Beta Gamma Sigma honor society offers career boost for students

The Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship was eligible to start a Beta Gamma Sigma student chapter after receiving accreditation from AACSB International —The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, considered the world’s leading association of business schools in 2023. 

More than 100 high-achieving MAK College students, including Hadnot-Roberts, joined the BGS chapter in the spring and fall of 2024. And, in the fall of 2024, BGS faculty advisors Jason Lambert, PhD, and Zhen Li, PhD, invited those students to an exploratory meeting to start a BGS student organization. 

Lambert said the MAK College wanted the student chapter to be more than just something that students become members of. 

“The whole goal for us was to actually have the student organization connected to the chapter so the students can learn how they can leverage their membership, benefit from it, but also use it to help benefit the society and the business community as well,” Lambert said. 

Hadnot-Roberts was excited to see what the organization would be about. 

“That (BGS) membership really led me to want to be involved and engage with the young people,” Hadnot-Roberts said.

Hadnot-Roberts began taking classes at Texas Woman’s in 1999 as a single mother. 

“I ended up having to drop my courses just dealing with life, unable to sustain and get the support as a single mother,” Hadnot-Roberts said. “Then I came back and started my journey again to complete my degree in 2020. And, throughout that process, I have been overwhelmed and amazed with the support that I received at Texas Woman’s University.”

Hadnot-Roberts wanted to use her voice to share with others all the different education and career opportunities that are available for students. 

One of the first orders of business at that initial meeting was selecting officers. Hadnot-Roberts, who has held leadership positions at TWU with the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), the Dean’s Student Advisory Board and the Society of Student Entrepreneurs, threw her hat in the ring for president. 

“I took a chance at being president and it has been life-changing,” Hadnot-Roberts said. 

She is joined on the TWU BGS board by Mirian Huizar (vice president), Kayla Alcide (secretary) and Corbin Hardwick (public relations and acting treasurer).

In just a short amount of time, Hadnot-Roberts has spearheaded the first official meeting and worked on getting the organization involved with the Career Boutique, which provides TWU students with access to a wide range of business professional attire, and coordinated a collaborative program in partnership with the Dean’s Student Advisory Board (DSAB).

“For me, it’s just getting our officers to launch our membership strategy, community engagement initiatives, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts,” Hadnot-Roberts said. “All of the foundational work is our focus and developing it.”

Lambert has been impressed with how far the organization has come in two months. In addition to the boutique, the group has also discussed a speaker series. He said the organization will be implementing a lot of its ideas in the spring. 

Hadnot-Roberts is graduating in December 2024 with an MBA in General Business but would like to continue to have a presence with the new organization. 

“I’m hoping to continue partnering with Dr. Lambert and Dr. Li to ensure that as I go on that I provide the guidance and support for the next generation of our leaders,” Hadnot-Roberts said. “Taking my opportunity and things that I learned and passing that forward and letting them build on that.” 

About Beta Gamma Sigma

Founded in 1913, Beta Gamma Sigma is the international business honor society for AACSB-accredited schools, which are the top 5% of business school programs around the world. Inducted as students, BGS members go on to serve in critical leadership roles in corporate, entrepreneurial, government, non-profit and academic sectors.