Member Spotlight: Jarod Gonzalez

Hometown: El Paso, TX

College(s) Attended:  UT at Austin

Degree(s) earned:  B.A in Psychology & M.Ed. In Higher Education Counseling

Title:  Associate Academic Advisor- College of Liberal Arts

What are your hobbies?  Basketball, philosophy, technology, helping others.

What was your favorite childhood toy? "Monitos" - basically action figures. My favorite in particular was a wolverine monito that was unbreakable.

What is your current position at UT? Briefly explain. TIP Scholars Liberal Arts academic advisor. I advise roughly 280 1st and 2nd year TIP students for spring, summer, and fall semesters.

Have you had any jobs prior to your current job at UT?  If so, what were they? I worked for Gateway Scholars, a program here at UT very similar to TIP as a student support specialist. I also interned as a Drug and Alcohol counselor here at UT at UHS.

What is the most challenging aspect of your current job? The volume of students I have to see in a short period of time. But I look forward to the challenge.

Why/How did you decide to work in an institution of higher education? Education is the key to changing your world and the world itself – it can allow one person, or a group of people make the world a better place for everyone. In higher education, one learns to think critically about the world, and I want to be a part of that for my students I see.