Although the end of our time on campus came sooner than expected, we would be remiss not to take a moment to reflect on the countless memories we have made this year. Many of our members can attest to the growth they experienced and relationships they created throughout the course of this year, thanks to HBA.

Our school year started off in New Braunfels, Texas, where we welcomed the Class of 2023 with open arms at the annual Leadership Kickoff. We were met with fancy food, scorching heat, quirky icebreakers, Lizzo karaoke, and many new friends. After three days on the ranch, we returned to ATX, exhausted yet energized to take on the new school year. 

Our weekly Tuesday meetings, which began soon after, were a great way to continue connecting with each other, corporate professionals, and alumni. Whether we inquired about internship opportunities at Southwest Airlines, learned about the looped classroom concept from Mark Rodgers, or munched on Odile Du’s delicious homemade treats, we walked out of every meeting with inspired minds and full stomachs. 

 We had the opportunity to bond with some of the people who are most integral in our BHP lives. We took a break from bombarding Steph and Paul with questions about our classes to share some Tex Mex with them. We dined with none other than Phil Canfield. Greta warmly welcomed us at her house for brunch, Tej shared some of his profound life advice, and Dr. Almazan jammed out to some karaoke with us. 

We were able to establish strong big-little connections, whether it be in the CBA Events Room for Big Little Game Night, at Lady Bird Lake for Big Little Lake Clean Up, or on a Zoom call during quarantine. We love witnessing the strong mentorship that has come through this program and the even tighter friendships that have been established.

In both semesters, we also had second-to-none opportunities to build our professional networks. We met corporate sponsor representatives at the Fall Company Dinner, played Spikeball in front of the tower with Spikeball executives, and visited HEB’s Austin Tech Hub to chat with company leaders.

Upon returning from winter break, we had our annual company field trip to look forward to in Seattle. We visited and toured company offices such as Amazon and PwC, and in our free time, we ate Beecher’s ‘best mac and cheese in the world’, drank coffee at the Starbucks roastery, and toured classic Emerald City attractions.

Of course, HBA would not be what it is if it did not do its part to serve the community. We participated in a year-wide fundraiser for Texas THON, and volunteered with organizations around Austin like Generation Serve and Posada Esperanza. We maintained momentum during quarantine as well, pledging to support the Black Lives Matter movement going forward. 

Most importantly, we bonded with each other. We hiked, solved “murder mysteries”, carved pumpkins, and broke piñatas with each other. We confided in one another, took on challenges together, learned from our experiences, and grew with each other. 

2020 has definitely come with its obstacles. As much as we wish for the unexpectedness to come to an end, it is up to us to make the most of the challenges we have been presented with. We are confident that we will all find ways to grow from this situation so that we can come back in the fall, ready to have a year more exceptional than the last.