What You Tell Us...

Frequently, we hear from students letting us know about their progress or interaction with our team. We will post selected comments from them about their experiences with the Graduation Initiative per the individual's permission.

Students who participated in the Graduation Initiative's programs speak out:

Graduated in 2011:

"Jenny was a great help in every aspect; she sort of became a mentor or a go to person. [This] helped the stress of graduating be a bit easier."
- Monica Rivera, a Communication major

"It helped to make it less stressful." - Lauren Estrada, an Education major

"When I first spoke with my contact it was nice hearing the encouragement on how close I was to graduation. It put things into perspective. I also received a congratulations letter from her as well when I reached a 3.0 GPA. It made me feel like someone was actually paying attention to what I did in school for once."
-Anonymous

"Working with an analyst really encouraged me to finish strong."
-Violet Delgado, a Science major

"It allowed me the opportunity to n ot work and focus solely on my education."
-Tiffany Estel Williams, an Engineering major

"Having the GIA [Graduation Incentive Award] program helped me get through my last semester with fewer financial worries. This let me focus more on my course work and upcoming graduation. I was always kept up-to-date with announcements and had important information readily available. Excellent program!" - Vanessa Fernandez, a Communication major

"It was great. She was motivating and gave me incentive as I concluded my education." - Raymond Daniel Herrera, a Kiniesiology major

"Shannon was great. She really helped out and answered all the questions I had and did all possible for me to get the full award."
- Renee, an Architecture major

"I enjoyed and benefited from their advice a great deal. The staff was friendly and extremely helpful, and alerted me to potential opportunities and hazards I was not aware of. For example when I was approaching the limit on the number of hours on my degree, the staff notified me of the problem and helped me file the waiver I needed to not be charged for the extra hours."
- Mark Ramsower, a Business major

"This program has helped me to stay focused and finish my degree with less stress because of the financial aid that was given. Thank you!"  Anonymous

“It was the greatest experience I have had at UTSA! Linda Chalmers is not only a kind and caring individual, but she is also dedicated to her work and her students. She helped me every step of the way and is still available even now. My entire college experience was made easier thanks to her help!”
- Henry Puente, a Business major

“Kristi Meyer was a GREAT analyst and she checked up in me now and again. I also felt like I could call her with any of my questions. Outstanding job, especially with the complicated engineering course changes.”
- Justin Hoffman, an Engineering major

"I thought the analyst was very informative and friendly. She always let me know when something showed up on my account and was weird. She immediately fixed any problem that I had." - Anonymous

“…worked well with my schedule and big help with graduation plan.”
 - Travis Mason, a Business major

"Linda Chalmers was amazing! She inspired me to go above and beyond as she did for me. Because of her I was able to work less and put a lot of effort into my schooling. I will always be grateful for her assistance!”
- Mikael Cantu, a Business major

“Not only did I set a plan of action to graduate by a certain date but my GPA rose dramatically allowing me to apply to grad schools with a 3.0 gpa or better.” - Efrain Vergara, an Architecture major

“It made everything easier and less stressful.”  - Cecilia Salazar, a Kinesiology major

“The GI Analyst helped me to review my requirements to finish my degree. She also gave me enthusiasm when most of the [college staff] didn't show such enthusiasm. She also showed a great interest in my success and graduation. A great experience with the GIA staff.”  - Luis Villamil, an Engineering major

“It was nice to have someone else help me and motivate me to graduate college. I had support from family but different when it was one-on-one and coming from the school.” - Jorge A. Davila, a Kinesiology major

“She helped get me organized. Wish there was more programs that offered that help... especially with how unorganized everything is already... could have used that 4 years ago...” - John McLeod, an Engineering major

"I talked to her on the phone once, and she was awesome and got me very excited! I had to email her a few times and she always promptly responded."
-Lamar, an Education major

 

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 Archived comments from 2007 through 2010 Graduates