At UTSA, we come from many different backgrounds. We have different ideas. We dance to different beats. But for all our differences, we share one bond in common: We believe in UTSA and in the power of education to change our lives and to change the world. We are a community of diversity and inclusion. You belong here.
Catch a glimpse at some of the amazing things our diverse student body is doing. Even though they are all different, they are all birds of a feather. Now and forever, they are all Roadrunners.
Blair Pan
Blair is an Honors College communication major and First Year Experience peer mentor who won an essay competition at the 2017 Communicating Diversity Conference. Her paper, “U.S. College Students’ Norms in Communicating about Race” received high praise and placed second in the top undergraduate category.
Blair also co-founded Rowdy TV, a UTSA-centric broadcast network hosting shows on celebrity gossip, pop culture, sports, and news and events.
Kurt Johnson
Kurt is a sophomore mechanical engineering major who is in the Honors College and a Top Scholar. He’s a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and is the social activities chair for the UTSA chapter. He’s also a member of VOICES, a student volunteer organization, and plays intramural soccer and softball.
With the opportunities presented by UTSA and the Top Scholar program, Kurt plans on studying abroad through a summer internship opportunity to help him expand himself professionally and see how other companies in different parts of the world operate.
Kuzipa Kapayi
Kuzipa is a senior geology student who wants to educate the people in her home country of Zambia on the importance of clean water to improve their lives and health.
Thanks to a Rotary Global Education Grant she won through Rotary District 5840 and the Fair Oaks Ranch club,Kuzipa willhave the opportunity to fulfill her wish. The $30,000 grant will cover her expenses as she studies abroad at CopperBelt University for her first year of graduate school. She’ll study hydrology, the study of water and how it interacts with the earth.
“I want to make an impact on the people there,” Kapayi said. “I want to educate them on how to improve water and sanitation.Children there work so hard to get water that isn’t good for them and if I could teach them how to fix the sanitation problem, I could make a difference.”
Jeffrey Hooks
Jeffrey is a kinesiology major who’s been an orientation leader for two years in a row and served on the 2017-2018 UTSA homecoming court as a Mr. UTSA finalist. He’s also the president of UTSA’s Pre-Physical Therapy Society and has volunteered with FTK (For the Kids) to help raise over $110,000 to support children and families affected by pediatric cancer.
Jeffery can’t help but show his passion for UTSA when he welcomes new students as an orientation leader.
“We are one of the first faces they see at UTSA,” said Hooks. “Being involved in the lives of all the students that you encounter and knowing each one of them has great potential to change the world is something that I love.”
Nikki Long
Nikki is an economics major, scholar-athlete who has excelled in the classroom and on the UTSA Women’s Golf Team.
Named a Distinguished Business Student in 2016, Nikki represents the top 1.5 percent of UTSA business students. She was also named the 2016-2017 Conference USA Women’s Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year.
“UTSA is quickly rising to be one of the best universities in Texas and the nation,” Long said. “The opportunities here to excel are endless. There are so many people here who want to help you. If you want to succeed, you will succeed at UTSA.”