R.D. Leyva

Hometown: San Angelo, Texas

College/Major: College of Communication/Communication Studies and Business Foundations with a Spanish concentration

How many years have you been involved with the FIG Program and in what capacity?
I’ve been involved with the FIG Program since I was a freshman in college in 2003. During my first year I participated in a year-long residential FIG and currently I serve as a peer mentor for a Natural Sciences FIG and two Communication FIGs.

Why is this program important to you?
I feel this program is imperative because it allows students to meet a group of peers with similar interests and take classes together. This greatly benefits students because it gives them the chance to learn about each other and form study groups for classes. As a mentor, this program is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to help freshmen students in their development and give back to the UT community.

How has it helped you or changed your life in any way?
FIG has been a wonderful experience for me because it has allowed me to help others in a unique capacity. As a mentor, I am able to introduce freshmen students to important campus resources that they will utilize during the continuation of their academic career. Being able to see the growth of my FIG students is a reward because I am able to aid in their development and contribute to their UT experience.

Describe one of your most memorable FIG moments.
During my freshman year, my FIG went to see a play called “The Santaland Diaries” at the end of the semester. The event was a wonderful experience because we were able to come together and relax by enjoying a show right before finals week. It was also very beneficial because it gave students the opportunity to experience an event unique to the city of Austin.

Describe the program in one word and explain why you chose that word.
com·mu·ni·ty (k -m n -t ) n.1. a unified body of individuals as a. people with
common interests living in a common area (the problems of a large community)
b. an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location
(a residential community) c. a group of people with a common characteristic or
interest living together within a larger society (a community of students at the
University of Texas at Austin)

I feel the word community encompasses the FIG program because after participating in a FIG, students are able to walk away from their first year with a sense of kinship and self-identification. Overall, it also allows students to progress in various areas of development and find their place within the University of Texas community.

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