Alumni Spotlight

College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Spotlight Series

Aug 6, 2024

Jose Sanchez

• Tell us about yourself!
  
My name is Jose Sanchez. I graduated in December of 2023 with my BS in Anthropology and a minor in Forensic Investigations. I transferred to A&M-Central Texas from CTC down the road right before Covid hit. When Covid caused the classes to go remote, I took a hiatus from school for about 2 years before returning in 2022 to finish my degree. During my hiatus I used some of the knowledge I had gained at school to work as a QA specialist handling medical imaging and reporting. At this time, I thought hard about what I wanted to do and decided to change my degree to Anthropology. I really enjoyed that anthropology managed to give me a diverse learning experience that differed from my previous experience of the more specialized topics in biology. It allowed me to explore many different topics including my love of biology and forensics, while also broadening my skill set and opening new avenues of interest. The classes were not only intriguing, but many of them were hands on, allowing for collaboration and networking between students and staff. The programs themselves were also easy to manage administratively thanks to the simple layout provided by the campus’ warrior web. Along with easy management of curriculum, the smaller campus and classroom size permitted for close communication between staff and students, allowing for easier access for communication and relationship building.

• Why did you choose A&M-Central Texas?
I chose A&M-Central Texas out of convenience mostly. It was close to home and allowed me to save money. I’m glad I did make that choice though because the school allowed me to make a lot of connections and gave me valuable insight into academia that my prior academic experiences had failed to do. My prior experiences had made me feel like another body walking in one door and out the other. Prior to A&M-Central Texas it was incredibly difficult to make personal connections with other students and staff. This was the first school and staff that made me feel open to communicating and excited about what I was learning. It helped to build my confidence in my future academic endeavors.

• How do you plan on using your degree for career advancement/aspirations?
I currently am working for the DSHS Injury Prevention Unit-Overdose Surveillance Team as a Data Analyst. Essentially, I track the statistics and variables associated with unintended and undetermined overdose deaths throughout the state under a grant provided by the CDC. I will, however, be leaving this job in the fall to begin my graduate studies at Idaho State University, where I will begin working towards my Masters in Anthropology. My career aspirations are diverse because I like to keep my options open. I would enjoy working for local, state, or national government entities so that I can continue to use my skills to help make life better for people, or bring closure to families as I work on my interests in human remains identification. I also have an interest in academia, and hope to move further in my studies towards a Ph.D.

• Tell us anything else you’d like to share!
I was a nontraditional student. I spent about 7 years working as an EMT and 3 years volunteering as a firefighter before I decided to return to school at 27 years old. During that time, I had issues with alcoholism and trauma associated with things I had seen on the job. Since returning to school, I decided to aim for sobriety following covid and have been alcohol free for around 2 years now. My academics became therapeutic for me and helped to pull me out of my cycle of despair and into a more stable, optimistic view on life. I wanted to share that because I think it’s important to show that not everyone trying to better themselves comes from a stable foundation. I ended up graduating at 34 years old because of the 2 years covid hiatus I took but I wouldn’t trade these years for anything. Additionally, I received a 20k scholarship from Idaho State in the form of a non-resident tuition waiver. I’m extremely excited what the future holds thanks to my time at A&M-Central Texas.