Finding the Right Fit

Christine Zenteno '09 discovered her passion for business and leadership through class projects, management roles, diverse internships and volunteer work

When Christine Zenteno began her freshman year at St. Edward's, she was sure that Pre-Med was the perfect match for her. In high school, she volunteered with area hospitals, took Health Science Technology classes and even passed the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board on the first try.

It wasn’t until Christine took a rhetoric course that she started to question if Pre-Med was the really the right fit.

Christine Zenteno Headshot

In the class, Christine wrote a paper about NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the subject immediately intrigued her. "I started exploring the topic in-depth, independently," she said. "I discovered that I was more fascinated by how businesses from different countries interact than how mitochondria power the cell."

Christine changed her major to International Business and immersed herself in classroom projects where she worked with classmates to brainstorm business solutions for local companies. In one assignment, Christine created a plan for KLRU — Austin’s PBS station — to increase viewership.

Through all of her business classes, Christine learned to think creatively and adapt to change. She also learned to recognize that her work inside and outside the classroom, no matter how inconsequential, could help her reach career goals.

She supplemented coursework with management experience at H-E-B, eventually moving from in-store leadership roles into more senior, titled positions. After a year of working as a department manager in customer service, Christine decided to gain some experience in other departments. She applied for the Management Internship program, and through this opportunity, she worked directly with regional managers to create and implement a strategic plan.

Although she was busy with both school and work, Christine felt giving back to her community was important. She used her proficiency in Spanish to help elementary school children with their reading comprehension.

"This seemingly irrelevant activity came in handy when I decided to volunteer with the Mexican Consulate General in Austin, where normal business was handled entirely in Spanish," Christine said. "My role at the Consulate was a major factor in securing a paid internship position in the Office of the Governor’s International Business section."

This ripple effect — different skills and experiences propelling Christine to different opportunities — impacted the direction of her career, but she always stayed humble, took initiative and approached each task as an important step towards her goals. "I was determined not to be the intern that only copied spreadsheets, so I requested to become more involved in day-to-day operations," she said. "Because of this, I was afforded the opportunity to really see how state and local agencies interact to bring foreign business and jobs to Texas."

Where is she now?

As of 2021, Christine is a Human Resources Specialist IV - Compensation Analyst at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She credits her human resource experience, leadership opportunities and private- and public-sector knowledge to her part-time jobs, internships and volunteer roles — all of which led her to her current role.

As a human resources specialist, Christine screens applications, helps hiring managers navigate the process and interprets employment laws, policies and procedures. She enjoys working with supervisors, staff and the general public to make the complex policies easy to understand.