Current Students – ��̽��

Keeping Up, Staying Down: Sophomore Elijah Favela is Having a Ball

Tracy Donley — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Elijah Favela was only in kindergarten when his dad introduced him to basketball. But even then, he knew: He’d found a sport he would love for the rest of his life.

The ��̽�� sophomore has been active on the court ever since, even during his summer breaks. For the past three summers, in fact, he’s been playing basketball internationally, through the International Basketball Federation, as a member of Team Belize.

Those games have taken him to Belize, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic so far. “I would say my favorite thing about the experience is just representing my country,” he says. “I have a lot of family in Belize, and I am the only person in my mom’s side of the family to ever play on a national team, and just being a role model to all the kids in Belize who strive to get to the national team.”

This past summer, Team Belize captured the bronze medal at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, and Favela was there in the middle of the action.

Back home at ��̽��, he carries his father’s legacy (��̽�� alum Roger Favela ’97 also played Bulldogs basketball) and splits his time between serving as a guard on the basketball team, and a quarterback on the football team. He came to ��̽�� after rounding out his high school football career as Judson High’s all-time passing leader with 7,060 career passing yards. On top of all of that, Favela is also a serious student, and earned a spot on the SCAC Academic Honor Roll for 2025 and 2026.

His dedication to both football and basketball begs an obvious question: Which sport is his favorite? “I wouldn’t say I have a first love,” he says. “I love both sports dearly; it has always been a hard decision for me to choose, but I would say I love them about the same.”

And one day, he hopes to make his mark at a professional level. “That’s the ideal goal, to play professionally one day in either one of the sports,” he says.

But for now, as he gets his sophomore year underway, he just wants to be of service—whether on the court or the field. “I’m looking forward to just helping my team in any way I can, and that goes for basketball and football,” he says. “I’ve gotten more of a hang of how things are in college since my freshman year, and I feel like this year could be a big year for me to help my team and help us win games.”

And although it’s still early days in his college career, Favela has learned a lot since the age of five, when his dad first taught him to play. “The most important lesson is pretty simple I would say, and that is ‘Don’t give up and stay down.’”

He himself has lived by that lesson. He doesn’t give up: “I’ve been through so much adversity in my life with sports and there were many times where I could’ve quit—and since I didn’t, it opened doors to places I never thought I would go to. I’ve been doubted my whole life, overlooked, everything you could think of, but I don’t give up because this is what I want to do.”

And no matter what, he’s stayed down—in the right way: “Stay down, meaning never get too high no matter what circumstance you’re in, stay down because even if it looks bad right now, stay down: It’s going to get better. Just keep working.”

On Call: Alum Spotlight on ��̽�� DEMSN Grad Kolton Barber ’25

Tracy Donley — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Today, October 20, marks the day that ��̽�� DEMSN grad Kolton Barber gets to see a dream officially become a reality.

The spark of the idea came to him because, frankly, he understands firsthand how demanding—and exhausting—it can be to work in the healthcare field. As an ICU nurse, he has dealt with the long shifts, mental fatigue, and irregular sleep schedules that the job requires—as well as the need to fully recover before doing it all over again when the next shift comes around. “I started thinking about how little support is specifically designed around the realities of shift workers,” the 2025 grad says. “That idea became OnCall Supplements.”

But it’s quite a leap from an idea to its fruition—one that requires time, energy, and a lot of faith. Barber started building his company from the ground up in the time he had. The result: He created a supplement designed specifically for nurses, healthcare professionals, first responders, and others who work demanding schedules. “Our first products, WAKE and SLEEP, are designed to support energy and focus during the day and complement relaxation and recovery afterward.”

But the supplements themselves are only the beginning. The true mission is much broader. “Ultimately, I want OnCall to be about more than supplements. I want to help the people who spend their days taking care of others be more intentional about taking care of themselves, too.”

Barber completed his Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (DEMSN) degree on ��̽��’s New Braunfels campus, interning at Resolute Baptist Hospital. “The program was a major part of my journey into nursing and helped prepare me for the challenges of critical care,” he says.

