Let’s meet David, a high school history teacher who is back in graduate studies at St. Mary’s to make himself an even better teacher. He’s a student in the graduate certificate for dual credit teaching in US history. Originally from Laredo, Texas, he now calls San Antonio his home. He’s gonna tell us why he loves San Antonio and St. Mary’s University. David, you are on.
– Hello, ola, oi, salut, ciao. I’m a high school teacher, an inspirational speaker and a minister of the gospel. I speak five languages and I’m a graduate student here at St. Mary’s. I struggled through school. It took me nine years to finish my first college degree. Along my journey I discovered I had an ability to teach students who were struggling the same way I did. I discovered St. Mary’s graduate certificate program for public high school social studies teachers who were aiming the teach college level courses. It catered to the direction that I was already going. I chose St Mary’s because of accessibility, my graduate certificate program is largely online and because of the university’s efforts to find and nurture teachers. In this time of historical challenges with public schools, St. Mary’s is developing talented teachers who are able to fill in the learning gaps. Think of San Antonio as inclusion city. Walking around the magical downtown or the river walk the inclusion is truly felt all around. San Antonio is the perfect marriage of North Mexican and Texan culture from the many restaurants and museums to the five beautiful missions. Each year, San Antonio has an 11 day party called Fiesta. It celebrates our food, our culture and our music. In fact, St Mary’s often kicks off Fiesta with our 100 plus year tradition, the Fiesta Oyster Bake, which is held right here on campus. With a history dating back to 1852, St. Mary’s exemplifies the same spirit of inclusivity and our history is closely tied with San Antonio’s history. Being in a program designed to cultivate outstanding teachers has taught me that every individual has something special. We all need to find a community where our strengths are identified, nurtured, and celebrated. St. Mary’s did that for me. That’s my life at St. Mary’s and in San Antonio. Back to you, Alex.
– Great story, David. Your dedication to helping high school students succeed is really inspirational, not to mention your own personal story and your love of San Antonio and St. Mary’s is obvious. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences David. That was awesome.
Next, we will hear from Olivia a freshman studying engineering science with a concentration in pre-med. This San Antonio native will give us a glimpse into the multicultural nature of South Texas and St. Mary’s by telling her experience in Spanish. Don’t worry, there are English subtitles. You don’t wanna miss hearing Olivia’s experience with faculty mentors and research while she is still in her first year. Take it away Olivia.
– Very impressive Olivia. It sounds like your first year at St. Mary’s has been packed with excellent service opportunities, strong social connections and academic rigor. I love what you said that St. Mary’s is educating leaders for the common good. Great work and I’m sure you will accomplish even more during your next three years. Thanks again, Olivia.
It’s time to hear from Matias, a senior marketing major from Lima, Peru. From study abroad opportunities to networking with business leaders, Matias is gonna tell us how four years at St Mary’s impacted his view of the world and his place in it. His international student experience even includes an amazing internship. Matias, tell us all about it.
– Hey, thanks Alex. Since coming to St. Mary’s from Peru, my life changed and my world became bigger. After four years at St. Mary’s, I’m thankful for the great college experience I’ve received. From studying abroad in Spain to working for the world’s largest insurance market Lloyd’s of London as a market development and data insights analyst. St. Mary’s is a small school with big school opportunities. I was lucky to come from a Marianist high school in my hometown city of Lima and I wanted to find a college that continued that Marianist vision of education. The faculty and professors here genuinely want you to succeed and help you build your path for the future. They provide you with tools you’ll need throughout your personal and professional life. I know I will end up this journey not just with a degree but with a vocation, a purpose that involves helping others and being concerned about future generations. Thanks to my professors I’ve had a holistic view of how the business world works, traveled around the world, had amazing networking opportunities, become a leader in different organizations like Gama Iota Sigma or the Association of Latino Professionals for America, realized how important giving back to our community is and made friends that I can now call family. As an international student I was looking for a school where I would feel at home, have fun work, learn, and get prepared for the future. So if you’re looking for the same, St Mary’s University is definitely the place for you. Now back to you Alex.
