Information Technology Scholarship

Lupe was born on June 29, 1967 to Pedro and Otila Gongora in Houston, Texas and was a resident of Pasadena, Texas. She was a graduate of Austin High School and the University of Houston-Downtown.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Jesus Garza, her mother Otila, her three sisters Rita (Bernand) Cortez, Esmeralda Gongora and Oneida Gongora. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, Samantha (Carlos) Cortez-Sauceda, Mayra (Victor) Poblano, Pedro (Zahra) Lopez, Lizandro (Ayanna) Tijerina, and great nieces and nephews Andrea, Adriel, Carlos, Issac, Alizé, Naomi, and Elias as well as numerous relatives and friends.

For over 40 years, Lupe worked at the University of Houston-Downtown starting as a student worker and working her way up to leading the Functional Support section of Enterprise Systems in the department of Information Technology. As the Lead, she was looked up to by her colleagues all over the University for her extensive knowledge of how the University’s student and financial software systems worked. She had the unique ability to understand not only her position but how other positions outside IT, worked within the University and was able to figure out the most complex of student issues.

Lupe loved to travel and visit new places. She and her husband, Jesus, have traveled around the United States when he competed various marathons. She was a world traveler having visited several countries including Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and France as well as the Caribbean with her husband and various friends. She loved Spain and talked about wanting to live there for part of the year when she retired.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Lupe was a caring wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and great aunt. She loved playing bingo with her family, watching reality shows on TV and spending the holidays with her family. She also enjoyed discovering and eating at new restaurants around Houston. Her husband was the great love of her life even though she wouldn’t admit it! She was a most cherished friend and could always be counted on to make time to attend the special events in her friends’ lives. She was a good and generous woman who took pride in caring for her husband and family. She leaves behind a legacy of love and friendship that will remain forever in the hearts of those that loved her best.