Molly Kate Johnson 2023 Issue, Water Conservation

Urzula Carrillo: Agricultural and Applied Economics

Urzula Carrillo Urzula Carrillo, an agricultural business major at Texas Tech University, found her passion for agriculture after working with her grandfather on his ranch in Nuevo León, Mexico.

Urzula Carrillo, a first-generation student, from Dallas, Texas, transferred to Texas Tech University to be a part of the Water Conservation project. Carrillo is obtaining a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business.  

Growing up, Carrillo would spend her summers in Linares, Nuevo León, with her grandpa on his ranch. When she spent time on the ranch, she quickly gained a passion for all things business and agriculture.  

While Texas Tech was on her radar far before graduating high school, the pandemic made it difficult for Carrillo to leave Dallas, Texas, upon graduation. In high school, she attended a college fair, and Texas Tech stood out to her the most.  

“The lady I met with from Tech was very nice and seemed to care a lot about first-generation students,” Carrillo said. “She made me feel very welcome and good.”  

She attended Dallas Community College for two years, and then decided to apply to a number of universities. She applied to ten universities and was accepted into eight of them, Texas Tech being at the top of her list. While it took her a few years to get to Lubbock, she got there as soon as she could.  

The lady I met with from Tech was very nice and seemed to care a lot about first-generation students.

Urzula Carrillo

 Upon enrolling at Texas Tech, she was accepted to be a part of the research in the water conservation project.  

“I am very thankful that Dr. McCallister and Dr. Johnson gave me the opportunity and took the chance on me,” Carrillo said.   

Carrillo is representing the agricultural business sector in the project. Over the past few months, she along with others, has been reaching out to local ranchers and collecting data and research regarding their water use in the past year. While the project is just getting started, it is the start of a long process. Carrillo expects the entire process to take about two years.  

Upon graduation, Carrillo plans to see what the world has to offer. If Lubbock brings an opportunity to her, Carrillo is not opposed to staying in the area; however, if not, she plans to go back to Dallas, Texas, to be with her family, where she wants to build a business plan for herself.