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The Brownsville chapter of the Texas Exes alumni organization provided a hometown send-off to the incoming freshman class at UT-Austin who hail from Brownsville and the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The International Bank of Commerce on Ruben Torres Boulevard was packed with people, bathed in burnt orange. Students and parents mingled with alumni, there was a photo booth and it was a fiesta atmosphere. Mexican food was on the menu.
Karla Jimenez of Brownsville, who received the full-ride Madison Charitable Foundation Forty Acres Scholarship, attended with her parents, Karem Gonzalez and Carlos Jimenez. She will major in business and pursue her master’s in accounting.
The student body president this past year at Los Fresnos High School, Jimenez characterized the gathering as amazing and said she went bowling afterward with new friends she met at the celebration.
Getting to hear state Sen. Morgan LaMantia (UT-2009) speak was a definite wow factor, she said.
LaMantia, D-South Padre Island, said that during her undergraduate years “UT became much more than just an institution of higher learning—it became the place where I discovered my passions, established lasting connections, and found my community.”
“Remember, you are now part of the vibrant Longhorn community, and the pride and spirit that accompany this legacy will be a driving force throughout your time at UT and beyond,” LaMantia said in prepared remarks for the event.
The attendees included 54 incoming freshmen from Brownsville. In all, 150 students from the lower Rio Grande Valley will attend UT-Austin in the fall among 450 from Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr counties, officials said.
Bruno Zavaleta IV, recipient of this year’s Texas Exes Brownsville chapter scholarship, was among them. He will major in computer science and is a Plan II Honors student. His father Bruno Zavaleta said he and his wife are extremely proud.
A video recording by UT President Jay Hartzell played during the event.
“Your skills, leadership and talent show that you belong here. You’re brand new Longhorns, and we’re thrilled that you’ll be on campus in just a couple of weeks,” Hartzel says in the video.
“I’ll give you a couple pieces of advice. I’m a dad first and UT president second. It’s only going to be the best time of your life if you make it that way. It’s not going to happen if you stay in your room or only look at your phone. You’ll have to get out there and try some student organizations and meet-ups to find your new friends.”
