Doctoral student Mauro Oliveira named 2013-2014 UTSA Beldon Scholar
(July 17, 2013) -- Mauro Gonzaga de Oliveira has been named the 2013-2014 recipient of the Louise and Michael Beldon Doctoral Scholarship.
Oliveira hails from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and moved to the United States in 1996. In 1998, he completed an M.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Houston. After working for a few years as an engineer and project manager, he started his M.B.A. at the University of Texas at Austin.
"The M.B.A. was a decisive experience in my life," said Oliveria. "I met exceptional professors who introduced me to corporate finance, accounting, and macro and microeconomics. The inter-relationship of the [business] disciplines is what fascinated me the most."
After receiving his M.B.A. in 2005, Oliveira worked in the private sector developing and managing a business unit and supporting CFOs and CEOs with strategic planning. It was professionally rewarding work, but he desired a more sophisticated intellectual challenge -- an academic career in finance.
"As a first step [to a career in academia], I decided to resume my academic studies with an M.S. in finance at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in preparation for a Ph.D." Oliveira graduated in May 2013, with a 4.0 grade point average and a master's degree in finance. Just before starting his second master's, Oliveira achieved U.S. citizenship status. He will start his Ph.D. in finance in the fall 2013 semester.
His research interest is corporate finance, and he wants to focus on the areas of mergers and acquisitions, valuations, studies related to capital structuring such as the issuing of equity and debt securities, IPOs, financial restructuring, bankruptcy and extend some of these analyses into the international arena.
Oliveira chose to remain at UTSA for his doctoral studies. "I was very impressed with the dedication and the quality of the faculty, which I had the privilege to meet during the master's in finance program," he said.
Two faculty members that stand out to Oliveira are Fathali Firoozi (economics) and Karan Bhanot (finance). "They mentored me in the consolidation of ideas. They are invested in their students' success both in the program and in preparation for post-graduate careers," he added. "They are the reason I continued at UTSA."
Being a recipient of the Beldon Scholarship is very important to Oliveira and his family, since he will not be working during the time he is in his doctoral program, dedicating his time solely to his academic studies. Post-graduation, he plans to stay in the South Texas/San Antonio area with his wife and two children.
"I love the area. I cannot think of any place I would rather raise my children and start a career in academia, contributing to society and to younger generations of students," Oliveira concluded.
Events
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.