Scholars Academy: Alexander Hughes

The UNO College of Business Administration Scholars Academy is a close-knit community of ambitious, high-achieving business students who want to challenge themselves while pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

During this four-year program, Scholars are mentored by Omaha-area business professionals, take special business courses taught by award-winning faculty, and gain real-world experience through community engagement and international travel. They also receive generous scholarships.

Scholars are selected the spring of their senior year in high school after a rigorous and competitive application process.

Meet new member Alexander Hughes of Bellevue, Nebraska

Why did you choose UNO?

I chose UNO because I am from Omaha and I planned on staying in town to continue my studies. Both of my parents also attended UNO, and they are both successful in their own ways. UNO's business school also caught my eye as I've recently wanted to study to become an accountant. I think that staying in town to go to college is more attainable since it has the possibility to be cheaper with the same outcome for learning. I have also heard that UNO's business academy has great opportunities to continue into a job right out of college.

Why did you choose business as a major?

I chose business as a major because my grandfather and uncle are both in the business field for their work. They are both bankers and I want to follow in their footsteps in the financial side of business. I enjoy working with mathematics and numbers, so I think this is the right field of study for me. My senior year in high school I have began to introduce myself into business classes to prepare myself for what it will be like, and I maintain myself through those classes.

What business concentration are you planning to pursue? Why?

I would like to get into accounting because it offers a good salary as well as good connections to multiple opportunities. My accounting class in high school is complicated but I got through it, and I enjoy learning more about accounts and how to balance them. I enjoy working with numbers and that is what accounting is, trying to make everything balance to make sure that everything is checked.

What aspect of the Scholars Academy are you most looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to the interactions between the other scholars in the Scholars Academy. We are all in the same boat as we have been selected out of many applicants to be in this academy. I'm excited to get to know all of them and work together to have business start-ups as well as business opportunities. We'll all help motivate each other to stay committed to our studies and become successful in our careers.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to hang out with friends and play video games in my free time. Although, I plan to work a lot during school and during break, but I like to make sure I have enough time to do all three. When I hang out with my friends, we usually play poker and we always have a blast as someone new wins every time. I play video games with my friends as well, and we could play for as many hours in a day and have the same enjoyment each time. It's all about making memories for me and living in the moment, but making sure I don't do anything dumb that could ruin the rest of my life.

What is one thing we would be surprised to know about you?

One thing that is surprising about me is that I love to sing. I come off as a shy guy, but once you get to know me, I open up incredibly. I could listen to any song and fall in love with it if you give me the chance. Any genre, if its appealing to my ears, I'll memorize every lyric and sing along to it. Sometimes I surprise my girlfriend when I put on one of her songs in the car and sing every lyric to it, because we both have different music tastes. So even though I'm quiet at first, get to know me and you won't hear the end of me.