TAMIU STEM Alumni

Dr. Alex Barrera graduated with a BA in Biology and a minor in Anthropology. He is a General Dentist at Avenue 360 Health and Wellness in Houston, TX. His hobbies include cooking, traveling, crossfit, yoga, and running. When asked how TAMIU prepared him for his current occupation he said "by providing faculty members and resources that helped me prepare for understanding the application process for dental school and by providing unique opportunities for scholarships and leadership roles that I would not have had at a larger institution." Dr. Barrera's advice to incoming freshmen students at TAMIU is "get as involved as possible! The bigger your network, the more opportunities you will have and the more doors will open for you."

Antonio R. Jimenez graduated with a BS in Chemistry and minor in Biology. He is a 4th year medical student  applying to Dermatology residency programs. He enjoys amusement parks like Six Flags, Schlitterbahn, and Disney World. He states that at TAMIU he "learned how to conduct experiments, analyze and interpret data, and creatively solve problems to difficult research questions." Thanks to the "invaluable skills" he developed, he has been selected for competitive research positions. His advice to students is "Don't be afraid to ask questions! You are going to be surrounded by an intelligent and diverse student body. In order to grow professionally and intellectually, it is important to learn from others and pick up on skills that will positively contribute to your future career. If you see someone with a unique strength, ask about it and learn from them to see how you yourself can develop that skill too!" 

Mario Fuentes graduated with a major in Engineering. He is currently working as a Data Engineer at USAA, a leading provider of insurance, investing, and banking solutions to members of the U.S. military and veterans who have honorably served and their families. His hobbies include playing video games, doing puzzles, and going fishing. When asked how TAMIU prepared him for his career as a Data Engineer Mario stated, "TAMIU taught me how to learn independently, think critically, and enjoy STEM." His advice to incoming freshmen students is to work on project-based research, with aims of publishing in peer-reviewed journals or presenting in academic conferences, and to find a mentor!  

Yuliana Alcaraz graduated with a BS in Biology. She subsequently completed her Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology at Texas A&M.  She is currently working as Infection Preventionist for University Health System in San Antonio, TX. Hobbies include exercising, traveling and meditating. TAMIU prepared her for her current occupation because she developed abilities such as leadership and communication skills while getting involved with extracurricular organizations. She states "I am now very comfortable leading projects, speaking to large groups  and managing my time effectively. My advice to incoming freshmen is to get to know your professors. I believe that thanks to the encouragement and guidance of my professors I was able to find my best career path." 

Dr. Patrick J. Palacios obtained a BS in biology and MS in biology from TAMIU. He is an internal medicine resident physician at UT Health in San Antonio, TX. When not at the hospital, he enjoys playing guitar, singing and watching sci-fi movies. When asked how TAMIU prepared him for his career, he stated “TAMIU introduced me to the world of scientific research which sparked my desire to learn.  It also offered me the resources, connections and education that helped me get to medical school and ultimately become a physician.” Dr. Palacios’ advice to incoming freshmen is “find a faculty mentor; they have helped others succeed and can help you too! Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it and find ways to get involved and connected, especially in research and leadership. You are at an outstanding institution with opportunities to learn, lead and succeed; take them.”

Yuridia Rodriguez graduated with a B.S. in Biology in 2016 then an M.S. in Biology in 2019. She currently works at the City of Laredo Health Department as a Microbiologist where she helped prepare their current BSL-3 laboratory for COVID testing when the pandemic began. While working on her thesis for her M.S., she learned how to troubleshoot experiments and think critically in order to adjust protocols to fit specific needs. These skills ended up being foundational since she used them when working at the health department because COVID testing was something that was new to everyone. Therefore, she had to mold the knowledge she had acquired to fit a specific protocol which in this case was conducting PCR testing to determine how prevalent SARS-CoV-2 was in our community. She plans on using these skills further in medical school since she will be a first year medical student at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Texas.