Tsion Maru

Business administration, with a concentration in Marketing

Tsion Maru is a business administration major with a concentration in marketing who plans to declare a Spanish minor. She is studying abroad in Madrid this semester after returning from a solo trip to Lisbon, Portugal.

“I feel excited and optimistic about my junior year. I am off to a great start abroad and I can't wait to see where my travels take me,” Maru said. “Following my time abroad, I'm eager to return to campus and enjoy my last three semesters at Richmond.”

This summer, Maru worked at Genworth as a social media intern in the communications department. She is also deeply involved in creating content for Living Konjo, a beauty magazine and brand she co-founded. “We have been able to really grow this past year and have released our fifth issue, in collaboration with Student-Athletes of Color Alliance," Maru said. "The issue was meant to highlight Black women athletes who are able to excel in competitions and still pursue their career and academic aspirations."

Alvaro Ledezma

Business Administration and Mathematical Economics

Alvaro Ledezma is also studying in Madrid this fall. He’s immersing himself in a new culture and honing his Spanish skills. Although he is bilingual, Ledezma admits that he usually only speaks Spanish with his family.

“The highlight of studying abroad in Spain has been practicing my Spanish regularly and traveling to new destinations on the weekends,” Ledezma said. “So far, I’ve been to Valencia, Malta, and Munich.”

Ledezma is double-majoring in business administration and mathematical economics. He interned at Boston Consulting Group in their San Francisco office during the summer. “My team and I worked with a tech company on transforming their go-to-market system. It was awesome getting to apply what I’ve learned in class to real-life projects,” he said.

Ledezma will intern with the same company again next summer, this time in their New York City office.

Drew Borchert

Leadership Studies

Drew Borchert is a leadership studies major who plans to pursue minors in computer science and data science and statistics.

“I am super excited about junior year because it’s the year I really start to dive into my major and minors and develop a focus and potential interests in the fields where I want to work once college ends,” he said.

This summer, he shared his enthusiasm about UR as a tour guide with prospective students, gaining the added benefit of learning more about different parts of campus and the resources available to students. He’ll be back leading tours in the spring.

“I tell visiting students to try to get involved as much as possible because you can really branch out and find your thing here at Richmond,” he said.

Borchert keeps busy as the co-president of the Men’s Club Volleyball team. The team has been to the NCVF Volleyball Championships for the past two years. “We have an amazing group, full of fun and competitive drive,” he said.

Abby Ioannou

Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing

Over the summer, Abby Ioannou interned with College Town Communities in Malvern, Pennsylvania, a boutique real estate company located on the East Coast and Alabama, that focuses on student housing.

“I collaborated with their upper management team to provide overall insight into company operations as someone from their target demographic,” she said. “I worked on several marketing campaigns where I offered suggestions on how to best reach the Gen Z audience.”

Ioannou learned about the responsibilities of various departments within the company, including human resources, media analytics, and even the C-suite. The internship was funded through Spider Internship Funds, one of eight University Summer Research Fellowships.  

After much exploration, Ioannou chose to major in business administration, with a concentration in marketing. “I’ve always been curious about why people make the choices they do, and the psychology of consumer behavior drew me toward marketing specifically,” she said.

She is also minoring in dance. This year, she is serving as captain of the University of Richmond Dance Team, choreographing and teaching routines to new members as she leads the team through football and basketball seasons. 

“It has been truly rewarding to step into a leadership position, balancing the creative side of choreography with the organizational responsibilities of managing a team,” she said.