Each month, Get to Know… will feature two members of UT System Administration’s talented staff as they offer insights into their lives in and out of the office. Each new edition will be published here.
Roxana Rivera
Program Manager
The UT Education & Research Center at Laredo
What are your primary job responsibilities?
I serve as the primary liaison between the UT Center at Laredo and UT institutions housed at our center (UT Health San Antonio, UTHealth Houston, UT San Antonio, UT Rio Grande Valley and soon UT Medical Branch). One of my main responsibilities is to ensure that faculty, staff and students from these institutions have the resources they need to succeed. In the past year, my role has expanded into a leadership position with the support of my executive director, Adriana Nunemaker. This includes overseeing operations and budget projects and supervising team members. Furthermore, I actively collaborate with external agencies to build partnerships that fuel the UT Center at Laredo's growth and benefit our community. Through my work, I'm proud to contribute to a team that is fostering and expanding academic opportunities in Laredo and surrounding areas.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
The people. From my co-workers, the faculty and staff, and students, I work with people who are a constant source of inspiration. Everyone brings a unique set of skills that strengthens our organization.
The mission. The UT Center at Laredo's unique mission deeply resonates with me. It's inspiring to witness the success stories of our graduates and the positive impact they have in our community.
What do you do to disconnect or de-stress?
Finding ways to 'de-stress' looks a bit different these days with three young kids — ages 5, 3 and 6 months!) around. However, I find joy in spending quality time with my family. Whether it's getting messy with arts and crafts projects or exploring the Texas Hill Country on weekend road trips.
Who is currently playing on your Spotify playlist?
My playlist goes from one extreme to the other. If we’re not listening to super simple songs while driving the kids around, or their new favorite, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, I listen to Natalia Lafourcade, Mon Laferte, Luis Miguel, Grupo Frontera, J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and my all-time favorite, Michael Bublé. When I need a break from music, podcasts are my go-to. Right now, I'm hooked on Spotify's original Caso 63, Relatos Forenses and Crime Junkie for my true crime fix.
