Hector Marines-Chio: First-gen Aggie helps others
Hector Marines-Chio ’22 uses a quote from head football coach Jimbo Fisher to describe when he knew Texas A&M University was the place for him. Fisher was asked how long it took him to feel comfortable at Texas A&M and he replied, “I never felt uncomfortable.” Hector shares that sentiment.
“That's the number one thing for me, I've never felt like anything other than an Aggie,” Hector said. “I've never felt any different.”
Coming from Piedras Negras, Mexico, a small border town near Eagle Pass, Texas A&M was drastically different. Hector’s high school was about 98% Hispanic and not heavily recruited by American universities. But his Uncle Victor ‘06 put Texas A&M on his radar. Hector agreed to visit him in Houston. Once there, the two made the drive to Aggieland for a tour and even went to a football game. Over the years, these campus visits became more frequent until senior year when Hector decided to attend Texas A&M.
Getting Involved
Hector has made the most of his time in Aggieland. He joined the Corps of Cadets his sophomore year and served as a teaching assistant for a first-year experience course. As a first-generation student himself, the position was that much more rewarding. Kelley O’Neal, director of the Byrne Student Success Center, introduced him to the opportunity. Hector started by mentoring one student who was also in the Corps and a first-generation student. He asked for more responsibility and was promoted to a teaching assistant, where he says he learned a lot from his students. His biggest takeaway was a greater sense of responsibility.
“If I don’t show up prepared for the lesson plan, then they won’t trust me as much,” Hector said. “I had to manage my other obligations as a student, but still show up prepared and engaged every single time for them.”
Showing up for others was something Hector learned in high school. He was part of the emergency medical responder track and was a certified EMR by the time he graduated. He got a job with Maverick Ambulance in Eagle Pass and would work whenever he was home from college. His job responsibilities included driving patients to dialysis treatments, doctor appointments, occasional 911 calls and more.
He’d work during Christmas break, but wouldn’t return until May or June. By then, there was likely a new list of patients and he’d have to move on from previous patients without a proper goodbye. But even with the constant coming and going, he said the patients who don’t have family nearby look forward to their visits and that makes the job the most rewarding experience he’s ever had.
“For some of them, their routine is to wake up, get clean, get fed, go to dialysis and then bed,” Hector said. “So, to have somebody that can make them laugh or just treat them right like a human being and not as somebody that needs to be put in a stretcher, it can make their day.”
From the Corps to the first-year experience course to his job as an EMR, Hector understands the importance of getting involved and encourages other prospective students to do the same. Texas A&M offers countless service opportunities and has more than 1,000 student organizations to choose from.
Aggie Reflections
As the senior forestry major reflects on his time in Aggieland, the seven-overtime win versus the Louisiana State Tigers lingers as his fondest memory. He and his friends were screaming so hard that he lost his voice and shed tears of joy once the Aggies finally won. He also recalls the stillness from his first Silver Taps ceremony.
He’ll miss these Aggie traditions, but looks forward to graduating in May. He’s applied for jobs and had interviews, but his dream job is to work as a forester in Oregon. He hopes that other first-generation students can be inspired by his story.
“If I can inspire a generation of kids from Mexico to want to join the Corps of Cadets, to come to Texas A&M or to even want to attend college, then it’s worth trying,” Hector said.
Hector Marines-Chio ’22 uses a quote from head football coach Jimbo Fisher to describe when he knew Texas A&M University was the place for him. Fisher was asked how long it took him to feel comfortable at Texas A&M and he replied, “I never felt uncomfortable.” Hector shares that sentiment.
“That's the number one thing for me, I've never felt like anything other than an Aggie,” Hector said. “I've never felt any different.”
Coming from Piedras Negras, Mexico, a small border town near Eagle Pass, Texas A&M was drastically different. Hector’s high school was about 98% Hispanic and not heavily recruited by American universities. But his Uncle Victor ‘06 put Texas A&M on his radar. Hector agreed to visit him in Houston. Once there, the two made the drive to Aggieland for a tour and even went to a football game. Over the years, these campus visits became more frequent until senior year when Hector decided to attend Texas A&M.
Getting Involved
Hector has made the most of his time in Aggieland. He joined the Corps of Cadets his sophomore year and served as a teaching assistant for a first-year experience course. As a first-generation student himself, the position was that much more rewarding. Kelley O’Neal, director of the Byrne Student Success Center, introduced him to the opportunity. Hector started by mentoring one student who was also in the Corps and a first-generation student. He asked for more responsibility and was promoted to a teaching assistant, where he says he learned a lot from his students. His biggest takeaway was a greater sense of responsibility.
“If I don’t show up prepared for the lesson plan, then they won’t trust me as much,” Hector said. “I had to manage my other obligations as a student, but still show up prepared and engaged every single time for them.”
Showing up for others was something Hector learned in high school. He was part of the emergency medical responder track and was a certified EMR by the time he graduated. He got a job with Maverick Ambulance in Eagle Pass and would work whenever he was home from college. His job responsibilities included driving patients to dialysis treatments, doctor appointments, occasional 911 calls and more.
He’d work during Christmas break, but wouldn’t return until May or June. By then, there was likely a new list of patients and he’d have to move on from previous patients without a proper goodbye. But even with the constant coming and going, he said the patients who don’t have family nearby look forward to their visits and that makes the job the most rewarding experience he’s ever had.
“For some of them, their routine is to wake up, get clean, get fed, go to dialysis and then bed,” Hector said. “So, to have somebody that can make them laugh or just treat them right like a human being and not as somebody that needs to be put in a stretcher, it can make their day.”
From the Corps to the first-year experience course to his job as an EMR, Hector understands the importance of getting involved and encourages other prospective students to do the same. Texas A&M offers countless service opportunities and has more than 1,000 student organizations to choose from.
Aggie Reflections
As the senior forestry major reflects on his time in Aggieland, the seven-overtime win versus the Louisiana State Tigers lingers as his fondest memory. He and his friends were screaming so hard that he lost his voice and shed tears of joy once the Aggies finally won. He also recalls the stillness from his first Silver Taps ceremony.
He’ll miss these Aggie traditions, but looks forward to graduating in May. He’s applied for jobs and had interviews, but his dream job is to work as a forester in Oregon. He hopes that other first-generation students can be inspired by his story.
“If I can inspire a generation of kids from Mexico to want to join the Corps of Cadets, to come to Texas A&M or to even want to attend college, then it’s worth trying,” Hector said.