Local podcast offers hands-on learning experience for UTSA Top Scholar

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JANUARY 4, 2024 — Editor’s note: This article is part of a yearlong series highlighting the stories and successes of past and present UTSA Top Scholars to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the program.

A native San Antonian, sophomore Michael Pozos says that he always envisioned himself coming to UTSA one day as a student. His admission into the competitive UTSA Top Scholar program during his senior year of high school cemented his decision to become a Roadrunner.

“I’ve lived in San Antonio my whole life. I love San Antonio,” he said. “And I feel like UTSA is a campus that embodies the community that it’s in.”

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“I think what's really cool about Top Scholar is the opportunity to work with people that are equally as passionate about things as you are.”

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The summer following his freshman year, Pozos explored his hometown in a new way by participating in UTSA Citymester. The experiential internship program is offered each summer through the UTSA Honors College and gives students an opportunity to work alongside San Antonio community partners while gaining career and leadership skills.

Pozos secured an internship with “bigcitysmalltown,” a podcast hosted by longtime, decorated journalist Bob Rivard ’96. Pozos joined the team as the show was preparing for its premiere episode, giving him a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating a full-scale podcast production from concept to debut.

“What I really liked about being on the ‘bigcitysmalltown’ team was that I got to see it grow from our launch party all the way to now,” Pozos said.

Pozos assisted with the podcast’s first 22 episodes by preparing audio recordings for release, gathering materials for social media and promotions and managing schedules for podcast guests. While his day-to-day duties were not directly related to what he studies in school as a public administration and policy major, Pozos recognized the value in the translatable skills he gained throughout his time with the podcast.

“Project management is a skill that I have learned and had the opportunity to refine over the course of my experience with the ‘bigcitysmalltown’ podcast,” he said. “I was definitely taking a step outside of something that I would normally do, but I gained a lot of skills that are transferable to so many other areas of my life.”

The UTSA Honors College offers programs for all Roadrunners to build upon their knowledge and encourage their development as students and leaders. As a major contributor to the university’s Classroom to Career Initiative, the college’s experience-based curriculum and programs help students develop outside the classroom through internships like Citymester, study away programs and undergraduate research.

These experiences are designed to prepare career-ready Roadrunners who are equipped to make meaningful contributions to society, their communities and families, and achieve greater career and financial success.

In addition to Citymester, Pozos has been involved on and off campus during his first few semesters of college. He serves as social media chair for Prism, an LGBTQ+ student organization at UTSA, and is a member of the university’s Multicultural Advisory Council (MAC), where he supports identity and cultural-based organizations on campus.

He is also a Texas Civic Ambassador with UT-Austin’s Annette Strauss Institute, a program that prepares college students across the state to become active, civically engaged leaders. The institute’s ambassadors participate in nonpartisan events and learning opportunities.

The ambassadors also create a project promoting civic engagement in an area of their interest. For his project, Pozos is collaborating with fellow Roadrunner Jasbeth Medrano, who he met in his Top Scholar cohort. Their project’s theme examines how incarceration in Texas intersects with the importance of community and storytelling.

“I think what's really cool about Top Scholar is the opportunity to work with people that are equally as passionate about things as you are,” Pozos said. “There’s also a lot of care for each individual scholar as a person, and a lot of care put into their aspirations and their goals.”

After finishing his undergraduate studies, Pozos hopes to make an impact on important social issues by pursuing advocacy work. Originally a nursing major, his involvement in UTSA Top Scholar and time spent with older peers in the program helped him determine his current area of study and inspired him to consider going to graduate school.

“Being in the Top Scholar program and being around my older scholars has really enabled me to pursue things that I normally wouldn't have,” Pozos said. “That's true with ‘bigcitysmalltown,’ that's true with my major and that's true with what I'm going to do after I finish undergrad, whether that be pursuing my master’s or law school.”

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Now in its 10th year, UTSA’s Top Scholar program continues to develop award-winning, academically talented student leaders. The program annually selects 10 high-achieving students from high schools across Texas to become Top Scholars.

Each student receives a scholarship for up to four years that covers tuition, fees, and room and board.Students join a supportive community of peers and take part in transformative experiences both in and out of the classroom, giving them an advantage in their post-college endeavors.

The annual UTSA Top Scholar application deadline is December 1. The Top Scholar application includes a recommendation letter, list of extracurricular and service activities, and several short answer questions. Prior to applying for Top Scholar, students must first have an application on file for fall admission to UTSA.

— Chloe Johnson

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