JANUARY 3, 2020 — After more than 20 years of being in the U.S. military and becoming a mother, Judith Rivera can now say she also has a degree under her belt.
The mother of two is one of the newest Roadrunners to join the alumni family after earning her bachelor’s degree in public administration at Fall Commencement. For Rivera, it’s been quite the journey to be where she is today.
At a young age, she began working full-time in lunch trucks in California as a cook seven days a week while attending night school to earn her high school diploma.
“It was far from ideal,” Rivera said. “So not wanting to be trapped as a cook for the rest of my life, I joined the Marine Corps in 1991.”
She retired as a master gunnery sergeant.
—JUDITH RIVERA
However, being in the military also came with its own obstacles. From being away from her family and facing constant reassignments, Rivera also had to face being in a male-dominated field.
“To be successful as a woman in a male-dominated institution, learning to deal with these hurdles allowed me to develop self-confidence and learn that no obstacle is too big,” she said.
With no obstacle being too small as well, Rivera decided it was time to pursue her undergraduate degree—something that had been nearly a decade in the making.
After moving to San Antonio, she enrolled at the community college level before transferring to UTSA with the help of the Distinguished Transfer Scholarship, which was awarded for exceptional scholastic achievement at her previous institution, and then began study in UTSA’s College of Public Policy.
“UTSA will allow me to ensure governing policies regarding pay, leave, benefits and other administrative policy matters are being followed or implemented to make military enlistees’ lives better,” Rivera said.
While it’s taken some time, Rivera said she knew what her calling would be once she was done. She plans to work at the San Antonio–based Air Force Personnel Center, where she interned for two summers.
“I want to provide excellent customer service to all the men and women in uniform as well as their families,” she said. “From the beginning of this journey my goal and dream were to work for the federal government, and the faculty and staff at UTSA have helped me to reach that goal. I will forever be grateful.”
Rivera’s oldest son now attends UTSA and her husband and youngest son are expected to start at the university as well in spring 2020.
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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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We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
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.
