Dec. 23, 2019 — Alix Dubernard graduated this month with a bachelor’s in computer science and a minor in cybersecurity. She’s the first person in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
Originally from Mexico City, she migrated to the U.S. at age 11. And although she didn’t feel pressure to be the first in her family to achieve the university dream, making a choice about the right path to get there was a challenge.
“I did not have a passion for anything, and I struggled to find a field in which I had a deep interest,” said Dubernard.
However, her clarity was achieved when she exposed herself to different disciplines at UTSA. During a psychology course she learned about a research project that combined computer science, cognitive thinking and artificial intelligence. This intersection of disciplines piqued her interest so much that on her own time and by scouring the internet, she taught herself the computer programming language python—which is one of the fastest growing coding languages for machine learning.
“I had a passion for this that I had not felt for anything else!” said Dubernard.
But nothing worth having is ever easy, so she had to overcome some of her fears.
“Computer science is a male-dominated field and it involves a lot of math, which I was never comfortable with,” Dubernard explained. “However, I quickly discovered that I was not so bad at math and that everyone in my classes was very friendly and open.”
Then another turning point came when she was invited to join the Computer Security Association at UTSA. She didn’t know much about cybersecurity, but she started to work on security projects outside the university. Grueling hours in training allowed her to become a member of UTSA’s elite Blue Team, which took her to competitions across the country, including competing in high stakes venues such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Cyber Force competition.
“I had a lot of moments when I felt burned out and tired,” said Dubernard, who like a true pioneer of her family will now graduate magna cum laude.
Dubernard won an internship at USAA’s information security team, which then led to a full-time position after graduation.
“I believe that it was all worth it because I have learned a whole lot and had a lot of fun doing it,” she said. “It also opened up a lot of opportunities.”
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
