From left to right: UTSA students Catherine Hittson and Vincent Pham, Patton Systems CEO Ed Patton, Najim Center Associate Director Erica Clark, and UTSA students Alex Martinez and Jagwinder Singh. Through the Najim Strategist program, the students helped Patton determine if there was a market for his firm’s financial services product.
JANUARY 4, 2022 — Recognizing the value of experiential learning, four UTSA students were selected as inaugural participants in the Najim Strategist program sponsored by the Harvey E. Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement.
The six-week program exposed students to a real-world project from the business community.
The UTSA students who participated were Catherine Hittson, a junior marketing major; Alex Martinez, a junior statistics and data science major; Vincent Pham, a senior computer science major; and Jagwinder Singh, a senior cyber security major.
“Experiential learning opportunities allow students to hone their career readiness skills and gain direct experience with issues affecting their community,” said Erica Clark, associate director of the Najim Center. “These projects encourage interdisciplinary learning and allow students to think outside the box to solve real-world issues. We are meeting students where they are to provide them with valuable work experience.”
Working with Ed Patton, chief executive officer of Patton Systems, the team was asked to determine if there was a market for his firm’s financial services product. Conducting field research, the students surveyed various companies to determine market demand and delivered the recommendations to the owner.
“The UTSA team provided me with business and market insights that I wouldn’t have been able to obtain on my own,” Patton said. “The insights that they provided will be an important component as I move forward in the expansion of my practice.”
The Najim Strategist program is representative of UTSA’s ongoing efforts to provide new classroom-to-career educational opportunities for students. By offering tangible, meaningful training beyond traditional classwork, programs like these ensure that the university is building on its commitment to student success.
“I gained hands-on experience and worked collaboratively with a diverse team of students across different disciplines,” Martinez said. “This program is a great way to explore different disciplines and build your resume.”
Pleased with the students’ results, Patton will continue to work with the Najim Center in the spring to expand on the market research and enlist the students to develop methods to reach the large business community his system serves.
More than 12 different experiential learning projects will be available for student participants during the spring semester. The student roles are paid positions that span over four, six or eight weeks.
“We have a variety of partnerships that we’ve lined up for the spring including projects with the Pearl and the Alameda Theater,” Clark said.
The Najim Strategist program is open to all UTSA students from any major. Applications are already open and close on January 18.
Established in September 2020, the Harvey E. Najim Innovation and Career Advancement Center at UTSA advances the university’s Classroom to Career initiative. The Najim Center is a resource for students to explore their career potential. The center provides a variety of experiential learning opportunities for students to better understand how their degree and academic experience can advance their futures.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
This academically rigorous mathematics-based summer enrichment program prepares middle and high school students for advanced studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Participants learn about problem-solving systems, develop greater awareness of STEM careers and strengthen their research skills.
UTSA Main CampusArchaeology 101 will introduce campers to archaeology and build on learned skills through experimental activities (like cave painting, weaving, and garbology).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusThe camp exposes rising high school juniors, rising seniors and incoming college freshman to the many facets of the criminal justice system. Students will have opportunities to learn the functions of police in society and apply scientific theories to criminal investigations by examining a mock crime scene.
UTSA Main CampusThe Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center invites you to join us for the Summer Bridging Institute. This institute will focus on being lifelong growers and continually seeking to increase our skills as educators.
UTSA Downtown CampusArchaeology 201 will briefly go over the foundations of archaeology and related skills, followed by a different topic over the course of this week (like skeletal analysis, global cultures, and more).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusCraft a comic to create your own narrative and find your voice through storytelling. Participants will learn to create characters that are self-reflective and through a community lens.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusCome enjoy a discussion on art as a self expression in the age of moving technology and telling your story with a community.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.