it is not difficult for me at all because of all of these similarities that I think (people) have." After spending her life in cultures around the globe, adjusting to new places is nothing new for Garcia. Her calm when faced with new circumstances helps her reassure incoming college students wary of the unknown. "It's a great place," says Garcia about Mays Business School. "As a recruiter you have to sell the school, (but) when you are in an environment where you like everything, it doesn't really take a lot of effort." Garcia enjoys helping students embrace all that Mays has to offer. She also believes her role is vital because it helps bridge the gap between students, parents and the university. "My position not only helps decrease the bureaucracy and red tape that students might encounter when applying to an institution as large as A&M and to a school as competitive as Mays," says Garcia. "But it also helps to create the much-needed personal touch that parents and students crave — I think that is definitely key." Ultimately, she says, her goal is to bring the brightest and the best students to Mays and A&M. Knowing Garcia, that should not be difficult. @