TAMIU Banking Academy, Art Students Meet Mozart, Find New Learning Intersections Beyond the Classroom
San Antonio, TX. --Fifty students from Texas A&M International University’s A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business and the TAMIU Banking Academy, alongside students from the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, department of Fine and Performing Arts, experienced an unforgettable beyond-the-classroom learning opportunity at Opera San Antonio’s recent October production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
The event began with a luncheon that fostered camaraderie among students and faculty before transitioning to a Banking & Finance Career Panel at the Tobin Center’s Feik Family Rotunda. The panel featured four distinguished industry professionals: Brent Cox, Texas Bankers Association; Austin Martínez, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas – San Antonio Branch; Antonio Moreno, Rio Bank, and George Saucedo, Texas Community Bank.
Moderated by Dr. Luis A. Perez-Batres, dean and Radcliffe Killam Distinguished Professor of the Sanchez School, the 90-minute panel offered students candid insights into professional growth, leadership, and purpose in the banking industry. The Q&A extended beyond its scheduled time, with students engaging with panelists in lively post-discussion conversations.
Adding an artistic dimension to the day, Dr. Suzanne Ramo, soprano and associate professor at Texas State University, drew parallels between the discipline of opera performance and professional excellence.
“This first public outing of the TAMIU Banking Academy embodied what we stand for — bridging academia and industry for student success and community impact,” said Dr. Perez, “It’s about connecting knowledge with culture and purpose. We deeply appreciate all the collaborators and partnerships that brought this experience forward. Their dedication helped make the day an extraordinary intersection of finance and art — an experience that brought learning to life.”
As the evening performance of The Magic Flute began, students reflected on how excellence — whether in art or business — requires both inspiration and precision.
“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Perez for imagining and sharing this wonderful opera experience with our music students,” said Dr. Fritz Gechter, interim chair of the TAMIU department of Fine and Performing Arts, “It was a truly inspired idea to bring our programs together — uniting business and music students for a day of art, conversation, and shared learning. It’s the kind of collaboration that makes a TAMIU education unforgettable.”
Dr. Perez also expressed appreciation to Dr. Claudia San Miguel, TAMIU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, for her support of experiential learning and community partnerships like the Opera San Antonio initiative. He offered special thanks to Madeline Elizondo, of Opera San Antonio, for donating student tickets and facilitating use of the Feik Family Rotunda space.
Joining TAMIU student groups at the event were Rosalinda García, vice president for Student Engagement; Dr. Fritz Gechter; Dr. Jacqueline Kelly, TAMIU instructional assistant professor; Leonela Preciado, Banking Academy manager, and TAMIU adjunct faculty member Cristina Sepúlveda.
To learn more about the TAMIU Banking Academy, contact Preciado at 956.326.2502 or by email at leonela.preciado@tamiu.edu.
For more about TAMIU’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts, contact Dr. Gechter, at 956.326.2639 or at fgechter@tamiu.edu.
About TAMIU
Texas A&M International University is a nationally ranked, regionally focused University with a rich and proud history of delivering transformative educational opportunities that change the trajectory of its students, their families, and South Texas. Its impactful force is delivered daily by a gifted and global faculty leading 55-degree programs at bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels...all on a dynamic 300-acre residential campus.
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Guest presenters and TAMIU organizers join students as they ready to experience Opera San Antonio’s revolutionary production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute last week.