Student Spotlight
Driven to Serve
ASU Student Government Association (SGA) President Jeff Harris sees himself as a catalyst for getting necessary projects accomplished.
When he assumed the SGA post last spring, Harris looked at the projects that were already in effect to make sure they were running as efficiently as possible.
“We came in and looked at the committees and the student discount program,” he said. “We are up to 48 or 49 businesses in the discount program with everything from electric companies, to food and entertainment entities, retail and pretty much anything you can look for.”
An issue that recently arose among ASU students and alumni is the lack of ASU-branded products available in the community.
“It’s one of those deals that has always been a small complaint, but it’s come up recently, especially with our shift to the Texas Tech system,” Harris said. “People see a lot of Tech merchandise everywhere, but not ASU merchandise.”
The SGA started a push to increase available goods and, after meeting with administrators and local business owners, found out there was a perceived lack of demand.
“Apparently, licensing is available and ready to go, but the businesses didn’t think demand would justify carrying ASU products,” he said. “We initiated the petition to get ASU products out and we’ve been seeing a lot of demand, not only from students signing the petitions, but from faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and community members who want to see that merchandise out there and to get support going.”
The mindset to “get things going” should serve the government major well when he pursues his goals for the future.
“I ultimately want to end up in politics,” Harris said. “I’ve done a lot of work with the Republican Party, and I restarted the College Republicans here at ASU in fall 2007. We also started a program that should keep the College Republicans running during off-election years. When there are no elections, it’s more of an informational group bringing in speakers and helping people understand what’s going on in politics.”
The College Republicans recently sponsored a mayoral forum for the local November special election and previously sponsored a police chief forum in April 2008 before that election.
Harris, who graduated from Arlington High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex but spent most of his summers in San Angelo with relatives, is still active in the Texas Republican Party and the state College Republicans, where he serves on the executive board focusing on resolutions.
He sees those activities as important in his preparation for the future.
“In ten years, I see myself in some sort of elected state office,” Harris said. “I can honestly see that within the next five years, I want to be in, not necessarily a state office, but some elected office. I’ve got a lot of good ties with the state party and the state College Republicans.”
When he isn’t elbow-deep in politics, Harris likes to volunteer for worthy causes.
“I’ve done a lot of work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the American Cancer Society, Meals for the Elderly and Special Olympics, and I’ve gone out to Legend Oaks Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center to help out there.”
But for now, Harris focuses on ASU students’ concerns.
“You have things like the University Health Center that we are trying to work with on cost structure,” he said. “The health clinic is going to cost students more in the long run and, unfortunately, we are going to have to ask the students where they would like to spend that money.”
The next big project the SGA will address is working with the city government to get more professional internships for students with city agencies. Harris also sees the importance of student retention at ASU and in San Angelo.
“My two big words are investment and involvement,” he said, “because when you start involving people in a local field where they can stay here and get their credit or experience from it, they are becoming invested in this community. Once people become more invested in the community, they are more likely to stay here to develop an identity with the community and be a part of it.”
Currently a junior, Harris will be invested in ASU and the community for awhile longer as he plans to get a Master of Public Administration degree through the ASU Government Department after getting his bachelor’s degree next year. In the meantime, he will apply for the student regent position with the Texas Tech System Board of Regents to help support ASU’s positions.
“Really, politics is a matter of opinion on how things should be run,” he said. “If you have office politics and you don’t agree on something, you have to agree to disagree and get on with the job. Usually, you have an extreme option here and an extreme option there. When you put them together and compromise, you usually get a pretty decent option that everybody can live with.”
Interested in Student Government?
To Washington and Beyond
By utilizing several elective programs offered at ASU, recent graduate Jamie Mandujano finished his bachelor’s degree with the global perspective that is becoming so important in today’s business world.
An international business major from Coyanosa, Mandujano got his first taste of foreign culture when he participated during his junior year in a semester-long study abroad trip to the University of Paris-Dauphine, where he studied at one of France’s top business schools.
“I’ve always had a desire to see more of what is beyond the ‘city limits’ sign and that was an opportunity to expand my horizons,” Mandujano said. “I got a more global perspective of the world and it opened my eyes to other cultures and ideas that, otherwise, I would have overlooked. I realized that everybody is connected and that each of our actions has an effect on the world.”
As graduation approached, Mandujano decided he needed some hands-on experience before heading out into the world and applied for an internship through The Washington Center, a non-profit organization that connects college students with work and internship opportunities in Washington, D.C. With funding aid from the Alvin and Patricia New Honors Program Enhancement Fund, he was soon on his way to an internship with Management Dynamics Inc. (MDI), a Maryland-based company that develops computer programs to track tariffs and taxes on international trade.
