Impact Stories

The Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNet) serves as a driving force for entrepreneurial achievement and innovation at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). With its wealth of knowledge, guidance, and student support, SBDCNet has become an indispensable resource for UTSA students, providing them with the necessary tools and insights to excel in the competitive world of business. Spearheading this initiative is Matthew Jackson '10, '16, a devoted alumnus of UTSA and the Director of SBDCNet, whose passion for business and entrepreneurship has propelled the program to new heights, personally hiring and training over 100 UTSA students to work within the center.

For first-generation college student, Nia Jaramillo, a sentiment from her former art professor at Texas State University continuously played in her mind as she was preparing to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.

“You could have been an art major,” she was told.

Nia loved creating art in middle and high school but was always given the impression that it would never lead to a “real career.”

Founding dean of UTSA’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts and art history professor, Jacinto Quirarte, spent 36 years with the university. As one of the first scholars to write about the Chicano art movement, Jacinto left a lasting legacy at UTSA, changing the landscape of art history curriculum by leading the movement to have pre-Columbian art and the architecture of the missions become included in the art history mainstream. He received his own education by working multiple jobs to put himself through school, ultimately attaining his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Jacinto’s daughter, Sabrina Quirarte McGowan ’93, inherited his passion for learning and higher education.

Born in Misawa, Japan, The University of Texas at San Antonio graduate student, Ashley Aguilar, lived in three different countries before moving to San Antonio with her military family in 2006. With a childhood full of traveling, she developed an affinity for geology and solving environmental problems in countries across the world. In 2018, she took the risk of leaving her full-time job as a high school math teacher to pursue her graduate degrees at UTSA.

The Hector and Gloria López Foundation (HGLF) announced a $2.4 million grant to provide full tuition assistance for 15 Latino first-generation college students at UTSA, creating pathways to educational attainment and a pipeline to a successful career. The grant underscores UTSA’s critical role as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the San Antonio community and South Texas that is educating and building a skilled workforce.

On November 30, 2022, the UTSA College of Education and Human Development’s (COEHD) Urban School Leaders Collaborative (USLC) received a $100,000 gift from UTSA Alumni Association members and long-time university supporters Tami ‘94 and Steve Griffin ’92, M.S. ’94. The money will help fund the Betty Lou Griffin and Bertha Rae Damon Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship in Education that the couple established for the USLC in 2016. Named in honor of Steve and Tami Griffin’s mothers, respectively, the fellowship is awarded to all USLC students during their final semester.

Hewitt Family Scholarship and Sue Jockusch Endowed Scholarship recipient, Zachary Nepote, has been interested in learning for as long as he can remember. His grandmother immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a young child in the 1950’s and grew up in Robstown, a small town outside of Corpus Christi, Texas with the majority of the population being other Chicano immigrants. She always placed a strong emphasis on Zachary’s education and achieving success in his life. His grandmother and mother wanted to be sure that he would be able to provide support for himself and his family without the financial stress they endured. With his upbringing close to his heart and an appreciation for his own heritage, he developed an interest in other cultures. He is now in his third year of pursuing his degree in Global Affairs from the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts.

For 1,969 minutes on April 6 and 7, the Roadrunner community united for the first UTSA Giving Day. The results exceeded expectations in a number of areas, thanks to participation from across Roadrunner Nation. Approximately $350,000 was raised from almost 1,900 donors. Gifts supported more than 50 programs across the university, including colleges, student activities, athletics, the UTSA Libraries, UTSA Alumni Association scholarships, and much more.

There’s no shortage of innovative and entrepreneurial students at UTSA. For years UTSA students have pitched their startup ideas at business plan competitions, participated in tech showcases and attended entrepreneurship boot camps, receiving support primarily through the university’s Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship. Beginning today, creative Roadrunners will be able to tap into a new network that will provide additional experiential learning opportunities to improve their career readiness.

To help relieve some of the stress that students might be facing due to coronavirus-related changes to their daily lives, UTSA has created key funds that support Roadrunners' most prevalent needs during this time.

UTSA, Whataburger and the San Antonio Food Bank today announced a partnership to ensure that healthy food, free of charge, is made available to students in need across all of the university's campuses.

The University of Texas at San Antonio today broke ground on a state-of-the-art, $41.5 million athletic training facility that will help the university draw world-class student-athletes to its Division I programs and provide recreational sports resources to San Antonio residents.

UTSA today announced it has received a $15 million gift from San Antonio business leader Graham Weston to support the university's proposed School of Data Science.

UTSA senior Civil Engineering major, Crista Cerda, returned to San Antonio from Urbino, Italy in the fall of 2019. She spent her days walking along Urbino's cobblestone streets with fellow classmates in search of Italy's delectable cuisine while experiencing the country's rich culture as they learned to communicate with locals. Regularly, her class traveled to major cities like Rome, Italy where she engaged with lead engineers and discussed multiple development projects in the city.