Gonzalez Family
Maggie Gonzalez and her family moved to Houston from Mexico City in 1993. She has three children who have attended UST, and her youngest daughter, Carmen, was just accepted at the University of St. Thomas.

Her son, Luis, double-majored in marketing and finance, and graduated in 2007. Her daughter, Maggie, who also joint majored in marketing and finance, is currently pursuing a Master's of Business Administration degree at UST. The youngest son, Roberto, is triple-majoring in marketing, finance and French, and plans to pursue an MBA at UST.

Gonzalez believed so firmly in the University’s mission, that she applied to work in the Human Resources Department in 2007. Nearly two years later, Gonzalez has begun to take undergraduate classes at UST. Her family ties at St. Thomas continue to grow as she has successfully recruited five nieces and nephews and several more friends.

“My kids have been extremely happy here,” Gonzalez said. “They have always studied in Catholic schools because they receive a quality education, and I think of it as an extension of the family. You support the school, and the school supports what you have been teaching your kids as they grow in their own faith.”

Stinner-Trimble Family
San Antonio residents Bill and Angela Stinner-Trimble, knew their daughter, Sasha, wanted to attend a Catholic university. Despite the variety of faith-based institutions close to home, their family chose the University of St. Thomas because it fit the bill for their needs of both religious emphasis and academic rigor in the classroom. Sasha is majoring in biology and theology and plans to pursue a career in bioethics.

“We found the quality of instruction in UST classrooms to be outstanding and far superior to other universities we were considering,” Bill Stinner-Trimble said. “UST has really supported and nurtured her interests, and helped to ignite her passion for scientific research.”

The first time the family visited UST, they were surprised to see President Robert Ivany with his lunch tray in the Crooker Student Center cafeteria. Ivany joined the Stinner-Trimbles for lunch that day, and they have stayed in contact ever since.

“I would advise parents to take the time to meet the professors and the administrators at UST,” Stinner- Trimble said. “Their passion is infectious.”

Miller Family
Edinburg, Texas, resident Marta Miller said her son,Darnell, was sold on attending UST after an overnight campus visit. “Darnell is majoring in communication and English, and he always comes home very excited about his courses,” Miller said. “We have never heard anything but positive feedback about his UST experience, so as parents, that makes us very happy. The transition from a small city like Edinburg to UST’s urban setting has never been a concern," Miller said.

“St. Thomas has such a community feel despite being located in a big city,” she said. “When we visited the campus, we saw that Darnell had everything that he needed right there, and that gave us a lot of comfort about the overall safety of the students.”

With her son in his junior year, Miller said their family has no regrets about their college choice. “Darnell got a scholarship, he works as a resident assistant in the residence hall and we cover the rest, and the investment is worth every penny.”

The Gonzalez family at the UST Baccalaureate Mass for Maggie and Luis’s graduation. Pictured left to right: Carmen, Maggie, Luis, Maggie, Luis and Roberto.