“I got to see what globalization was like first hand,” Mandujano said. “We had offices in India that we worked with and had weekly teleconferences to make sure we were on the same page. It was really fun to work on a project with a guy in India and see how places like that are becoming competitive with the U.S. The amount of interaction between our offices was incredible and it was just like Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, which explains how the world has changed into a very globalized society.”
Mandujano was supposed to stay at MDI for 10 weeks, but halfway through his internship, he was offered another opportunity by The Washington Center to intern at the Organization of American States (OAS).
“I had wanted an internship that focused more on political affairs and international relations,” Mandujano said. “They usually don’t like students to change internships, but they had been contacted by the OAS, which needed an intern immediately. Having had some experience in one of my previous classes with the OAS and having done a Model OAS as part of that class, I was very excited to interview.”
Once he was accepted, Mandujano went to work for a senior specialist on the staff of OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin.
“I got to sit in on real meetings between the Permanent Council of Observers,” Mandujano said. “It was really interesting to see the ambassadors discuss the issues at hand. I got into the OAS when the Honduran crisis was happening and it was really cool to see how international diplomacy occurs. There are so many people behind the scenes that do so much work and are barely noticed.”
Despite being kept busy with exciting internship duties, Mandujano was able to find some time to go sight-seeing in the nation’s capital. He also got to hear Sen. John McCain speak, meet several foreign dignitaries and see an outdoor show of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Now that he has his bachelor’s degree, Mandujano is hoping to put off graduate school for awhile to do some more traveling, having applied to join the Peace Corps. While he has long thought about joining the Peace Corps, it was a meeting with recruiters in Washington, D.C., that prompted him to apply now.
“My future plans are to work in sustainable development by helping those who are less fortunate,” Mandujano said. “The Peace Corps just seems like a good way to get started on that path, plus it will be enriching to learn from people who are different than me and not so blessed to have what I have. I just love the cultural exchange, and I think learning about other people and their cultures is mind-altering and changes your outlook on the world.”
Interested in International Business?
Higher Calling
Kyle Ratliff’s attraction to the legal world pulled him to Washington, D.C., this summer for an internship in Congress and another in the Supreme Court of the United States this fall.
The senior government major from Seminole plans to attend law school when he graduates and practice international or corporate law, so the internships won’t hurt his résumé when he reaches for those goals.
He served in the office of U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, 23rd District representative from San Antonio until the end of July and took on the rare opportunity to work in the highest court in the land. Ratliff’s internship in the Supreme Court began on Aug. 31 and will run through December.
Ratliff said, “I’m working in the Supreme Court clerk’s office, dealing all of the cases that initially come into the court. Attorneys call and ask for updates and the clerk’s office also inputs all cases into the database to make sure they meet the requirements to go before the Supreme Court.”
“I will receive credit for the internships,” Ratliff said. “This one (in Rodriguez’s office) will suffice for government credit for my degree. The Supreme Court internship will be an elective government course.”
Ratliff was looking for an internship in Washington, D.C. in the spring when he applied for the Supreme Court position and with several congressmen. After not hearing from the Supreme Court, he accepted the internship from Rodriguez’s office.
A Supreme Court representative later suggested that Ratliff apply for a fall internship to which he was accepted. He said the high court usually only selects two or three applicants for internship sessions and generally no more than five.
“It’s a greater honor for me because it is so selective,” Ratliff said.
Ratliff will graduate from ASU in December after receiving credit for the internships and completing an independent research study course with Dr. Casey Jones of the ASU Government Department. He plans to attend law school and then practice international or corporate law.
Ratliff, who regularly appears on the dean’s list, will graduate 3 ½ years after he started at ASU. Besides Government, he minored in music with an emphasis on vocal performance. Although he has plans for his career after law school, Ratliff is keeping his options open.
“I do have some political aspirations,” he said. “I don’t have any preconceived notions about law school and I’ll specialize in what field suits me.”
He’ll likely be a community activist if his college days are any indication. Ratliff has worked in ASU’s Community Development Initiative (CDI) as a youth counselor for a local youth groups and as a peer tutor in the ASU Writing Center. As part of the CDI, he has worked with the Galilee Community Development Corp., a non-profit group that helps with housing needs for low-to-moderate income residents in San Angelo.
In a testimonial on his time with the CDI, Ratliff highlighted various projects he has worked on to compile data from the community on housing issues in San Angelo.
Ratliff stated, “I have been privileged to see first-hand the inner-workings of city government and their non-profit counterparts. This experience through Community Development Initiative has opened my eyes to public service and enabled me to understand how multi-faceted government can be, but also how people and government can work together to build a better community.”
Overcoming Adversity
Though a high school accident has severely limited her physical dexterity, ASU junior Alexa Nichols is not letting it hinder her upward mobility.
