Hi! My name is Dawn Willis. I was born in Irving, TX but raised in Hope, AR. I received my bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Central Arkansas in 1995. I’m 30 years old and a manager at H.D. Vest Financial Services (a non-banking subsidiary of Wells Fargo) where I have worked for the last 6 years.

I am a Certified Financial Planner and I manage 7 individuals who assist advisors from around the country via telephone with financial planning concepts and cases. Having not been a business major, I decided to get my MBA from TWU to learn more about the business world and how to be a more significant contributor to my company in my position. So far, it’s not been easy but I am loving it!

Pearl of wisdom

A few things stood out. One, culture and tradition are precious and should be guarded. It was wonderful to experience the culture in Mexico City and disheartening to see the modernization of Acapulco that has erased much of its historic roots. Secondly, you are never too poor to give. With no welfare system in Mexico it was amazing to see how the people give to others on the streets. The people seemed to feel it was their human duty to make sure that they supported others with less.

My favorite moment

My favorite moment of the trip was floating through Xochimilco, the “Mexican Venice,” on a gondola alongside hundreds of local residents. Because there were few tourists there that day, I really felt like we had a glimpse of what Mexican culture was all about.