And while mastering the many ins and outs of nursing from classrooms to clinicals, he learned a lesson he’ll never forget. “One of the biggest lessons I learned was how important it is to look beyond the numbers and see the person behind the patient,” he says. “In the ICU, it’s easy to get caught up in labs, hemodynamics, medications, and managing complex conditions. Those things are critical, but it’s just as important to remember that you’re caring for a person and a family going through one of the hardest experiences of their lives. That perspective has stayed with me throughout my nursing career.”

The Intensive Care Unit is one of the most high-pressure environments in any hospital, and Barber says working as a nurse there is challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally. “You’re constantly making decisions, managing competing priorities, and caring for patients who can deteriorate quickly. You have to stay focused even when the pressure is high.” But on the flip side, he adds, the work can be incredibly rewarding. ICU nurses make a difference for patients and their families during some of the toughest moments of their lives.

These days, Barber is happy to be doing this work in the place he calls home. “After graduating from ��̽��, I accepted an ICU nursing position in my home state of Utah, which allowed me to continue growing as a nurse while returning home. Being part of a team that helps patients recover from critical illness is incredibly meaningful.”

He says he’d wholeheartedly recommend ��̽��’s DEMSN program to up-and-coming nurses. “The program gave me the opportunity to pursue nursing through an accelerated pathway while building the foundation I needed to enter a demanding field. Nursing requires adaptability, critical thinking, and a willingness to keep learning, and my experience at ��̽�� helped prepare me for that. I’m grateful for the education and experiences that helped me get to where I am today.”

Spirit of Winter: ��̽�� Houston Nursing Students Connect with CAC

Tracy Donley — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:30:58 +0000

It might be hard to fathom the importance or impact of festive decorations making spirits bright during the holiday season. But when those decorations are decking the halls of the Children’s Assessment Center in Houston—which exists to provide compassionate treatment to sexually abused children and their families—things like twinkling lights and Christmas trees take on a deeper meaning. They can bring a small sense of comfort to the children who enter this place that will serve as a safe haven, where care and treatment can lead to the first steps toward healing.

A group of ��̽�� nursing students from the university’s Houston campus recently stepped forward to lend a hand at the center’s Spirit of Winter Holiday Prep event. “We were preparing for Christmas holidays by bringing decorations from storage into an area for sorting outside and inside, as well as trees and ornaments,” said Dr. Debbie McNair, clinical professor of nursing. “This helped the staff to stay on task to help clients coming in for treatment.”

McNair, who teaches Community Health Nursing, says this was the first time ��̽�� has done community service at the CAC—and the connection is an important one. “I hope this is the start of them allowing us to come in for future rotations and having the opportunity to shadow other workers through the process from admission to discharge, as well as everything in between,” she said. “There is a medical clinic, mental clinic, and numerous rooms for law enforcement and attorneys to gather evidence. Many of the children spend time learning, while receiving therapy to help them cope through the tough times they have endured.”

McNair says the student volunteers had the opportunity to tour the facility and meet CAC staff members and administrative leaders, including the CEO and the assistant administrator. “I work as a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner), and the Children’s Assessment Centers are where many of the cases for sexual assault and domestic violence are initiated,” she explained. “Since I am showing the students how nursing plays a huge role in community health promotion and prevention, the CAC was a great place for them to see that nursing is broader than hospitals or clinics.”

“The ��̽�� Nursing Students were such a joy to host,” said CAC Volunteer Coordinator Yaren Zamarripa, adding that the students arrived ready to work and bring positive energy to the task at hand. “Because of your support, we were able to begin preparing for a memorable holiday experience for our children and families.”

“The facility utilizes donations and volunteers to function beyond the capability,” said McNair. “Again, it frees the social workers, nurses, law enforcement, and administration from excessive time spent to ensure things are done for the holidays, as well as making sure time is not reduced in actual care.” She says the students welcomed the opportunity to do what was needed for the holidays while at the same time learning how nurses fit into the process of caring for those who come to the center.

The connection between ��̽�� and the CAC will go on from here. McNair says the group hopes to help with the center’s holiday party, passing out toys and assisting with food—not only freeing up staff to devote their time to more pressing matters, but to bring a little bit of joy to some children who need it.

