With family support, Rigoberto Esquivel overcomes personal obstacles to obtain civil engineering degree

DECEMBER 15, 2023 — For Rigoberto Esquivel, leaving home to pursue his degree at UTSA was a challenge, but the decision paid off. With a supportive family and encouragement from mentors, Esquivel has completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design this December after just three years.

A native of Mexico, Esquivel moved to Alamo, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, with his sister when he was 8 years old. His parents followed them a year and a half later—purchasing a rundown building and transforming it into a family business, The Alamo Restaurant, Tortilleria and Bakery.

In the following years, Esquivel’s mother and aunt grew the business while his mother also worked as a teacher. When Esquivel was in middle school, he began working in the bakery, heading over right after school and, many days, working until closing.

“My years working in the bakery was my first glimpse of real life. My parents wanted me to experience this to strengthen my interpersonal skills which would help me later in life.”

Esquivel said, “My years working in the bakery was my first glimpse of real life. My parents wanted me to experience this to strengthen my interpersonal skills which would help me later in life.”

In 2019, his mother was able to retire from teaching, and she poured all of her focus and energy into the bakery. Then COVID-19 hit in 2020, delivering a powerful blow to the business. The family was looking hard at the possibility of having to close. However, they persevered with a few changes — creating a low-contact setting and implementing a drive-thru system, enabling them to not just stay open, but thrive.

“That was the year we sold the most, which was surprising. It was a record high sales year for us,” Esquivel said.

Consumed by his work in the family bakery business, deciding to study civil engineering in college wasn't always on Esquivel's radar. He credits his sister and a high school teacher with introducing him to engineering.

Esquivel's interest began in architecture. He was fascinated with the interior structures of buildings. He had a high school teacher who taught a civil engineering and architecture class, which gave him a chance to dip his toes into both of these fields, side by side.

Esquivel said his strongest encouragement came from his sister, who had studied biomedical engineering at UTSA. She pushed him to expand his options. While hesitant at first, and with his heart still set on architecture, his sister’s reassurance convinced him that he was capable of pursuing civil engineering.

“I tend to doubt myself a lot, especially with school. She's always been the biggest supporter that I have because she knows that I'm capable of it. And sometimes you need that reminder that you can do this; you can pursue whatever you want if you just give it time,” he said.

With his path set for what he wanted to study in college, Esquivel faced the question of where to go to school. It came down to UTSA or the university in his hometown, and he wanted to focus on the destination that could give him a better experience and more chances at networking. Even in the midst of the pandemic, Esquivel knew UTSA would offer resources and tools to equip him to reach his goals.

But that decision meant having to leave home.

“My parents were very supportive. They always motivated us to see what's out there. They wanted us to experience life and see what life is really about,” he said. “So, when it got to me, even though it was during COVID, they said to just do it.”

However, college life came with some obstacles for Esquivel. The difficulty of some of the classes was challenging, and he even failed an engineering class multiple times.

“After dealing with the loss of my grandparents, my mental state was not very well. I had to retake Structural Analysis three times. It was honestly one of my favorite classes, but that still didn’t mean that it wasn’t hard. The third time was the one because I eventually passed with a B+,” he said. “I am taking some of the hardest classes that we have in engineering. So, failing a class for the first time was just horrible. I went into the mindset that I couldn’t do it. But I’m grateful I failed, because it changed my way of thinking about life. It is not all about school.”

While having support from family back home, Esquivel also fostered a community here on campus through extracurricular activities. He joined the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and became the secretary of the organization.

“I enjoy being somebody that helps guide others,” Esquivel said. “ASCE gave me the chance to mentor people and work with other leaders in the organization like the vice president and the president.”

Esquivel also took part in the Klesse College’s Student Success Center Ambassador program, which challenged him to become better at public speaking, equipping him with skills to engage and hold conversations with people touring the campus.

This UTSA graduate plans to spend the next few months with his family achieving some personal goals and deciding on his next steps. When he’s ready to start his job search, he plans to explore opportunities in land development and wants to remain in San Antonio.

— Catherine Flores