A biology major from San Angelo and member of the ASU Honors Program, Nichols spent six weeks this summer as an intern in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas. Funded by the Alvin and Patricia New Honors Program Enhancement Fund, the internship in the office of a politician may seem a bit odd for a science major, but not to Nichols.
“I have always been interested in politics, ever since the 2000 election,” Nichols said. “It was such a great opportunity to get to go to Washington. I think I want to eventually work for a think tank or research group that handles bio-ethical issues, so that will combine both science and politics.”
During her internship, Nichols handled many routine administrative duties, including distributing newspapers, logging and answering constituent letters, researching constituent questions and attending intern lectures. But, it wasn’t all office work.
“I got to go to committee hearings if one of the staffers was busy or if I saw one that was interesting,” Nichols said. “I also got to give Capitol tours, which was lots of fun. It was a great way to work in a professional environment and still get to do fun things around Washington. It wasn’t just sitting in the office all day.”
Getting involved in the political process also gave Nichols a new respect for congressional leaders in general and Rep. Conaway in particular.
“He is so smart,” Nichols said. “I guess I knew they did a lot of stuff, but I never realized just how much they have going on. He always seemed to know about everything that was going on at the time. I was really, really impressed.”
Confined to a wheelchair and with only limited use of her hands since a high school diving accident, Nichols admits to being intimidated prior to arriving in Washington. But, the internship experience helped her personally as much as it enhanced her resumé.
“At first I was really nervous, having to ask for help, but all the staffers made it really comfortable for me,” Nichols said. “So, now I know that when I go into the real job world, I won’t be afraid to ask for help. I have a lot more self-confidence about going to work after college.”
Ironically, being in a wheelchair actually worked to Nichols’ advantage during a trip to the White House. Because she had to take the elevator, she got to see the kitchen and several other rooms not usually part of regular White House tours. She calls it the highlight of her time in Washington.
Now, Nichols is ready to get back to work at ASU, where she plans to complete her incredible story of overcoming adversity to not only attend college, but to excel in her studies and move forward toward a fulfilling career. She is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2011.
Interested in the Honors Program?
Up and Coming Success Story
After growing up in a home where Spanish was the primary language, ASU senior Brenda Medrano hopes to use her bilingualism to aid her patients when she finishes her nursing degree.
The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Medrano has long been the interpreter for her mother, Rosario, who speaks no English, and her father, Jose, who speaks just enough to work in construction.
“When they bought our house, I did all the paperwork,” Medrano said. “I also handle all their bank accounts, 401(K)s and bills for them. Basically, anything that comes into the house that requires reading or anything like that, they come to me and I help them out. Even with my little brother registering in school, I do most of the paperwork.”
Using the skills she learned at home, Medrano volunteers as an interpreter for diabetes education classes at ASU’s San Jacinto School Based Clinic and Family Wellness Center.
“I’m happy to do the interpreting because I know what it is like, that it is hard for people who don’t understand,” Medrano said. “There was a lady named Sarah in a class, and she does not have anyone who can help her. She told me how difficult it is just to get health care, how hard it is to tell what is wrong with you when you can’t make the doctor understand.”
Medrano also helped translate a book of diabetes-appropriate recipes so that all those attending the classes can use it.
Born in Mount Pleasant, Medrano lived a transient life as her family constantly moved to where ever her father was working. Moving almost yearly, she also lived in Midlothian, Canadian, Dallas, Kansas and Oklahoma before settling in San Angelo as a fifth-grader. In the sixth grade, she was introduced to ASU’s Up and Coming Scholars Program.
“We had to maintain high grades and do extracurricular activities,” Medrano said, “and we also got to do a lot of things with ASU. We also had to stay within the San Angelo Independent School District and we had to take random drug tests.”
At the end of each school year, she also got to take outings to the ASU Lake House to learn more about the benefits of an ASU education. By staying in the program, she gets a full scholarship for ASU tuition and fees.
“Having a twin brother, the program really benefited me,” Medrano said, “because I don’t know if my parents would have been able to pay for both of us to go to college. But, now I get a full ride for four years.”
Despite the demands of her nursing education, Medrano still finds time to volunteer at the San Jacinto facility and works two days a week at a local restaurant. With her father often out of town on construction jobs, she also has to look after her mother and the family finances.
“My dad put me in charge of all the bank transactions,” Medrano said. “That way, we can figure out how to get bills paid, all the taxes, the title to the house, all that stuff. We work together, but I do most of the talking and writing checks.”
Scheduled to graduate in May 2010, Medrano has not decided on a nursing field yet, but does plan to work in San Angelo to stay close to her family.
“There are so many fields of nursing,” she said. “Right now, I just want to learn as much as I can.”
