Top Tier: Javier Rivas Ghersi

by Valerie Figueroa

While most students start college with a vague idea of what they want to do, Javier Rivas Ghersi arrived at Texas State University with his mind set on finance. As a senior pursuing a BBA in finance at the university's McCoy College of Business, Rivas Ghersi has built a strong presence at the college.

Born and raised in Venezuela, Rivas Ghersi moved with his family to the United States at the age of five, seeking opportunity in a country far from the political instability of his birthplace. Settling in the Houston suburb of Katy, he grew up in a household where gratitude was practiced daily.

"It was a huge opportunity and gave me a lot of perspective to be here in the United States, especially with the situation back at my home that's been going on for the past years," he shares. "So I've always had that instilled in me from my parents that being here is an opportunity and at the end of the day, there's people that don't get that opportunity. So you have to make the absolute most of it."

He has undoubtedly made the most of it. An honors student, former soccer club member and a 2024 PIMCO Future Leaders Scholar, Rivas Ghersi also serves as a co-president of the Financial Management Association (FMA) student chapter at the college, which he says has allowed him to flourish as a leader while helping others.

Finding Purpose

Rivas Ghersi's humble beginnings started at the front desk of a high-end gym in Houston, where he says he found fulfillment in helping members. The experience taught him that professional success wasn't just about technical skills but about human connection and building relationships.

"[It was] my first real job while I was in school," he recalls. "I worked at the front desk, and this elevated my communication skills a lot. I was constantly communicating and talking with people and helping people, [with] emphasis on that last one because I realized I would walk away from work and feel extremely fulfilled that I helped people. I got a great feeling from that. I realized purpose-wise that I want to help people."

At the same time, his father, Arnold Rivas, who works in oil and gas, instilled in him a foundational knowledge of personal finance. Conversations about money management and markets sparked a deeper interest in the field at an early age.

"When I was in high school, [my father] said regardless of what you want to do, you need to learn a little bit about finance, personal finance, the markets, and understand how to manage your money," he says.

Building at Texas State University 

When he arrived at Texas State University, he decided to combine his interest in finance with his passion for helping people by pursuing a career in wealth management.

"I would say the big thing that I saw when I came in was to build," he says. "I knew coming into Texas State, it was going to take work to build those connections to understand more of what I wanted to do. Looking back, I am definitely happy to say that I've been able to do that. It was a lot of connecting with the right people who had the same mindset and going out of my way to learn to then be able to teach others then pass that down the line. So I did a lot of things starting from my freshman year to learn more about wealth management."

As a freshman, he decided to take the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam, a foundational test developed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to evaluate basic knowledge of the securities industry typically pursued after graduation. His decision gave him a competitive edge and opened doors to more opportunities.

"I always tell people [it was the] catalyst for me knowing if this is really what I wanted to do," he says. "It led me to getting the opportunities in some of these bigger firms and the internships that I've gotten now. So it was a lot of putting in the work, I would say externally from school, and also being able to do it early on."

At Texas State, Rivas Ghersi's drive to help others led him to FMA. Under his leadership, FMA launched the FMA SIE Scholarship, which sponsors dozens of students each semester. The goal of the scholarship isn't just about exams but also about cultivating the excellence and early professional development that McCoy College is known for.

In the process, he has developed leadership experience while also discovering the satisfaction of seeing others succeed.

That commitment to leadership reflects the role he hopes to play in the wealth management industry as a trusted guide, helping clients manage the complexity and uncertainty of wealth management with confidence.

"The markets can be a very emotional game," he says. "When you're talking about their money, especially as you start to accumulate wealth. That's something that keeps people up at night, so it's being the therapist to be able to tell them, 'Remember, we have a plan.'” 

Lessons From the Field

Last summer, Rivas Ghersi began interning at Willis Johnson & Associates, a private wealth management firm that specializes in helping corporate professionals with their financial planning needs. Under the mentorship of Hunter Anguiano, who briefly attended Texas State, he learned that technical skills are only one part of the job.

Learning how to balance technical knowledge with empathy, communication, and trust, especially in a constantly changing market, was a delicate balance between his passion and a desire to help people.

This summer, Rivas Ghersi will be interning with the Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management team, one of the most prestigious names in global finance. He sees this as an opportunity to learn, grow, and eventually lead.

"I love people," he says. "I love building relationships. I'm excited to be able to do that again this summer with a completely new group of people that will give me a very different and fresh perspective on the industry."

In the long run, Rivas Ghersi aspires to establish his own wealth management firm, one that focuses not only on growing clients' assets but also on building lasting relationships.

Behind all of his ambition lies a powerful sense of gratitude for his family's sacrifices, the opportunities he has been given, and the mentors who have invested in him along the way.

He speaks proudly of his father's work ethic, the lessons he learned from Anguiano, and the support he received from his peers and the faculty at McCoy College throughout his journey.

As he prepares to graduate in fall 2025, Rivas Ghersi remains grounded by the same principles that guided him as a young immigrant arriving in the United States: work hard, help others, and make the most of every opportunity. ✯