EPIC Spotlight: Winston Gonzalez Vega

Winston Gonzalez Vega, a Walton College of Business Supply Chain student made the decision to move to the United States from Panama because he wants to contribute to the growth of his country.

“I love my country and the fact we have a lot of need inspired me to go to college. I want to be an agent of change for my country.”

He is a senior supply chain major and minoring in information systems.

Panama has the Canal de Panama, and with its variety of ports and free zones it plays a critical role in Panama’s economy and is the reason why Winston came to the University of Arkansas as a supply chain major. He finds supply chain and its economic impact interesting and is looking forward to taking the knowledge he is gaining here back to his country.

He is already working on making his impact, as he completed an internship this summer in Panama where he had the opportunity to practice the concepts he’s learned in classes. He worked in a customs office, learning how to handle the documentation for importing and exporting products into and out of Panama.

One of Winston’s favorite quotes is “the time is always right to do what is right by Martin Luther King, Jr” and he believes this sincerely. Winston's “doing right” is he aspires to someday obtain his Ph.D. and teach Supply Chain Management to students in Panama.

In addition to his supply chain studies, Winston is a resident assistant in Gregson Hall, where he enjoys helping other international students adapt to the American culture here on campus. He loves his role as R.A. not only because he enjoys helping others but also, he enjoys learning about and experiencing new cultures. He has traveled to quite a few different places including Germany, Spain, Italy, London, Greece, Paris and Costa Rica as well as major cities like San Francisco and Chicago here in the U.S.

He also finds time to lead in his role as Vice President of Finance for the Arkansas Supply Chain Association (ASCA) student organization, and he finds time for hiking and camping.

Winston has learned many things during his time in college, and he likes to share this piece of advice to new students,

“Remember, we often will face obstacles that may cause us to not move forward, but we must remember how powerful we are as individuals. You, and only you, have the power to stop or continue no matter how big the obstacle is.”