– Wow, Matias, what a journey you have had in just four years at St. Mary’s. Thank you for sharing your journey as an international student. Congratulations on all your accomplishments. Having an internship at Lloyd’s of London is quite an experience. Awesome job and thank you for sharing your story.
Okay, next we’ll meet Tromance, a senior engineering management major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At St. Mary’s, all engineering majors create a senior design project to show what they have learned and how their project can help the world. Getting to that point takes the professors taking an interest in developing each student’s potential. Tromance, let’s hear all about it.
– Well, thank you Alex for the introduction. Growing up, I wanted to do everything my imagination led me to. When it came to choosing colleges, I had this dream of being at one college and having a platform to be who I wanted to be, a college that had the resources to produce the future outcomes of what the world can be. That college in my dream was St. Mary’s University. Growing up in Wisconsin and being the son of a single mother came with hurdles. Resources were scarce but St Mary’s helped me overcome those hurdles. On my first day of programming class, we were asked, how many programming languages does everyone know? I was the only one who didn’t know any. My professor came to me and said, “I will promise you by the end of this course you will know three and have mastered one.” That professor was just a taste of how much St Mary’s invest in one’s personal growth overall. An engineer’s main objective is to problem solve and right now there is a major problem on our hands, COVID-19. Our senior design project can make an impact on COVID-19 and display the future of technology. This project’s objective is to make individual hand sanitizer dispensers at the San Antonio Airport send a signal when it is close to empty, positively impacting hand hygiene and helping decrease the spread of illnesses. St. Mary’s taught me not only the fundamentals to obtaining a job offer, but the tools to build upon the person I want to be in the future. As my days at St. Mary’s are coming to an end, I can say I’ll be the first in my family to obtain a degree and also I’ll be the first engineer as well with a few offers to choose from before I even graduate. The main goal of engineering is to solve problems of humans’ day to day life by creating some form of technologies to solve issues. This goal of engineering led me to be very passionate on my project and its impact on COVID-19. That’s my story. Back to you, Alex.
– What an accomplishment Tromance to have multiple job offers before you even graduate. That is so impressive. It sounds like the hands on experience at St. Mary’s has made all the difference for you and your aspiration. Thanks again and congratulations.
Next up, we have Victoria waiting for us, a freshman business management major and biology minor. She has wasted no time getting involved in the many student opportunities at St. Mary’s. An editor for the student newspaper, violinist in the orchestra, honors program officer. Well, I’ll let Victoria take it from here. Over to you, Victoria.
– Thank you for that great introduction Alex. When I was in high school imagining my future and looking into colleges, I knew that I wanted to do more than just academics. I wanted to be involved and be able to grow as a person and that is exactly what I have been able to do at St. Mary’s University. There is always something happening on campus. Students recruiting for an organization, schoolwide prayer events, students and professors reaching out to me with volunteer opportunities just to name a few. I quickly learned that St. Mary’s was a tight knit community that wanted every student to excel academically, spiritually, and emotionally. As a freshman, I have already accomplished many of the things I’ve dreamed of. I am news editor for the award-winning Rattler Student Newspaper. I am also a violinist for the St Mary’s Orchestra and have even had the opportunity to contribute to the great Hispanic culture here at St. Mary’s by starting the very first mariachi group on campus. I am the treasurer of the honors program where we have opportunities to take enriching classes, study abroad, and live with other honors scholars. I am so grateful to have already been hired for an internship and accepted for a shadowing role for my dream job. I never thought I could have accomplished so much my first year. Through the support of my professors who know what my dreams are and the support of my peers who are like family, the St Mary’s community has helped me grow. As a Catholic and Marianist university, educating in the family spirit is part of the St Mary’s mission. So if you’re looking for a personalized experience, friends you can call family and professors who are also great friends, St. Mary’s is a place for you. You can accomplish anything that you dream of because St. Mary’s is a big family that will support you every step of the way. That’s all for me, Alex. Back to you
– That is a long list of activities Victoria. Great job taking advantage of the many ways that St Mary’s students can get involved with the campus community and congratulations on all that you have already accomplished. That is amazing. Thanks again for sharing your story. Take care.
