Jesus Sanchez

Jesus Antonio Sanchez

Name: Jesus Antonio Sanchez
Age: 20
Major: Communication
Hometown: Brownsville

Why UTRGV?
Since the sixth grade, I always walked by what was then known as UTB/TSC and said, “Someday, I’m going to go here.” I love the Valley and everything in it. I am determined to prove to the world, prove to myself, that my choice for college was the best and will, arguably, be one of the top schools in Texas one day. UTRGV was the right choice for me. UTRGV is my home.

What made you decide on your current major?
In the last few months of my senior year at Porter High School in Brownsville, the UIL Journalism group needed students to compete and my yearbook teacher, Louie Vera, suggested I give it a shot. At the competition, I went up against about 50 other students from the district and finished first in the feature writing competition and third in headline writing. Mr. Vera saw my work and told me, “Hey, you’re good at this. Why don’t you give it a shot in college?”

What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan to continue in the journalism field and, hopefully, use my skills to teach students interested in the similar path. Also, as crazy as it may sound, I want to start my own news network someday.

What are you involved in on and off campus?
I am the editor-in-chief for the UTRGV student newspaper, The Rider. I am lucky to work with some of the most talented people in the university. It’s a pretty demanding job and can get very difficult at times, but I love every single bit of it. I think that’s the reason I love it so much; if it wasn’t difficult or challenging, I probably would not feel the way I do toward it.

What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
I’ve had several accomplishments in my life, which range from leading a high school recycling team to multiple city and national recognitions, winning a couple of tennis tournaments, and acquiring the editor job in the student newspaper my second semester of college. However, I am very goal oriented and always say that my biggest accomplishment is my next one.

What advice do you have for future students?
Getting accepted into a university is the easy part, staying in college is the challenge. The difficult task of being a college student is time management and dedication. If you have good time management skills and dedication, you should be fine. Every obstacle that gets thrown your way, take it like a champ, ask for more and say, “Is that all you got?” Any setback, failure, or complaint you come across (and you will come across them), just remember to get a straw, suck it up and keep going.