Building skills, knowledge and community with Fresno State’s Hispanic Business Student Association

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — At Fresno State, several clubs and organizations aim to unite students with shared interests and goals.

One organization, the Hispanic Business Student Association, known as HBSA, was founded with the mission of preparing Latinos for the real world.

Randy Aoki remembers joining in 1986 and how it changed his life.

“It brought me out of my comfort zone of being shy. It led me to many great opportunities within the community,” Aoki said.

A few decades later, Aoki is again involved with HBSA, but this time as the Senior Lead Advisor.

His passion for helping students network and learn important skills runs deep.

“They have those skills and talents they can take away and be career ready when they leave Fresno State,” Aoki said.

The association has over 80 members, the most it’s ever seen since its creation in 1972.

Current president, David Hernandez, was excited to join and grow professionally.

“We have workforce development professionals come in and help with our resume, we have mock trial interviews, networking, we have taken company tours,” Hernandez said.

Yesenia Sanchez-Gutierrez, Vice President for Marketing and Digital Production, hopes to implement every skill she’s learned in the real world.

“How to run a meeting, how to write an email, how to behave in a professional setting. Stuff I have hands-on experience with as a member of HBSA,” Sanchez-Gutierrez said.

While networking and lessons have been instrumental, both students say the sense of family and community on campus also fills a void.

“That has also been a whole new layer of experiences and memories that I have unlocked,” Hernandez said.

Aoki says students of all backgrounds are welcome.

“In this global market it takes more than one ethnicity to build a community,” he said.

For news updates, follow Elisa Navarro on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.