A 2018 graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Erica Chavez has been teaching for 11 years. Now she is in UHD’s Master of Educational Leadership program. Her goal? To augment her years of experience in the classroom with new skills and knowledge acquired through her graduate studies. Ultimately, Chavez wants to lead a school as its principal.
Chavez is on a journey to realize her dreams, and on Friday, July 24, she was joined by 72 other UHD graduate students with similar aspirations at the Incoming Master's Student Welcome Reception, held on Friday, July 24, in the Tami and Mark Mallet Grand Lobby of the College of Technology and Sciences building. Among the crowd were graduate students new to UHD, as well as UHD grads, like Chavez, who are seeking to further their educations, including Ashley Marrufo in the MBA in Accounting program; Ted Bauer Scholar Samantha Hartman-Keast, (’26, Accounting); and Nancy Bond, who is pursuing her MBA in Human Resource Management.
Complete with a professional photographer taking headshots, a DJ, and a dancing Ed-U-Gator, the reception marked the first time UHD has hosted a university-wide event to welcome all incoming master's students across every graduate program.
“The reception celebrated students admitted for the summer and fall 2026 semesters and was designed to help them feel welcomed, connected, and excited about joining the UHD community,” said Nyetta Meaux Moore, M.S., Director of Graduate Admissions and Recruiting.
Also in attendance were staff and faculty plus current master's students who served as part of the welcoming team and connected new students with peers and the university community. At the end of the evening, important connections were made, and each incoming master’s student left with a very special gift complete with a UHD graduate student t-shirt (to be worn with Gator pride) and more.
Erica (’18, Education) and Angel Chavez
Jose and Ashley Marrufo (MBA in Accounting)
MBA students Mariah Cook, Shantel Brown, Ashley Lewis, Amber Simmons, and Nancy Bond
Roberto Guerra and Countney Lundgren
Travis Hartman-Keast (M.S., Data Analytics), Samantha Hartman-Keast (’26, Accounting), Bryan Espinosa (MBA, Supply Chain) and Daniel Rodriguez (M.A. Strategic Communications)