Erica McFarland, Lance Tran named 2021-2022 Spirit of the Roadrunner recipients

Lance Tran and Erica McFarland were named the 2021 Spirit of the Roadrunner recipients.

OCTOBER 17, 2021 — UTSA students Erica McFarland and Lance Tran were named Spirit of the Roadrunner recipients during the halftime show of the Homecoming football game on Saturday, October 16, at the Alamodome.

Sponsored by the UTSA Office of Student Activities and the UTSA Homecoming Committee, the award recognizes UTSA students striving for academic achievement, campus involvement and community service.

The program, formerly named Mr. and Ms. UTSA, was renamed to be more inclusive of UTSA’s diverse student body.   

Showcasing some of UTSA’s finest students, the 2021-2022 Spirit of the Roadrunner also included Mary Shaw as a finalist. Candidates completed an application process, a platform presentation and a student vote for the chance to be named the Spirit of the Roadrunner.

Erica McFarland

McFarland hails from Missouri City. She is a junior and public health major. She is also a senator in the Student Government Association and has participated in Women of Honor, the Black Student Union, the African Students Association, My Sister's Keeper and The Green Society.

McFarland’s platform focuses on the amplification of wellness at UTSA. There are eight dimensions of wellness including intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical, social, occupational, financial and environmental. Mastering wellness maximizes the human experience. “My goal is to effectively and efficiently educate Roadrunners on this matter and enhance their ability to take control of their life for the betterment of wellbeing through UTSA services,” she said.

Lance Tran

Tran calls San Antonio home. He is a junior and actuarial science major. He has been a Carlos Alvarez College of Business senator in Student Government and has had memberships in the Society of Physics Students, the Vietnamese Student Association and the UTSA Ambassadors. 

His platform focuses on working with the Multicultural Student Center for Equity and Justice to relaunch cultural events at UTSA that were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to build a stronger community at UTSA where incoming students of different cultures can feel represented and also find a home here at UTSA,” Tran said.

Through the next year, McFarland and Tran will represent the student body and the university at a number of special events and functions.