By Amanda Taylor

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Although summer typically means a bit of a break for most students, Arturo Olivarez is about to be one busy fellow.

Starting in June, the UTRGV accounting major will start a prestigious paid internship in Dallas with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), one of the “Big Four” accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG. The internship allows Olivarez to pursue a larger internship opportunity next year within PWC.

“I’m excited to learn all I can at PWC and to see how each department works,” he said. “If all goes well, I’ll be able to sign up next year and have a more specific focus on a department of my choosing.”

And when the PWC summer internship is over, he heads off to Washington, D.C., in August to spend the fall semester as an Archer Fellow.

Olivarez, a Harlingen native, will focus on work in public policy and finance under the Archer Fellowship before returning to UTRGV in December.

Students participating in the Archer Fellowship Program are able to embark on challenging experiences that enable them to grow personally and professionally. The program helps steer students in their respective careers by offering a sense of career direction and key tools for success.

“Selected Fellows intern at whichever institution they choose, ranging from nonprofit to for-profit, and have the opportunity to collaborate with UT System staff,” Olivarez said. “I’ll be able to go around Washington, D.C., learning about policy and getting thrown into the fray of exactly how it all works.”

Olivarez, a junior, plans to pursue a law degree after graduating in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, to focus on economics and immigration. He attended a UTRGV Law School Preparation Institute (LSPI) last summer, and realized he wanted to incorporate his interest in both fields: accounting and law.

“This is where my tastes for law and finance start to come together,” he said. “With my accounting degree, I’m learning how things work from a financial standpoint. And the LSPI opened my eyes to a lot of issues with legality and litigation.

“Being from the Valley, I want to lean toward something that deals with finance and policy that is specific to the region I’m from,” he said.

ABOUT THE ARCHER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The Archer Fellowship Program was established by The University of Texas System in conjunction with former U.S. Representative Bill Archer as a way to bring highly motivated and accomplished students to Washington, D.C., for a comprehensive academic and professional experience. Selection is based on a competitive application process, and each cohort of Archer Fellows is comprised of the best and brightest students from across the UT System.

Archer Fellows intern full time with an organization of their choosing based on their own professional and academic goals and interests. Previous Archer Fellows have interned with a vast array of organizations such as the United Nations Information Center, the U.S. Department of State, offices within the White House and on Capitol Hill, and various nonprofit organizations. Students selected for the Archer Fellowship Program are responsible for securing their own internship, but receive one-on-one support from an Archer Center staff member throughout the search process.