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Marketing Major Motivated by Lessons Learned in Soules College

Montoya Hayden Montoya of Tyler has learned valuable lessons he will carry throughout life. Some of the most important, he said, he learned as a Soules College of Business student at The University of Texas at Tyler.

Born in Mojave, California, Montoya moved to Texas at a young age and discovered UT Tyler as a Patriots golf men’s team recruit. He quickly “fell in love” with the small-town atmosphere that the university displays.

The most helpful lessons he has learned at UT Tyler include the importance of networking and making connections.

“Everyone is very inviting, and that fact allows you to make some great friends and great connections with the faculty, staff and other students around you,” the UT Tyler senior marketing major said.

Montoya took what he learned and seized an opportunity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many students, Montoya’s internship for the summer of 2020 was cancelled. But that didn’t stop him from becoming successful.

"I was fortunate to learn carpentry growing up, and when the entire nation was on lockdown, most people my age didn’t and couldn’t work,” he said. “I saw this as an opportunity that I needed to capitalize on.”

Montoya launched his own construction company that summer, naming it Montoya Built. “Since almost everyone was home, many people thought it would be a great time to customize and enhance the value of their homes,” he said. “This proved to be the case and allowed me to work for a number of great people and do some exciting projects.”

“At the end of the day, you have to evaluate the situation, come up with a game plan, and then try to execute to the best of your ability – and then persevere through all the trials and tribulations,” he added.

The college’s Personal Selling course taught by Dr. Krist Swimberghe, interim dean, has also made one of the biggest impacts on Montoya’s life. Although the course teaches students how to develop and grow as a sales professional, Montoya noted, it truly teaches how students should present themselves and interact with others.

Montoya golfing “One of the staples he teaches in his course is being an empathetic listener,” Montoya said. “This applies to more than just selling. When you meet a new classmate, teammate or colleague, you should listen to what they say attentively and not just think about your response. You should truly care about other people’s opinions or thoughts and have a full understanding of why they may feel a certain way.”

Montoya will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing with a minor in finance. He will begin his professional career this summer working at Oracle, a multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Austin.

“Ultimately, as long as I can make a difference in this world, then I will always feel successful,” he added. “I would like to be a person that people can look up to both in a professional setting and on a personal level, and the Soules College of Business helped show me that.”

Outside of school, Montoya has volunteered with The First Tee, a program dedicated to teaching the game of golf and instilling core values to young, developing players. A self-proclaimed adventurous person, he enjoys hiking, camping and exploring national and state parks.

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