Posted on May 14, 2025 by Sean Wood
Indra Garcia-Morales (right), a junior electrical and computer engineering major and Klesse College Ambassador, receives an Outstanding Volunteer Award alongside Danielle Morales at the Northside ISD Robotics
Junior electrical and computer engineering major Indra Garcia-Morales always loved math. It wasn’t until middle school in Brownsville, her hometown, that she learned about STEM careers.
“I met a volunteer with UT Rio Grande Valley PREP (Prefreshman Engineering Program), and that taught me everything about engineering,” Garcia-Morales said. “I learned how to apply math as a career. I learned about the different fields of engineering. It’s the reason I got into STEM.”
Now she’s a volunteer and a Klesse College of Engineering Ambassador, sharing information about the college and helping students get excited about attending UTSA. Garcia-Morales got that opportunity recently while volunteering at the Northside Independent School District’s (NISD) LEGO League Challenge Robotics Championship event. She met a high school student volunteering and pitched her on the engineering program at UTSA.
“She knew that she liked robotics, and I was able to relate it to engineering and an engineering career,” Garcia-Morales said.
She spent three Saturdays helping fourth through eighth graders and judging their entries in preliminary and final competitions.
This type of dedication explains why NISD presented her with an outstanding volunteer award.
“Our teams are small, and these events are large and you need volunteers to pull them off,” K-8 Enrichment Program Coordinator Amalia Sollars said. “It’s always refreshing to have a student volunteer like this willing to give her time and create a positive experience for younger students. She was a complete delight to work with.”
Garcia-Morales said she wished she had similar opportunities to participate in these competitions in Brownsville. She plans to volunteer for similar events in the future.
“In my first two years of school, I just stayed on campus,” she said. “I didn’t think about life outside UTSA. I’ve done a lot of networking, and it’s been a great experience.”
Garcia-Morales said she enjoys working with younger students and hopes to inspire a new generation of engineers.
“I didn’t have very much of that growing up,” she said. “Now I plan to give a lot more to the community because Klesse College has given so much to me.”
— Sean Wood