Graham Weston’s Foundation Donates Opportunity for ��̽�� First-Year Students to Find Their Strengths

Tracy Donley — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:07:29 +0000

First-year business majors at ��̽�� were recently treated to a wonderful opportunity: a chance to learn about their strengths—and what that means for their studies, their careers, their relationships, and their lives. The students are enrolled in the university’s signature Freshman Experience (FREX) course, centered around exploring the arts and sciences and helping new students get acclimated to a community of learning.

Graham Weston who, along with the Weston family, has long been a friend to the university, generously made the workshop possible through his 80/20 Foundation, donating enough of the widely-used CliftonStrengths for Students surveys so that all the students could participate, as well as receive guidance from Gallup Certified Strengths Coach Kathy Kersten. The workshop helped the students evaluate what they naturally do best and learn how to cultivate their gifts while appreciating the unique talents of those around them.

Weston is a founder of Rackspace, Geekdom, and the 80/20 Foundation, the latter of which is dedicated to promoting growth and innovation through grants. Some 70 students who attended the event left with a greater understanding of themselves, stronger connections with their peers, and increased confidence as they begin their college journey.

��̽�� thanks Weston and the 80/20 foundation for their support.

2026 Krost Symposium Presents: The Science of Learning

Tracy Donley — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:58:30 +0000

“All the things that we marvel at as humans—language, reading, and even competitive sports—involve the combination and recombination of smaller pieces that become the greater whole.” Dr. Arturo Hernandez, keynote speaker for this year’s Krost Symposium at ��̽��, knows a thing or two about how we learn. In his book, Mastery, he digs deep into how new skills bloom—whether those skills fall within the realm of learning to play chess, learning to ice skate, learning to speak a language, play a musical instrument, or anything in between.

It is this process of learning, of harnessing the power of the human mind to reach toward mastery, that will be the focus of this year’s symposium.

Hernandez is an author, professor of psychology at the University of Houston, and winner of the Wilhelm Bessel Research Award and a Fulbright Global Scholar award. His keynote speech, scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, at 7 p.m. in Jackson Auditorium, will examine the process of mastery and will be followed by a book signing and meet-and-greet. This event will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

Wednesday’s events also include a Chapel Talk with ��̽��’s Dr. Luigi Peñaranda, EdD Program Director in Interdisciplinary Leadership and Associate Professor of Leadership Studies, at 10 a.m. in the Chapel of the Abiding Presence on campus. Dr. Peñaranda will discuss the concept of metanoia—a profound change of heart, mind, or worldview.

That afternoon, all are welcome to join a Zoom session with Dr. Molly Gebrian entitled “Learn Faster, Perform Better,” which is specifically aimed at the process of learning within the realm of music. Dr. Gebrian is a professional violist with a background in cognitive neuroscience. Guests can join the session via a link provided on the ��̽�� website.

The symposium continues the following day, Thursday, October 1, with a panel discussion on the learning process with Dr. Arturo Hernandez, Dr. Veronica Yan, ��̽�� alum McKay Bloxham, and Dr. Sandy Kimbrough. That takes place at 9:30 a.m. in Wupperman Little Theatre, located in Schuech Fine Arts Center. A link to the livestream will be available on the ��̽�� website.

Next on Thursday’s agenda is a lunch-and-learn session at 11:45 a.m. on the science of successful learning with Dr. Veronica Yan, associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. That talk, “The Science of Successful Learning,” takes place in the Student Activity Center in Jackson Park, across from Bulldog Stadium. Pizza will be served on a first come, first served basis.

Thursday will end with a movie night—featuring a classic film about learning new things, The Karate Kid. That begins at 7 p.m. at Wupperman Little Theatre and will be MCed by ��̽�� Professor, Dr. Casi Helbig and ��̽�� alum McKay Bloxham.

On Friday, October 2, the symposium will wrap up with an Anti-Masterclass with Dr. Gebrian. The public is invited to join via Zoom at 2:30 p.m.

