By Laura L. Acosta
Whether students at The University of Texas at El Paso are standouts on the basketball court, hunting for viruses that infect bacteria, living on campus, or taking advantage of dual-credit opportunities in high school, the experiences in which Miners take part outside of the classroom are equally as important as their final grades.
Studies have shown that students who are engaged outside the classroom perform better academically, progress to degree completion in a timely manner, are more active as alumni and are better prepared for the work world.
A 2014 Gallup-Purdue University study of 30,000 college graduates found that the types of experiences students have in college, such as internships, extracurricular activities and semesterlong projects, strongly relate to great jobs and great lives afterward.
“Engagement in student life activities such as being a member of a student club, writing for the school newspaper, participating on an intramural team, attending a sporting event, a leadership conference or a musical performance and even living on campus all help students in being more prepared for the ever-changing global market and become more competitive in the world of work and graduate studies,” said Catie McCorry-Andalis, Ed.D., associate vice president for student engagement and dean of students at UTEP.
The UTEP Division of Student Affairs includes departments, programs and services that integrate academics with extracurricular activities, voluntarism and programs designed to help students reach their full potential.
Through successful student engagement initiatives, such as UTEP L.I.V.E., 21st Century Scholars and Project MOVE, UTEP is becoming known for offering students a complete college experience.
Success On and Off the Court
Marissa Rodriguez was destined to become a Miner since the day she met UTEP women’s basketball coach Keitha Adams at the first Little Miner basketball camp for girls in 2001. Her family moved to San Antonio when Rodriguez was 9 years old, but the El Paso native was determined to come back after graduating from Ronald Reagan High School in 2011.
Adams offered Rodriguez a walk-on spot on the UTEP women’s basketball team, but it was the College of Business Administration’s national reputation for being one of the best schools in the United States for educating Hispanics that sealed the deal for Rodriguez.
“I was looking into the College of Business [Administration] here and it was really good, especially for Hispanics, and I wasn’t ready to stop playing basketball,” explained Rodriguez, a senior guard on the Miner basketball team who expects to graduate with her accounting degree in May 2015. “I (thought), ‘This is where I need to go and what I need to do, so, here I come.’”
Off the basketball court, Rodriguez immersed herself in the UTEP scene. She lived in Miner Village and served as vice president of UTEP’s Student Government Association (SGA). Rodriguez also has served as president of UTEP’s student-athlete advisory council and represented her teammates on the Conference USA student-athlete advisory council. She also was selected as the sole C-USA representative to the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
In summer 2014, Rodriguez participated in UTEP’s Patricia and Paul Yetter Law School Preparation Institute, which prepared her to take the LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, and also sparked her interest in becoming a tax attorney. She will attend Notre Dame Law School in the fall.
“I have a lot of student friends and I see their perspective on things,” Rodriguez said. “They have many stories to tell and I want to tell their stories. I love UTEP, and my goal along with the rest of the student government is to make a better campus, to improve it in any way we can and get away from that commuter school (reputation).”
On the Hunt for Excellence
Rebecca Soto, a senior biochemistry major and phage – or bacterial virus – hunter, is among the many students with outstanding stories to tell. As a freshman, Soto discovered a mycobacteriophage that could lead to treatment therapies for tuberculosis. Soto named the discovery Rebeuca, a combination of her name and her lab partner’s name, Beu Oropeza.
Since her first semester, Soto has worked under Germán Rosas-Acosta, Ph.D., in the SUMO-Influenza Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Virology. Soto spends about 20 hours a week at the bench lab where she has participated in several research projects involving viral diseases, specifically the Influenza A virus, through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance – Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) program.
“I strongly believe that participating in research is one of the most valuable activities that undergraduate students can do during their college years,” Rosas-Acosta said. “It provides them with direct exposure to some of the experimental approaches that have been used to generate the scientific knowledge they learn in their classes.”
In 2013, Soto participated in the Harvard Stem Cell Institute Internship program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was invited back the following year. She has mentored phage hunters in the SEA-PHAGES program, presented at the SEA-PHAGES Symposium at Janelia Farm research campus, and is an undergraduate research fellow in UTEP’s Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (R.I.S.E.) program.
One of Soto’s most unforgettable UTEP moments took place outside of the lab when she met one of her heroes – noted activist, author and speaker Cornel West, Ph.D. – during his lecture at UTEP’s Magoffin Auditorium in 2014.
“My experience at UTEP has been really transformative,” said Soto, who hopes to study stem cell and regenerative biology after she graduates in May 2015. “If you go out of town, you can be selfish and just focus on what you need to do, whereas if you stay here at home, you have responsibilities like your family and trying to juggle that with school, work and everything else. All in all, it’s been a great experience.”
A Meaningful Experience
Dustin Schirmer is part of a select group of Early College High School students who have condensed their UTEP experience into two years. But that hasn’t stopped the 20-year-old senior political science major from making the most of his time at the University.
Schirmer began taking dual-credit courses at UTEP his junior year at Transmountain Early College High School. Since enrolling at the University full time in 2013, he has joined the SGA, served as secretary for UTEP’s National Society of Leadership and Success, manned the football toss booth at Minerpalooza, and volunteered in the community through Project MOVE, UTEP’s annual day of service.
“There was just something that said, ‘You should try to experience a bit more of that college lifestyle and do it while you can,’” said Schirmer, who will graduate from UTEP in summer 2015. “You’re not here too long, so why not?”
As a prosecutor for the SGA Traffic Court, Schirmer is applying the judicial skills he learned in the LSPI program to successfully prosecute cases related to student parking violations on campus. The court consists of two prosecutors, two public defenders and three traffic court justices.
“It’s like that one video game that Nintendo released a long time ago – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – because you’re running everywhere gathering evidence and then you go to court and present it,” Schirmer said. “I love my job.”
Schirmer’s UTEP experience has been further amplified by his professors, who have inspired him to follow his dreams.
After taking a class his first semester at UTEP with Joseph B. Graves, Ph.D., a professor of political science and criminal justice, Schirmer was certain he had made the right choice to pursue a career in politics.
Schirmer fondly recalled how the 88-year-old Graves would weave stories about his days working at the White House under the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations into his class lectures.
“I am extremely proud to be at this University,” Schirmer said, “because it really is the gateway to a great future.”
On-Campus Life
Living in Miner Village since 2012 has made it possible for Moises Blankenship, a senior history major, to develop friendships with students from diverse backgrounds and different countries who have enriched his time at UTEP. Among them is his roommate Jean Montes, a junior in mechanical engineering who left his native Torreón, Mexico, in 2011 to escape the city’s drug violence.
Montes serves as president of Miner Village’s Residence Hall Association and Blankenship is the association’s vice president. They organize fun activities, such as karaoke night, to give residents a break from homework and a chance to meet other residents.
“Neighbors know their neighbors,” Montes said. “My freshman year, I would tell the guys, ‘Hey, I’m making pancakes. Come and eat.’”
Blankenship, a California native, said Montes helped him expand his social circle on campus.
The two are members of the UTEP chapter of the College Republicans. Blankenship serves as the chapter’s president and Montes as the vice president. Through their involvement, they’ve met New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
For Blankenship, living on campus has allowed him to participate in many events, such as Minerpalooza, UTEP L.I.V.E., Orange and Blue Day, and UTEP Celebrates. He also volunteers in the community through Project MOVE, the Miner Volunteer Corps and the UTEP Center for Civic Engagement.
“By offering many ways to gain leadership experience, improve networking and communication skills and give back to the community through community service, I have been able to get a great education at an affordable cost and have gained many achievements that I can put on my resume,” Blankenship said. “UTEP is one of the best universities in the country, which offers many students from different backgrounds a way to get a university education. I am very grateful to have come here and will be sad to leave.”