UTSA students test their problem-solving skills during HSI Battle of the Brains

The UTSA team prepares to compete at the HSI Battle of the Brains, an experiential diversity recruiting showcase and cross-disciplinary challenge, in Austin from March 8-12.

MARCH 9, 2022 — A team of UTSA students is competing March 8-12 against 10 other Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) from around the country in the second annual HSI Battle of the Brains. The competition is happening in Austin during South by Southwest at Expedia Group, which is sponsoring the competition, and the finals will be held at the Austin Public Library.

Battle of the Brains serves as an HSI national championship, as well as an experiential diversity recruiting showcase of top diverse talent from colleges and universities around the country.

Seven students from different colleges and disciplines make up the UTSA team, and each participating team must be at least half female and half Latino. The teams have 24 hours to develop a solution to a cross-disciplinary challenge that they receive at the competition. Students will curate a marketing plan, pitch the idea and showcase a demo of the idea to a panel of judges. The teams are also encouraged to incorporate design, policy, business and STEM components into their business or tech solutions.

“I hope to gain a great experience working with fellow Roadrunners to represent UTSA.”

Additionally, students will participate in tours of companies in Austin and attend workshops to grow their skill sets in engaging ways. They also will attend panel discussions with professionals in business and tech industries to enhance their professional development and grow their network base.

Teja Guda, UTSA’s Jacobson Distinguished Professor of Innovation Entrepreneurship in the UTSA Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design; and Erica Clark, associate director of innovation and career advancement in the UTSA Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement; are serving as the faculty leads for the students during the competition.

“My role is to work closely with the students to ensure they have what they need to stay organized and work together in a succinct way,” Clark explained. “I’m mostly there to motivate and encourage the team as they represent UTSA.”

Guissel Mora, a UTSA senior in communication and a first-generation student from Chicago, is part of the UTSA team.

“I hope to gain a great experience working with fellow Roadrunners to represent UTSA,” Mora said. “We can all learn from each other on how to better communicate and get the task at hand completed.”

The teams will compete until five move on to finals to determine the HSI Battle of the Brains champion. The winning team will receive $25,000 in scholarship prizes. The second place team will earn $15,000 and the third place team will receive $10,000.

In addition to UTSA, some of the other participating HSI colleges include Lehman College, Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey City University, Rutgers University-Newark, St. Edwards University, Texas State University, the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

UTSA is a Tier One research university and a Hispanic Serving Institution that is taking bold steps to advance social mobility and economic opportunities for Latinos and other underrepresented communities.

As part of its strategic vision to become a model for student success, UTSA is developing and implementing policies, practices and support systems to intentionally promote Latino student success remove barriers to graduation, and advance social mobility and economic opportunities for Latino students. These efforts are raising standards across the university, benefitting every student who attends UTSA.

— Breannah Ruesga