{"id":57679,"date":"2025-04-08T10:51:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T16:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eccles.utah.edu\/?p=57679"},"modified":"2025-04-08T10:51:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T16:51:53","slug":"my-eccles-experience-dulce-vargas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eccles.utah.edu\/programs\/undergraduate\/my-eccles-experience-dulce-vargas\/","title":{"rendered":"My Eccles Experience: Dulce Vargas"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Dulce Vargas was heading toward graduation from Hunter High School in West Valley City, she was considering her higher education options.<\/p>\n

She knew she wanted to attend the University of Utah, but didn\u2019t have the financial resources to do so immediately. So \u2026 what, then? Take a gap year and save up? Start off at community college?<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my friends told me about this scholarship<\/a> called First Ascent: \u2018It\u2019s a full ride to the University of Utah. You should apply for it; I think you\u2019d be a great fit,\u2019\u201d Dulce recalled. \u201cI applied, went through the interview rounds, and ended up getting it. That was my golden ticket to the U.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a junior, she is one of 11 students in the First Ascent Scholars Program<\/a>\u2019s third-year cohort. With them, she\u2019s had many memorable experiences, big and small, ranging from a cohort trip to Spain this past May to meaningful mentorship from Advisory Board members Jeff and Helen Cardon. But what\u2019s most significant to her is how \u201cclosely knit\u201d the cohort has become over the past three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe peer and community aspect has been the most impactful part of being a First Ascent student,\u201d Dulce said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s really cool to be able to have that sense of family and community on campus. Having people that are just like me, that have grown up in similar situations, has been super-meaningful to me because if I didn\u2019t have them, my university experience would have been completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, her time at the David Eccles School of Business has included so much more, as she has fully immersed herself in university life.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also participated in Business Scholars, the Fashion in Business<\/u> student organization, and the Goff Strategic Leadership Institute<\/u>. And she\u2019s now part of the Doman Innovation Studio<\/u>,\u00a0and is working as an Eccles Ambassador, giving tours to and answering questions from prospective and just-admitted students and their parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a parent ask me, \u2018Why go to college if you’re going to be an entrepreneur? What’s the value in going to college if you’re going to start your own business?\u2019 And I explained to him we really want to make our students well-rounded. Once you come in, you’re going to start your first two years taking the intro courses, dipping your toe in finance, accounting, getting a good understanding of the basis of business fundamentals,\u201d Dulce recounted. \u201cAnd then with their entrepreneurship \u2026 whatever they want to build or whatever business they want to start, they will be supported from people here at the university to help their business excel. We really incubate the students to help them flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s been the case for her, as well. She came in intending to major in something like Management or Business Administration or Marketing \u2014 \u201csomething more creative, with soft skills.\u201d But all those introductory classes and learning business fundamentals led her to conclude that she was ready to take on something more analytical, and she\u00a0picked\u00a0Accounting.<\/p>\n

Whether she\u2019ll wind up pursuing a career in accounting remains to be seen \u2014 she\u2019s exploring all her options and isn\u2019t ready to solidify any one path just yet: \u201cI just go where the wind takes me!\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

She does have an idea, however, of continuing her academic journey past an undergraduate degree, and is investigating myriad master\u2019s programs (perhaps an MBA, or a MAcc to earn her CPA) with a goal of being admitted to an Ivy League program.<\/p>\n

That is still a bit down the road. For now, she\u2019s focused on wringing as much out of her college experience as she can. She\u2019s already made a ton of memories, including participating in Homecoming Court, helping to organize Fashion in Business\u2019s annual Fashion Show, and immersing herself in Oviedo, Spain for a semester via an exchange student study-abroad program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tell anybody I talk to \u2014 whether they\u2019re an incoming freshman or whatever \u2014 to get involved on campus,\u201d said Dulce. \u201cIt can be any club \u2014 I\u2019m in the Country Swing Dance Club<\/a>! I think it\u2019s fun; I\u2019m not very good at line dancing, but I can dance a little bit. But just get involved. We have over 600 clubs on campus, so just find what you like. \u2026 Getting involved and meeting new people has really made my experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Dulce Vargas was heading toward graduation from Hunter High School in West Valley City, she was considering her higher education options. 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