Student’s constant involvement makes UHV experience worthwhile
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| Joel Leon, a University of Houston-Victoria junior, stands in February outside the Texas State Capitol during UH System Day. Leon and 20 other UHV students traveled to Austin to ask legislators for additional funding for university expansion. |
Home is where you make it – and that adage is exactly what Joel Leon lives by.
Leon, a University of Houston-Victoria junior and resident assistant, graduated in 2013 from Alvin High School. From there, he had several options when considering colleges.
“I was looking at Stephen F. Austin, but I was leaning more toward UHV,” he said. “It was because of the affordability, plus it was pretty close to home and really close to everything else.”
During his first year at UHV, Leon started as a student worker with the university’s Technology Services Department. Two years later, he still works with the department, typically assisting faculty and staff with technological issues.
This experience is helpful, especially for Leon’s major. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences in Computer Information Systems.
“It’s been going well,” he said. “The program is pretty challenging, and it keeps me on my toes.”
Leon is on track to graduate in spring 2017. From there, his plan is to move to Austin and work for Dell. He’s debating whether he wants to earn a master’s degree.
Leon, 20, served as an RA at Jaguar Hall during the 2014-2015 school year. This upcoming semester, he’ll move to an RA position at Jaguar Suites.
“I like it a lot,” Leon said, “It keeps me actively involved with the students, and I create relationships. It’s always something new.”
Leon doesn’t like slowing down. When he moved to Victoria, he realized UHV is what he would make of it. If he wanted to sit around bored, he could, but he chose instead to get involved. He has joined the UHV chapter of the Golden Crescent Habitat for Humanity and serves on the Student Fee Advisory Committee. Both of the groups allow him to learn more about his university and the community.
“It’s really up to you to keep yourself involved,” he said. “The more you’re involved, the more you want to stay.”
I am a Jaguar is an online feature highlighting the exceptional students who attend the University of Houston-Victoria. To nominate a student, contact Jeremy Shapiro, UHV communications manager, or call 361-570-4296.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