Links to this and all other events with virtual options can be found here: /krost-symposium/.

All of these events are free and open to the public.

To Wear Many Hats: Alumni Spotlight on Maggie Bergeron ’12

Tracy Donley — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:58:58 +0000

by Adam Sanchez ’28

As a native of nearby New Braunfels, Maggie Bergeron had always felt that ��̽�� was a comfortable, inviting community. After getting accepted and coming to campus in the fall of 2008, she knew that ��̽�� was the place for her. Because she’d attended a smaller high school, the idea of a large university like UT was intimidating. “I was pretty sure I’d get lost in the crowd, and not in a good way,” she says, looking back. During her time at ��̽��, Bergeron homed in on the skills and strategies needed to step into her current role as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Administrator for Victoria, Texas.

As a member of the Delta Alpha Delta sorority, Bergeron learned a lot about what it takes to be a great coordinator, between talking to people and organizing activities for the group. “I kind of knew I had a knack for creating schedules and events, getting things set up,” she says. As it turned out, she wasn’t just planning social gatherings and events for her sorority; she was learning the planning and administration practice that she would eventually utilize in her career. She learned from her successes—but even more, she learned from her mistakes. “Everyone has a different learning style, but for me, failure is the best learning experience.”

Bergeron had always found political science and analytical thinking interesting. “I was the kid who watched C-SPAN,” she says. “It’s being able to be decisive. Give me something to solve or fix. I love problem solving.”

At ��̽��, she took advantage of the political science major’s internship requirement by working with the City of Seguin’s Planning Department and Main Street Program. Bergeron remembers talking with Dr. Germaine Walsh, professor of political science and director of International Studies, about her internship, telling Walsh that she initially found the work to be boring. Yet she persisted, later working on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the City of Dallas.

That experience changed Bergeron’s perspective, and it turned out that the initial projects leading up to that work were invaluable early components in her career. At ��̽��, she’d learned a lot of lessons that proved priceless in graduate school and beyond. “It’s not always going to be something in your lane, but you still have to do it,” she says in hindsight. “You have to do the right thing. The diversity in learning and thinking really followed me.”

After graduating ��̽��, Bergeron went on to Texas State to pursue her master’s in sustainability studies. There, doing assignments was standard, but being able to bring critical thought into conversations was something that she was prepared for—thanks to ��̽��. “[��̽��] made it much less intimidating once I got into the [graduate school] classroom.”

Now, as the regional transportation decision-making authority for an area encompassing some fifty thousand people, Bergeron finds herself doing a wide variety of tasks around Victoria. “I can go from mapping, to building a model, to budgeting, to running socio-demographics for an area,” she says. “You have to wear a lot of hats, but if you have the willingness to learn, there’s not much you can’t get done.”

To better understand transit needs, Bergeron found herself riding public transit along with commuters, asking face-to-face questions about what their thoughts were. Getting personal comments from the people directly affected by changes to public transit proved to be one of the most important types of feedback that informs her planning processes.

Sometimes things like attending events hosted at libraries, and appealing to children and their families, are parts of the job. She asks attendees how they feel about the current system, how they would feel about their children walking on area streets, and whether there might be any known deficiencies. Through experiences such as this, Bergeron has learned that public education, transparency, and meeting the people of the community where they are all make for better transportation planning.

One valuable lesson from ��̽�� she’ll never forget: “Learning never stops. Always try to communicate and approach things on different sides.” Opportunity and discovery change the way you approach your daily life and overarching goals, but, at every step, life experiences have shaped Bergeron’s career.

Adam Sanchez ’28 is a junior communication studies major.

Rise and Shine Through Service: ��̽��’s Fall H.O.T. Dogs Day

Tracy Donley — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:32:49 +0000

Every fall and spring, ��̽�� students, faculty, and staff set aside a Saturday to come together and do some good by giving their time and energy to a wide range of local volunteer projects—a thank-you in action from the university to its community. But the outcomes of the day stretch far beyond the scope of the work completed.

