33 TAMIU ALUMNI TAMIU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS TAMIU’s Alumni Association kicked off the Fall semester by awarding 10 well-deserved scholarships to currently enrolled Dustdevils during an August Alumni meeting. This year’s Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship recipients were Arnold Cazares, Jazmin Flores, Mindy García, Karen Martínez, Sara Montiel, Ximena Ríos, Francheska Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, Daniela Sánchez Gomez, and Leslie Sánchez. Students were joined by family, friends, and Association members. This year’s awards were presented by Luis Sánchez (’20), Alumni Association vice president, and Christy Rangel Bryand, Alumni Association secretary. The Alumni Association supports the University’s mission by inspiring alums to give back in various ways and hosts events throughout the year with the Office of Alumni Relations. Since 2006, the University’s Alumni Association has awarded 116 scholarships totaling $128,000 to deserving students. Scholarships were awarded to undergraduate students who applied via TAMIU’s Fund$Finder, an interactive search tool for scholarship opportunities. To receive the Scholarship, students must meet the University’s scholarship criteria, be enrolled full-time, and hold an overall GPA between 2.0 – 3.0. Eligible students should also meet the federal guidelines as a financially disadvantaged student. Individuals interested in joining the Alumni Association can visit alumni.tamiu.edu. Learn more here at go.tamiu.edu/alumni10. ’17 ALUM MOVES FROM FRENCH STUDENT-ATHLETE TO TECH-SAVVY FATHER AND BUSINESS LEADER Amid the quiet hum of a high-tech workspace, where algorithms are written and data flows freely, there’s a man whose journey to success is anything but conventional. Once a fierce former athlete on TAMIU soccer fields, he’s traded cleats for code, and corner kicks for key performance individuals. Born and raised in France, Tayeb Ahmadi’s (’17) journey is one of grit, love, and an unwavering drive to excel—on and off the field. Growing up, soccer was a way of life. Mornings were spent perfecting his touch, evenings to endurance drills, and weekends to matches determining more than game outcomes. His skill and discipline earned him a soccer scholarship to TAMIU, where he pursued a degree in Systems Engineering. His time at TAMIU brought more than accolades and a diploma—it introduced him to the love of his life, Christie. Their connection at TAMIU was immediate; 10 days after walking the graduation stage, they walked down a wedding aisle. They are now parents of a son, Mikail. Ahmadi went on to earn a master’s degree in Data Analytics from Penn State, deepening his understanding of how data can drive meaningful decisions. Today, he holds a leadership role at a growing tech company, combining his engineering mindset with a data-driven approach to solving complex challenges. His background as an athlete shines through in his leadership style: collaborative, motivational, and fiercely strategic. He sees himself not just as a leader in business, but as a mentor for those navigating similarly complex paths…and he’s very grateful for the opportunities TAMIU presented. The TAMIU Alumni Association awarded 10 scholarships to deserving students recently. Students and members of the Alumni Association pictured left to right, are Arnold Cazares, Sara Montiel, Jazmin Flores, Christy Rangel Bryand, Luis Sánchez, Mindy García, Jorge Rodríguez, Daniela Sánchez Gomez, Francheska Rodríguez and Leslie Sánchez. Former TAMIU Soccer Player Tayeb Ahmadi has gone from playing on the pitch to leading in the boardroom.
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