Meet Sara Hernandez Mendez, a UTRGV Unsung Hero
Text by Amanda A. Taylor-Uchoa
Sara Hernandez Mendez, associate athletic director for Marketing & Strategic Initiatives within the UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics on the Edinburg campus, helps support and promote athletic programs at the university.
Mendez, who has worked at UTRGV for 10 years, says that while no two days are the same, she enjoys working with her team and has fun planning various initiatives and events for the UTRGV campus community. She says having a close team is what helps make the long hours worthwhile. “Community is everything,” she said, “and I’m very proud to be part of this one.”
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT UTRGV?
My role at UTRGV is to support and promote our athletic programs by working with campus and community partners.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE?
I have worked here full-time for 10 years, but I was a graduate assistant for one and a half years before that, and I’m a proud alumna.
DESCRIBE YOUR AVERAGE DAY:
Working in athletics is very fun, so no two days are the same! But a typical day usually consists of working closely with colleagues in my department and partners across campus. We’re usually planning for initiatives and events in which we can include our entire campus community. Some days (the best days), we’ll host a home game or match in the evening, which allows us to execute everything that we have worked on for the last few weeks and welcome the campus and local community through our doors so they can experience UTRGV through one of our events.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?
I love the people I work with. We spend a lot of time together and learn a lot from each other and about each other -- we truly care for our team, so that makes the long hours fun and worthwhile. I also really enjoy, and I am invigorated, by our young people -- getting to know our student athletes and seeing them develop and thrive from the first time they step foot on our campus to graduation. Our student employees are very important to our operation; it’s rewarding also to see them grow as people while they’re with us and keep up with them to see them go into the world and do great things. They make us very proud.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MEMORY, OR STORY, ABOUT YOUR TIME HERE?
A few years ago, we decided to release metallic confetti at the end of UTRGV Madness. We thought it would look great with the lasers, lights, and fog… and it did – it made for a beautiful finale to an amazing night. What we didn’t consider is that metallic confetti would stick to the hardwood. We had a volleyball match at noon the next day, which meant that the court needed to be ready for the teams to warm up at 10 a.m. We stayed until 2 a.m. picking up each piece of confetti by hand, one by one, to make sure the court was match-ready the next day. We learned our lesson, but those are moments where our team gets to bond most, and it gives us stories to tell!
TELL US SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU:
Some people do know this, but I was the sports editor at the student newspaper, The Panamerican, when I was a student at UTPA.
My relationship with our community is incredibly important. I am grateful for all the people that I have met through my journey at UTRGV. As I talk about my job and the things that I enjoy most about it, it always comes down to the people I get to do this with. Whether it’s in our department or campus partners that we work closely with to carry out events and initiatives, what we all have in common is that we are a team that is committed to bringing the best experience to our students and our fans, and that in turn helps our university and the Rio Grande Valley grow. Community is everything, and I’m very proud to be part of this one.
