Briana Lopez

UIW Alumni

What inspired you to go into education?

I had great role models in high school and college. Seeing my teachers care and guide their students to be successful made me want to be an advocate for students.

Do you have any advice for those  who are interested in the same field?

There are so many opportunities in this world. After graduating, I thought I had to be a teacher because of my degree, but I never thought I could highlight student success for our community to see through a Communication Department. Education is so much more than being in a classroom; there’s so much that you can do in an educational field.

What are some challenges you have faced in your career?

Being scared to fail. Going into a career is always scary. I feel like college prepares you for most of it, but there’s always that fear of failing. I was scared I got the wrong degree or I was going to be stuck. However, we need to go outside the box for something great to happen.

What projects are you currently working on? 

Right now I am currently employed with South San Antonio ISD.  I am a Multimedia Specialist for the Communications and Marketing Team. Right now I am currently working on a segment that highlights Hispanic individuals who are making an impact in our district's community. 

What inspired you to start this project? 

Being Hispanic and from a low income area in San Antonio, I think it’s important to highlight people who were raised just like me to show the positives that can come from our culture. A lot of times I think people from the side of town I was raised on are instantly faced with hardships just because of where we’re from. Which makes it hard for some people to be successful because we’re already faced with so many odds being Hispanic and from a low income area it’s easy to fall into being a statistic.

What does this project mean to you? 

It means a lot getting to show current students that there’s opportunities out in the world that they can achieve. Where it be college, or the work field there's a way to make a great life for yourself and there’s so many resources you can use to get an advantage in life. 

What might the audience take away from your current project? 

I hope they can take away something positive from it. And hopefully they’ll be inspired to start a project on their own that’s meaningful to them. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the audience?

Take advantage of your time in college. Learn as much as you can, create as many relationships as you can, and get involved on campus. It really makes a difference when you take on all the things UIW has to offer.