Okay, now let’s meet Savannah, a junior music education major and an honors scholar. We’ll hear about her future goals and how her classroom experiences at St Mary’s are preparing her for success. Savannah, doesn’t just wanna be a teacher, she wants to be a high school band director and research the profound impact female band directors can have on their students. Savannah, you’re up.
– Thank you so much, Alex. When looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to attend a place where I felt welcomed and valued. Here at St. Mary’s University, I’m surrounded by a community that provides support and guidance in my goals and endeavors. The students, faculty, and staff at St. Mary’s bring a sense of life and community to the classroom. As a music education major, I’m surrounded by people who have a desire to become better students, musicians, and leaders. Whether it is rehearsing side by side, providing feedback for one another or spending time together, St. Mary’s students have a special bond that lasts far beyond the classroom. With a student to faculty ratio of 11:1, St. Mary students are able to develop one-on-one relationships with their professors. In my case, my professors have guided me through challenging classwork and providing me access to real world opportunities. That’s another thing. 94% of St Mary’s professors have a PhD or similar. That means that you’re learning from professors not from graduate assistants. St. Mary’s University is a tight knit community committed to developing successful professionals dedicated to the greater good. It is even a Hispanic serving institution. I love that I’m able to develop relationships with my peers and professors that last far beyond my days here on campus. St. Mary’s University is more than just a place to learn. It is a place to grow and truly develop as a person. The opportunities my professors have provided me have allowed me to work with local high school bands and write about the importance of having female high school band directors. I am proud to call myself a St. Mary’s Rattler. Back to you, Alex.
– Thank you for sharing your St Mary’s experience with us Savannah. It sounds like you’ve had some amazing classroom interactions with both faculty and students at St. Mary’s. Thanks for sharing your story.
Okay everyone, let’s meet Alexa, a junior from Weslaco, Texas, who is double majoring in political science and communication studies. From her small hometown in South Texas, Alexa came to St. Mary’s looking for a college that would support her on her educational journey while emphasizing opportunities to contribute to the common good. Alexa, please take it away.
– Hey, everyone. When it came to my education I knew I wanted to make the right decision. I come from a family of field workers who for 52 years worked every day to make sure I had the opportunity to be great. I’ve always known that my purpose is to help my community so in looking for a university I wanted to go somewhere that believed in giving back as much as I did. I found that at St. Mary’s. On my first tour of St. Mary’s, the campus was so welcoming. Resources like the Rattler Success Center and mental health support made it evident that the university cares about its students and their success inside and outside of the classroom. One thing that really stood out to me was just how much the university supports the neighborhood around campus. Every semester, hundreds of us Rattlers get together and head out into the community to volunteer. What I have realized for these events is just how much of an impact we can have when we come together. In fact, more than 70% of St Mary’s students participate in community service. I would like to say that my college journey has been easy, but there have been bumps in the road. Coming from a strong family, the last thing I wanted to admit was that I thought I was not good enough. However, when I expressed my concerns to my RA and my professors, they reassured me of all the potential I had and how I can help others. Having people around you who care about you academically and personally help you realize just how far you’ve come and how great you already are. I will graduate and go onto law school with the goal of running for Congress in my hometown of Weslaco, Texas. For anyone considering St. Mary’s, I wanna leave you with this. Go somewhere you will grow, where you will be pushed and a place that does not see you as a number. Go somewhere that feels like home. For me that’s St. Mary’s. Back to you, Alex.
– Alexa, thank you for sharing your experience. From knowing the love and support of a tight knit family to finding a second family at St. Mary’s, great personal story about the community experience at St. Mary’s. Having faculty and staff who support and encourage their students makes all the difference. Thanks again, Alexa, take care.