Welcome to Launch: An Interview with President and Founder Bri Delatorre
Welcome to the Freshman Launch Blog! To kick things off, we decided to do an interview with our very own president and founder, Bri Delatorre. Read on to learn more about Bri and her experience on the Forty Acres!
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What made you come to UT?
When I began looking for colleges, I knew I wanted a big school. I love sports and meeting new people, and I wanted to have all the diversity of social and academic opportunities available at a large university. When I got into McCombs, and especially BHP, I saw the chance to integrate what I loved about going to a big school with the chance to also be a part of a smaller and more tightly knit community. By studying within McCombs at UT, I was able to combine these elements, and that was what made it stand out to me. I also really liked that UT has a definite campus feeling while still having access to a city like Austin that has so many cool things to experience.
What did you like most about your freshman year?
My favorite part of my freshman year in a broad sense was the chance to experience so much new. In the McCombs curriculum, I was exposed to classes like MIS that explored subjects I knew nothing about. I got the chance to meet more people in my first couple months on campus than I had in my last four years at high school, and even coming back as a sophomore I’m so excited to continue growing those friendships. At the time, things like living away from home, forming a whole new circle of friends, and going to my first networking event to meet alumni who have careers I can picture myself having seemed fun and exciting. But looking back, I can see that it was more impactful than just fun. These new experiences allowed me to gain a better understanding of who I am and the goals I have for my time at UT and my future, and those opportunities were definitely a highlight of my freshman year.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be?
If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be to really make an effort to make connections with older students in your freshman year and especially during the first semester. Coming into college, my primary goal was to build relationships within my own class. I didn’t pay much attention to the older students who I met around campus. As the year went on though, I saw peers around me who had gotten to know sophomores and juniors in their clubs, sororities and fraternities, sports teams, and that sort of thing. I realized that they were not only a great source of friendship, but also a wealth of information, connections, and advice. Overall, I think it’s really beneficial to start forming those connections as a freshman and I wish someone would've told me that before arriving on campus. The few upperclassmen that I did reach out to for advice were so willing to talk with me and share their experiences, and now being a sophomore myself I’m really looking forward to the chance to be on the other side of that relationship.
Why should a freshman join Launch and where do you see the club going in the future?
Along with my personal passions for leadership and growth, the main reason I founded this club, and the reason that I think freshmen should join, is tied closely with the ideas I mentioned in the last question. Having just finished our first year, I feel that the Launch exec team has an extremely unique and valuable perspective. We have insight into the experiences that most enabled us to grow as leaders and develop as individuals on the whole, and know what gaps the classroom left in terms of the professional skills we need. My goal in founding Launch is to leverage that perspective to form an experience that is a genuinely enjoyable and transformational aspect of our club members’ freshman years. Launch’s program is unique from other similar efforts because it is designed by those who know best what its members need. The exec team and I are so looking forward not only to acting in this mentorship role, but also to truly get to know our club members on a personal level and form the type of relationships I described above. My goal for Launch is that this cycle will continue. I hope that in the Spring of 2021, the freshmen who were once Launch members will transition into taking over exec roles to act as leaders and mentors for those coming after them.
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To learn even more about Bri and the rest of our executive team, click here! You can also connect with us on our social media platforms linked below. Stay tuned for more content to come, and as always, hook ‘em!