July 2022 EDITION
News
President Robert Vela, Jr. '94, '98, '03 Talks Football
Watch the Video: From Alice Football Player to TAMUK President
Alumni Featured on TAMUK's YouTube Channel
Watch the Video: Javelinas In Their Own Words
Thank you Jonathan Heyward '00, Oscar Montoya Jr. '14, Brandy Piña-Watson '06, '08 for sharing your unique experiences as Javelinas!
SAVE-THE-DATE!
Join Porky, alumni & friends Sept 15th to support your passion for Javelina Nation!
JAVELINA ATHLETICS
Author of Javelina Highlights Earns Recognition at LSC Media Day
Congratulations to Fred Nuesch, who was chosen by the Lone Star Conference to receive the 2022 Kirk Hill Sportswriter of the Year award!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: OCTOBER 15th JAVELINA HOMECOMING 2022
Don't miss out on Javelina Homecoming 2022 as we take on the Falcons of UTPB on October 15, 2022 at Javelina Stadium. Stay tuned for more homecoming events including the Javelina Distinguished Alumni Awards, tailgating and more. In the meantime, get your football season tickets and reserve your hotel room today!
CAREER ENGAGEMENT
New Grads Share Their Next Steps
Thanks to the generosity of the Javelina Alumni Association, Career Engagement (formerly known as Career Services) drew winners from May 2022 graduates that responded to an inaugural graduation survey to award them with a $100 Amazon gift card.
Jenny Pinilla ’22, earned her MS in Physics with a concentration in Petrophysics after completing the program 100% virtually from Bogota, Colombia. Pinilla received her Petroleum Engineering BS from Universidad Industrial de Santander in 2011. After adding her graduate degree to her professional background and resume, she was hired at a new company at a higher position, where she is now a Senior Petrophysics Engineer at Frontera Energy CA.
“I worked full-time while in graduate school at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and enjoyed taking my classes from another country. It was great experience and now I have an great opportunity with new employer to use the knowledge I learned from graduate school,” Pinilla says.
Gabriel Gallegos ’20, ’22, earned his BS in Music Education in 2020 and his MS in Music Performance in 2022. He started his job search before graduation and received multiple job offers. Gallegos ultimately accepted a role in the music program at Veterans Memorial High School in San Antonio, Texas. He will oversee the drumline for the school’s marching band.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Damian Diaz '11 Featured by No Treble Magazine
Musical Performance major Damian Diaz '11 says, "I found a home at Texas A&M in Kingsville so I could pursue all of my musical interests. My trombone professor inspired me to continue my education even further."
Texas A&I and TAMUK Agriculture Teacher Alumni Annual Event
Texas A&I and TAMUK Agriculture Teachers Alumni gathered for an annual dinner in July, just before the Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas (ATAT) Conference, where they raise funds to support new Javelina graduates with their first year of membership dues to ATAT. This year alumni honored John Howard '74, '77 for his years of dedication with the Texas A&I University Ag Alumni Hall of Honor award.
Eloy Perez '06 received the Javelina Ag Teacher of the Year Award. Along with the award, Perez received a one-of-a-kind knife and the 'TAMUK tie to a teacher' which bears the memory and spirit of Texas A&M-Kingsville Agriculture faculty member Jerome Tymrak who passed away in 2020. Mr. Tymrak's tie carries on the tradition of his passion and commitment to agricultural education as each year's honoree will become the bearer of the tie to pass on to the next.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Undergraduate Chosen to be Sumners Scholar
Madeleine Stolzer, a History & Political Science major in the Honors College Class of 2024, was recently awarded an at-large scholarship through the Sumners Foundation.
The Sumners Foundation provides several opportunities for Scholars throughout the year to become more knowledgeable and civically active.
At-large scholarships support qualified students who demonstrate a passion for self-government. Students from Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas are eligible to apply as long they are attending a college or university in Texas or Oklahoma.
Covid-19 University Response
Texas A&M University-Kingsville Coronavirus Updates
For all official updates on COVID-19, please visit the University's website at the link below.