Araceli Mecom was even more inspired to go to college after hearing The Eyes of Texas every day when she walked into her high school chemistry class. She comes from a small Texas town and was the first person in her family to graduate from the University of Texas at Austin after being awarded an academic scholarship.
In just three years, Mecom earned an honors degree in speech pathology in 1975, and he spent the following forty-five years working in the area. Mecom established a family tradition of graduating from UT during the past few decades, as evidenced by the attendance of her daughter Dawn Branksy and her two grandchildren, Miles and Mason Mendiola.
According to Mecom, the perseverance of achieving well and setting high standards has been passed down through the centuries, allowing us to succeed in any profession we choose. (My family) understands the value we place on higher education and agrees that it is something that should be obtained.
Bransky, who graduated in 1994 with a degree in business administration, shared same regard and anticipation for further education. Bransky saw attending UT as more than just obtaining a degree; it was about sustaining a family tradition of quality, continuing her mother’s academic and university-loving legacy.
In my family, UT has such a high level of excellence that it’s practically expected. According to Bransky, (UT) influenced our story, and people recognize and identify our family as Longhorns and (have) a standard (for) what that implies.
Mason Mendiola, Dawn’s youngest kid, was raised surrounded by Longhorn pride from all sides thanks to the influence of his mother, grandmother, and elder brother. When granted a space in the CAP program during his senior year of high school, Mendiola made the difficult decision to attend the University of Arkansas instead, even though he had always known that UT was the place he wanted to be, he said.
Nevertheless, throughout his first year, Mendiola felt a strong pull toward his ideal institution and made the decision to apply for a transfer.
I had to give up my desire of attending UT and attempt to understand the customs of a different institution, which I had never been a big admirer of. Mendiola, a junior in economics, stated that it was what he had to do. However, it was enormous after I entered UT. For me, it felt like a major victory.
Football became the lifeblood of the family, while academics served as the cornerstone of their time at UT. According to Bransky, the family’s devotion to Longhorn athletics is as great as their pride in their academic performance, as seen by everything from game-day customs to travel for important games. Mendiola was more than eager for his first opportunity to sit in the student section last fall, having grown up watching UT football games and spending a year as an Arkansas Razorback.
Mecom stated that she believes UT provides a strong educational foundation because of the options it provides. She claimed that graduating from the university is an honor and that it enables people to have a greater influence on their communities.
According to Mecom, we have just been proud of the history we established, proud to be a Longhorn, and proud to be a part of the UT System. We are full-blooded Longhorns, so it’s absolutely amazing to us to be able to carry on that for three generations.
