At the end of each semester, ten graduating students receive an honor from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). This award illustrates their academic fortitude, community service and leadership efforts. The selected Top Ten Seniors are known to “embody the spirit, values, and traditions of a UTEP Miner,” according to the UTEP Alumni Association.
Many former Top Ten seniors have gone on to fulfill successful careers. Two examples include UTEP alumnae Adriana Gomez Licon and Anahy Diaz. Licon is a national politics reporter for the Associated Press, while Diaz is a social media associate producer for NBC Universal.
Both women come from different backgrounds, but are connected through their regard for education.
Licon was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico to academic parents. Her mother studied computer science and graduated from UTEP. Her father, a pediatric surgeon, was the one who pushed Gomez to pursue journalism.
“Growing up in my house was constantly ‘What are you reading? What are you learning? Tell me all about it. Give me the summary of how the day went.’ We were always very focused on school. [My dad] always wanted me to be doing something and learning about the world,” Licon said.
Diaz’s parents immigrated from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico when she was just one-year-old. Her mother held a degree in business administration from Mexico, and her father worked as a truck driver. After moving to the U.S., her mother was inspired by a Head Start center to pursue a degree in early childhood education.
Her mother advanced within the Head Start from teacher’s assistant, to teacher, to assistant director, and became the director of one of the centers two years ago.
“I grew up watching my mom start from zero and make her way up. It’s a reflection of something that’s been taught to my sisters and I our whole life,” Diaz said.
Both alumni stressed the importance of getting involved on campus. Licon and Diaz both served at UTEP for The Prospector in various roles and participated in other organizations on campus.
“The Prospector was great at teaching you how fast paced [journalism] is. I eventually did a year as editor in chief, and so it was also about how to manage and inspire other journalists to write what they wanted to write or pitch stories,” Licon said. “The Prospector [teaches you about] writing about the university as a town with a student government, performances, sports and teaches you how to cover the real world.”
Diaz, who also spent time as The Prospector’s editor in chief, shares the values of journalism that she discovered at the publication.
“It taught me that great journalism can come from anywhere. It’s important to value the journalism that students or student journalists create because often times, we’re very much at the center of a lot of the stories happening around our community,” Diaz said.
The two journalists represent different generations of Top Ten Seniors. Licon graduated in 2009 with a degree in print media, while Diaz graduated in 2022 with a multimedia journalism degree.
As UTEP alumni, both women share a sense of border life that influences their work today.
Licon has covered border politics for much of her career, including her very first story for The Prospector, which highlighted the Border Security Expo previously held at the university.
“You learn a lot about the border dynamics and how people go back and forth,” Licon said.
Diaz adds on to this sentiment, as she says her background plays a key role today.
“Having that sort of background and experience and knowledge of how a border city works, how a community speaks, and how a community thinks have been extremely valuable. I’m reminded every day of El Paso and UTEP and how much potential and great work comes out of the city and out of the university and I’m so proud to be a Miner,” Diaz said.
The last thing Licon and Diaz share is their encouragement for top ten hopefuls to not only be active students and participants in their communities, but to be courageous, ambitious and determined to find opportunities.
“Don’t think that because you didn’t go to one of the Ivy Leagues or one of the top state schools that you don’t have it. What you have at UTEP is very important and it’s crucial. Put yourself out there, be confident, and be vocal,” Licon said.
According to Diaz, the first step for upcoming graduates is simply to get involved.
“It’s an award that can be handed to anyone at UTEP as long as you’re willing to just get involved and take that first step. I think anyone’s name can be up there. Be inspired by that and realize that you can do it too,” Diaz said.
Leah Austin is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected].
