Julio Sadorra

"I chose business administration as a major because it's a field where I can make the most of the chess skills I've developed over the years, including calculation (seeing several moves ahead), planning and anticipation. When faced with numerous possibilities during a game, I use these skills to help me find the best conceivable way to achieve my goal. Likewise, companies have to anticipate changes in economic variables and respond to new strategies or counter-strategies put forth by other companies.

My vision is to start a chess school. I've been playing and teaching chess for many years, so I think my degree will give me solid ground on the business aspect of my plan.

I'm an international student from the Philippines and Singapore. It was a rough adjustment during my first year, and I'm thankful for my family, friends on campus and my professors who provided laughter and entertainment and gave good advice.

Balancing chess—or any extracurricular activity—and academics isn't easy. Sometimes it can be a burden when my passion for books and thoughts of playing in big tournaments distract me from studying. But challenges like this push me to work harder."

—A student in the School of Management, Julio Sadorra enjoys learning new things. In his spare time, he reads chess and inspirational books. His favorite experiences at UT Dallas so far have been training and traveling with his teammates leading up to their victory in the 2010-2011 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Tournament in chess.