Alum Edward Carrizales was featured in an article from Voyage Houston
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Career NewsToday we’d like to introduce you to Edward Carrizales.
Edward, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in McAllen, TX but raised here in Houston, TX. I was the first in my family to graduate from High School and attend college.I grew up in NW Houston, TX in Spring Branch. Growing up, we didn’t have much but both of my parents provided me the essentials in order to follow my dreams. I ended up graduating from Scarborough High School in 2009 as the class valedictorian and was awarded the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship and the Jesse H. Jones Scholarship.
My first two years, I attended Texas A&M University but decided to transfer to The University of Houston where I ended graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors in 2013. This was the best decision ever and at the University of Houston, I flourished into the individual that I am today.
In 2012, I was awarded the Latino of the Year award by Deloitte at the annual Association Of Latinos Professionals For America at their annual convention. This was a nationwide award and was also awarded a 10,000 scholarship.
Currently, I work for Amegy Bank as a Business Systems Analyst and recently was the President of the UH Hispanic Alumni Association. From 2018 to the beginning of 2020, I helped the organization grow and raise over $25,000 towards scholarships. From 6 Board Member to 25 now, the organization has become one of the leading organizations on campus.
I’ve been awarded Community Service awards from my company as I’m involved heavily in the community. Some of my roles include being a board members to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Alumni Task Force, Committee Members for the Information Services Committee, member of the Hispanic Alumni Association and recently was asked to join the UH Alumni Foundation Board.
I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without the help of many individuals that have paved the way for me to be successful. From my parents to my amazing mentors, I’ve been blessed with a great support cast that I’m forever thankful to.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not at all, I come from a humble and hard-working family. Growing up as a First-Generation College Student, everything is new and obstacles come at you daily. Wondering how you are going to pay for school, wondering what you need to do in order to succeed are questions that I asked myself daily.My first obstacle was trying to go to college. My parents didn’t have the money to pay for my education. I was fortunate enough to apply to over 25 scholarships during my senior year that I was able to pay for part of my education that way. The other method was to work part-time while being a full-time student to pay for the rest of my education and to help my family with household bills.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In the last few years, I’ve been heavily involved in the community. In 2017, I graduated from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader Institute and decided to give back to my community.I started by getting involved at the University of Houston Hispanic Alumni Association. I started out as the Special Events Chair, where we planned new events such as a Loteria Night in order to raise funds for scholarships. A year later, I was appointed as President of the organization and was tasked with growing the organization. In 2018, we only had six active board members planning big events such as our 1st ever Fashion Show, which turned out to be successful. It was no easy task but word started spreading and more Alumn started getting involved and helping us out throughout the year with our other events such as our famous soccer tournament. In 2019, our board grew to 15 active board members and we were able to raise over $10,000 for scholarships that year. Today, we have over 20 active board members and continue to grow.
I was also one of the youngest recipients of the BILLIE SCHNEIDER OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER AWARD. The Billie Schneider Outstanding Volunteer Award recognizes alumni who exemplify a spirit of volunteerism to advance UHAA’s mission. This award will be given to me at the UH Alumni Gala in November of 2020.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Definitely some luck but I like to say that I have been blessed in my life. There’s been many obstacles thrown at me but I’ve always had the opportunity to overcome them and continue on my way of realizing my life journey.Contact Info: