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Freshmen profiles offer glimpse into UHV’s future
By TimHudson in Hudson On Higher Learning
April 8, 2010

Have you ever met Elvira Chavez? Juan Andrade? How about Jasmin Herrera or her mom, Enedelia? Connie Ramos, perhaps?

No? Well, we hadn’t either, until recently. But all of these folks, and many more, are part of the process underway at the University of Houston-Victoria as we converse with, recruit and get to know the key “players” – including students, parents, supporters and teachers – who are helping make history as part of the FIRST 200 underclassmen attending the university this fall. Believe me, they are an exciting and interesting group – full of hopes, dreams and expectations for the future.

Every week you can “meet” some of these future Jaguars and members of their support network at our New to UHV page. Check back often because we typically post four new profiles each week after talking to some of the 265 high school students from across Texas and the U.S. who have been accepted so far. Although we know that some of these students may decide to choose other universities, this group has shown lots of interest in UHV. Within a few days, we’ll be adding video interviews on that page.

As you might imagine, we are learning a lot as this process unfolds. One of the things we keep hearing is that students like the size and location of UHV. Our enrollment hit nearly 3,700 this spring semester, and students say it’s small enough that they’ll get more personalized attention.

Elvira Chavez, a senior at the Idea Academy in Donna, has visited UHV twice and had this to say about what attracted her to UHV: “Victoria is a small community; it reminds me of home. I feel like I would learn better in a smaller school than in a bigger school.” Chavez is a member of her school dance team and eventually wants to be a nurse and a dance teacher. She’s planning on earning degrees in education and nursing at UHV.

Juan Andrade, a senior at Sinton High School in Sinton, said he likes Victoria’s location in relation to his hometown. “I like the fact that UHV is not too far from home, but it’s far enough that I can spread my wings and fly,” he said in his profile. Andrade loves video games and wants to earn a degree from UHV in computer science with a concentration in digital gaming and simulation.

Other students have talked about their excitement of being part of UHV’s first freshmen class. This group will be able to establish new traditions at the university, start student organizations and be the first to live in the new Jaguar Hall.

“All my friends think it’s cool because they’re going to colleges where there have always been freshmen, and I’m one of the first ones to go to UHV,” said Kayla Ready, a senior at A.C. Jones High School in Beeville. Kayla is planning to earn her bachelor’s degree in education so that she can become a kindergarten teacher.

Enedelia Herrera, one of the parents profiled in the video interviews, said that she’s excited that her daughter, Jasmin Herrera, will be one of the FIRST 200. “I think it’s an honor, a good opportunity, for freshmen coming to the school. They are going to go down in history,” she said. Jasmin, who also attends Idea College Preparatory in Donna, plans on earning a bachelor’s degree in forensic science.

And Connie Ramos? Well, she is a teacher at Warren High School in San Antonio and brought her Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) college prep juniors and seniors to visit UHV. After I spoke with her group, she told me that UHV sure looks like a “good fit” for her dream of higher education for every one of her students. You can see why she is an award-winning teacher who epitomizes the spirit of school AVID programs – preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

I hope you will take some time to look at the profiles and photos of these students who are planning to make Victoria their home in the fall. They look like they are up to the challenge.

UHV page

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