“H.O.T. Dogs Day (Helping Others Together) is important because it brings the heart of servant leadership to life,” said Dr. Pamela Ray, ��̽�� director of service learning and the Jon & Sandra Moline Center for Servant Leadership. “Our students are not simply volunteering for a few hours; they are building relationships, learning about the needs of our neighbors, and discovering how their time and talents can make a meaningful difference. At the same time, our community partners help educate our students in ways that extend beyond the classroom. It is a true partnership—��̽�� serving alongside our community, learning together, and strengthening the place we all call home.”

H.O.T. Dogs Day serves as a reminder that while one person can do a lot, when people join together, they can make a huge difference. Nearly two hundred ��̽�� students woke up early on Saturday, September 19, and headed out to give their time and efforts for a morning of service at ten different community partner sites throughout Seguin and the surrounding community.

They took on a variety of projects at local nonprofits—places like Emanuel’s Lutheran Church’s Garden of Eatin’, LULAC Community Garden, and Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church. They pitched in with the popular “Clean with the Dean” project right on the ��̽�� campus.

“Students also worked with Community Cycles, which repairs and restores bicycles for members of the community, also at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church; supported seniors at Eden Court Senior Apartments; volunteered with Trails End Animal Rescue in New Braunfels; and partnered with Habitat for Humanity on a wall build for a local residence,” said Ray.

They spent their morning weeding and planting, painting and cleaning, repairing and building—in short, helping.

“Together, these projects reflected the fall 2026 theme, ‘Rise and Shine Through Service,’ demonstrating how Bulldogs can make a tangible impact while developing a deeper understanding of community, service, and servant leadership,” said Ray.

“We truly could not have accomplished the scope of this work without their service and support,” said Natalia Almquist, who is a member of the congregation at Emanuel’s Lutheran Church and serves on the church’s council as well as the Emanuel’s Lutheran Day School council, in addition to her role as marketing generalist at ��̽��. “These students were not there because they had to be. They showed up with heart, determination, and a genuine willingness to serve. Their work ethic was exceptional, and they consistently went above and beyond what was expected. Their efforts made a meaningful and lasting impact, and we are sincerely thankful for the time, energy, and care they invested in our church and community.

��̽�� has been organizing fall and spring days of service for the past twenty years, carrying forward a legacy of giving back, and turning out students who take to heart the value of serving others.

Rising to New Heights: Alum Spotlight on Ezra Acero ’25

Tracy Donley — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:07:43 +0000

When most of us who’ve been at ��̽�� over the past few years think of Ezra Acero, we picture him in the air, swooshing over the crossbar, making the whole pole-vaulting thing look effortless. Acero did, in fact, end his Bulldog Athletics career as the best pole vaulter in Texas Lutheran history, setting records at both indoor and outdoor events and proving himself to be a champion multiple times.

The 2025 grad’s favorite college memory might surprise some, because it happened on a day that didn’t go exactly as he would’ve liked it to. “I think my favorite memory would have to be the first time I qualified for nationals in pole vault,” Acero says. “It was held in Rochester, New York, and although I didn’t get the results I wanted, just being there with my teammates and going to Niagara Falls with Coach Holland and Coach Wolf will always stick with me.”

These days, Acero, who earned his BS in applied physics at ��̽��, lives just under six hundred miles south of where that memory was made, in Indianapolis, Indiana. “I do miss Texas quite a bit (the food quite a lot),” he admits, although he’s made friends in his new locale, which has helped him feel at home. But even though his current life is a world away from Seguin and ��̽��, his work there is touched by his undergrad years.

He works as a biochemist for Lilly—also known as Eli Lilly and Company—by way of a global testing company called Eurofins PSS. “At Lilly I work in the raw materials lab where I run samples using various methods such as FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), Raman Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography, Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy, Melting Point Analysis, and pH measurement,” he explains.

And believe it or not, that work connects to his capstone project at ��̽��. “My capstone was about Surface Modified Gold Nanoparticles for biomedical applications. While working on that project I learned a lot of lab techniques that have been very helpful in the job I currently have. Although I am still waiting to get my training passed through Lilly, I feel like my project prepared me the most for the wet chemistry tests that I will be running here in the lab soon.”

