Jolmi Minaya-Suriel, '13

As a standout high school student-athlete, Jolmi Minaya-Suriel had his choice of universities. The Lawrence, Mass.-native wanted to do more than play Division I baseball, though, and that’s how he came to the University of Richmond.

“I was looking for a school that would challenge me both academically and athletically,” he says. He was interested in business, and “knew I was going to get just that [challenge]” at the top-ranked Robins School of Business.

Also on Minaya-Suriel’s list of college must-haves was community service opportunities. He applied for the Bonner Scholars Program at Richmond and now volunteers regularly at CrossOver Ministry’s health clinic, which serves uninsured populations.

“I mainly serve as a translator between non-English, Spanish-speaking patients and [their] doctors,” he explains.

He says the experience has widened his perspective on life; it’s helped him recognize the comforts that he took for granted, but also shown him what impact he can have on others.

“It’s so uplifting when a patient in pain gives you a smile [in thanks,]” he says.

To get a leg-up in the accounting world, this summer Minaya-Suriel took part in KPMG’s prestigious externship, the Fast Forward National Leadership Program. He was one of 113 North American students invited to Hollywood, Calif., to network with KPMG partners and develop leadership skills. 

He also had a finance and accounting internship with Gorton’s Inc. The experience gave him the opportunity to apply his business savvy in the real world. He worked closely with the company’s regional managers and brokers to discuss issues and solutions to more effectively and efficiently manage funds.

His plans for next summer are already set — he’ll be heading to his home territory as an intern for KPMG in Boston.

Balancing accounting and finance classes with employment, volunteerism and the demands of varsity athletics, Minaya-Suriel takes his commitments in stride. He juggles his time so that he can do it all and still be a successful student, even if that means rescheduling baseball workouts so he can make it to class.

After pitching his best game last spring against the nation’s top baseball team, the University of Virginia, he took a moment to reflect on the semester. “I’d done very well academically even though I’d missed a lot of classes [for] baseball games,” he says. “And I was able to do this while I helped people at CrossOver get healthier.”