Hailing from Del Rio, Texas, Michael Meza is a first-generation college student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in international business. Despite his initial feelings of uncertainty upon arriving at UHV, Meza has transformed himself into an engaged and influential member of UHV’s student body

As Michael Meza begins his senior year at the University of Houston-Victoria, he couldn’t help but think of everything he did to reach this pivotal point of his academic career.

Hailing from Del Rio, Texas, Meza is a first-generation college student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in international business. Despite his initial feelings of uncertainty upon arriving at UHV, Meza has transformed himself into an engaged and influential member of UHV’s student body.

Freddie Cantu

“Over the last two years, Michael has had remarkable growth and shown great dedication to our campus community,” said Freddie Cantu, director of Student Involvement. “Michael embodies the qualities of an outstanding student leader, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for the upcoming year.”

Currently, Meza serves as one of the co-presidents of the Jaguars Activities Board and also is a student director for Student Involvement, where he plays a part in enriching the student experience on campus.

As a student leader and student director for Student Involvement, he serves as a point of contact for students seeking guidance or assistance, which involves directing students to the right coordinators, planning and organizing events and ensuring that the needs of students are met.

Meza also collaborates with his team to assess resources needed for events, placing orders and working closely with his supervisors to make the necessary purchases. Once the event is organized, Meza also seeks feedback from students to improve future events.

In his role as a co-president for the Jaguars Activities Board, he works to reach out to different departments and organizations on campus to collaborate on events. Whether working with Dining Servies, the International Programs Office or smaller student organizations, Meza said it is crucial that each event benefits from broad campus participation.

“I was inspired to get involved after seeing a friend doing all sorts of things on campus, and at that time, I wasn’t doing anything, so they suggested I try it,” Meza said. “And so, I did it, and I became super involved. It was like a gateway.”

The main reason why he has been a student leader for as long as he has is the positive environment created by the people he works with, Meza said. The interactions and the sense of collaboration has made his role something he looks forward to being a part of every day.

Last semester, one of his proudest moment was spearheading an initiative named the Cultural Ambassador program, which provides a platform for students of diverse backgrounds to share their perspectives and help shape campus events and activities, he said.

However, Meza’s journey to becoming the confident student leader he is today didn’t happen overnight, he said. Originally, he aimed to attend the University of Houston, but during a college fair in high school, he connected with a UHV recruiter who led him to change his perspective.

The recruiter highlighted UHV’s affordability, strong sense of community and available resources, Meza recalled. Ultimately, he was convinced. Meza began his journey at UHV in the fall of 2022.

“When I got to UHV, I was thinking, ‘Wow, I’m here.’ I never thought I would get this far, but I’m here now, and I’m in a new part of my life,” Meza said. “I’m no longer in Del Rio, I’m no longer in high school; I am my own person.”

Despite his excitement, Meza admits he originally felt out of place and doubts began swirling in his head as the time went on, he said. Meza said he questioned whether he truly belonged in higher education, and there were moments when he considered dropping out. However, Meza said he wanted to push through and decided to take it week by week to see if things improved.

“I got myself in the rhythm of going to classes, going to work, and I began to find a routine,” Meza said. “I realized, I belong; and when I did run into trouble, I would ask for those who were willing to help me.”

As he goes into his senior year, Meza said he is already planning to pursue his master’s degree at UHV and wants to work in the data analytics field one day. Making the decision to attend UHV not only gave him the education to follow his dreams, but also molded him into the person he is today, Meza said.

“It’s made me more driven. In a sense, it’s made me more outspoken and made me more confident to take the first initiative,” Meza said. “I couldn’t have done it without all of the support from UHV.”