But even as he rises to new heights career-wise, Acero expresses gratitude for how his undergrad years prepared him for the challenges that lie ahead.

��̽�� is famous for its small class sizes, which foster a sense of community in which students support one another. “My physics cohort such as Aaron Salinas, Khalen Wilkerson, Martin Ortega, Jason Castro, Adrian Martinez, Ian Wollard, and Luciano Trejo helped me get through the extremely challenging physics classes and sleepless nights, and if it wasn’t for them, I would not have graduated,” Acero says.

He also points to the faculty at ��̽�� as being instrumental in his success. “I feel that the ��̽�� Physics Department, mostly Dr.Sauncy, Dr.Berggren, and Dr.Tek, prepared me very well for the real world past college,” he says. “The time and effort that they put in to change me from just a normal kid into a scientist is something that I will always be grateful for.”

[Feature photo: Ezra Acero (center) with roommate Jackson (left) and brother Seth (right)]

Bulldog Investment Company Speaker Series Welcomes Cindy Sightes

Susan Rinn — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 19:56:10 +0000

��̽��’s Bulldog Investment Company Speaker Series kicks off this fall on Homecoming weekend, with a talk by Cindy Sightes, former England-based senior vice president and chief financial officer of HCA International.

HCA is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services, comprised of 189 hospitals and approximately 2,600 sites of care across nineteen states and the United Kingdom.

Other touchpoints in Sightes’s career include almost twelve years as CFO of St. David’s Healthcare, and seven as Division CFO for HCA in Austin.

Sightes brings a wealth of experience to the table, and all are invited to attend her talk, which will be held in Dunne Conference Center in Tschoepe Hall at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 2.

To learn more about Bulldog Investment Company, click here: .

Catching Up with the Doctors Rodriguez

Tracy Donley — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:09:32 +0000

A Legacy of Healing

The desire to heal must run deep in the Rodriguez family. Brothers Limael (“Lee”) and Joel, both ��̽�� alums, followed their parents’ footsteps into the field of medicine. Their father is an orthopedic spine surgeon, their mother a nuclear medicine physician—both completing their residencies in New York and later settling their family in Texas.

“Joel and I grew up with two physician parents, so medicine was very much a part of our lives from an early age,” says Lee. “Watching both of them shaped how we viewed medicine and certainly played a big role in both of us becoming doctors.”

The brothers graduated ��̽�� a year apart. After following separate roads spanning countless miles in order to get their footing in their respective fields of medicine, Lee and Joel’s paths converged. Lee is a vascular surgeon, and Joel, a sports medicine physician—and now their practices, as well as their father’s, are housed within a shared clinical space, their varied skillsets complementing one another.

Lee

Lee earned his BA in biology and chemistry from ��̽�� in 2007. From there, he went to medical school at Universidad Central del Caribe. His path post-med school saw him as a postdoctoral fellow at Houston Methodist, a surgery resident at Centro Médico Episcopal San Lucas, a representative of the American College of Surgeons Resident and Associate Society, and a vascular surgery fellow at Eastern Virginia Medical School and then University of Colorado Anschutz, the largest academic health center in the Rocky Mountains.

These days, he’s busy working as a vascular surgeon in and around Houston and leading the independent vascular practice he founded and continues to build, Texas Vascular and Imaging. “Our practice has grown into a comprehensive vascular platform that includes vascular ultrasound technology, limb salvage, venous disease, and outpatient vascular procedures,” he explains. “A large part of my career now also involves the business and leadership side of medicine—building the practice, developing an ambulatory surgery center, teaching, research, and trying to create a model where physicians can still have a meaningful degree of independence while taking care of patients.”

“��̽�� was also a small enough environment that relationships mattered. You weren’t anonymous. Professors knew you, people expected something from you, and you were held accountable. That experience helped shape the way I approach medicine, leadership, and running a practice today.” ~Lee Rodriguez

He credits his years at ��̽�� with helping to prepare him—sometimes in unexpected ways—for the many things he’s accomplished since graduating. “��̽�� gave me a strong foundation, but probably not in the way I appreciated at the time,” he says. “Playing college soccer while managing academics taught me discipline, accountability, resilience, and how to work within a team. Medicine requires all of those things, particularly through residency and surgical training.”

Lee also found great benefit in ��̽��’s smaller size. “��̽�� was a small enough environment that relationships mattered. You weren’t anonymous. Professors knew you, people expected something from you, and you were held accountable. That experience helped shape the way I approach medicine, leadership, and running a practice today.”

Joel

Joel graduated from ��̽�� in 2008, then went on to earn his master’s degree in aerospace physiology and medicine at King’s College London. After medical school at Universidad Central del Caribe, he completed his residency training in Family Medicine at Methodist Hospital in Houston, followed by a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio. His practice, Return to Play Sports Medicine, specializes in helping athletes recover from injuries and improve performance. Together with their dad, he and Lee make up the medical team at Orthopaedic Institute for Spinal Disorders, which their father founded.

“��̽�� was a significant stepping stone for me professionally,” says Joel. “I always say that the tough curriculum got me ready for medical school. Majoring in molecular biology and a minor in chemistry put me in the classes of legendary professors including Dr. Hettinger, Dr. McClusky, Dr. Bohmann, Dr. Wasmund, Dr. Abbasian, and Dr. Lievens, just to name a few who supported my career directly.”

But like Lee, Joel also learned a lot of important lessons away from the classroom, out on the soccer field. “I played soccer all four years with ��̽�� men’s soccer, which helped me combine and propel my love of sports, medicine, and science throughout my career afterwards,” he says.

Bulldog Connections

As busy as they stay these days, the brothers’ connection to ��̽�� has never faltered.

“We have stayed very connected with the ��̽�� soccer program through Coach Eddie Salazar and teammates,” says Joel. “We have attended the alumni soccer events for years and donate to the program where we can. I was honored to give a lecture on preventing collegiate soccer injuries to the ��̽�� men’s team in 2024.”

Lee says the most meaningful connections are the relationships built during his undergrad years. “I made lifelong friends at ��̽��, and I still keep in touch from time to time with some of my former chemistry and biology professors. I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the mentorship they gave me and for the friendships that have lasted well beyond college.”

Like Joel, he keeps up with Bulldog athletics. “I’m still a big fan of ��̽�� sports in general, and it has been impressive to watch the success the university has had across so many programs over the years,” he says. “Of course, having played men’s soccer there, I still follow the program closely and take a lot of pride in what they’ve accomplished. Those relationships—with professors, friends, and teammates—are what have kept ��̽�� an important part of my life long after graduation.”

Staying connected also means offering up a few words of wisdom to current Bulldogs, from two who have been in their shoes. Both brothers agree that getting the most out of your college years begins with gratitude. “Recognize the opportunity you have,” Lee advises. “Being able to study at ��̽�� is a privilege, and you may not fully appreciate that until years later.” He’s also a big believer in the value of the journey—not just the destination. “Have big goals, but don’t rush past the work in front of you. You can’t cheat the process. Show up, do the small things well, learn from the people willing to teach you, and build genuine relationships.”

He says it’s important to stay humble. “You can be ambitious and successful without ever believing you are above the people around you. In the workforce, and especially in leadership, people want to work with people they trust. Your plans will change. Be willing to adapt, but don’t lose your work ethic, your humility, or the way you treat people. Make the most of the opportunity in front of you.”

“This is a miniature version of society which, when you step out with your diploma, you will be faced with the real deal. There you will not be on your own though, because you will be standing on the shoulders of giants who helped you achieve an advanced knowledge base and you can face our societal problems with that Bulldog confidence.” ~Joel Rodriguez

“Enjoy and appreciate this time you have at ��̽��,” adds Joel. “Focus on your major, but even more important is the process of developing relationships with your professors, colleagues, and administrators. This is a miniature version of society which, when you step out with your diploma, you will be faced with the real deal. There you will not be on your own though, because you will be standing on the shoulders of giants who helped you achieve an advanced knowledge base, and you can face our societal problems with that Bulldog confidence.”

Current Students – ����̽��