First-generation college student Alberto Hernandez-Ontiveros has come a long way since leaving his hometown of El Paso to attend Texas A&M University–San Antonio. Now a junior majoring in biology with a pre-health concentration, he has quickly become one of the University’s most active and accomplished undergraduates.
Hernandez-Ontiveros is a member of the Honors Program and the President’s Leadership Class. He also serves as vice president of the Honors Student Association and president of the University’s chapter for the American Society of Microbiology. On Friday, November 21, during the 17th Annual Dream Maker Scholarship Celebration, he will receive a Dream Maker Scholarship—an honor reserved for students who exemplify leadership, resilience, and the spirit of A&M–San Antonio’s mission.
“My parents taught me what hard work really means, so being recognized as a Dream Maker means a lot to me and my family,” he said. “It really feels phenomenal.”
Raised largely by his older sister while his mother and father—both originally from Mexico—worked multiple jobs, Hernandez-Ontiveros said his parents’ sacrifices drive everything he does. “They gave me and my siblings opportunities they never had,” he said.
When it came time for college, affordability was a major concern. “As a first-generation immigrant and college student, the question wasn’t ‘Where do I want to go?’ It was ‘Where can I afford to go?’” he said.
After applying to several universities, A&M–San Antonio emerged as the ideal fit, with its combination of affordability, growing academic programs and close-knit community. Hernandez-Ontiveros was awarded multiple scholarships, including the Honors Program Scholarship, President's Leadership Class Scholarship, and Achiever Promise, a last-dollar award for top-performing students or those completing Early College High School coursework.
Like many students leaving home for the first time, he faced challenges adjusting to life on his own. “I’d been in El Paso my whole life, so moving to another city by myself was a big change. It was difficult,” he said.
But he adapted quickly. Living in a residence hall his first two years, he soon found his footing. “The A&M–San Antonio community really helped,” he said. “Being in the Honors Program and the President’s Leadership Class gave me a goal-oriented second family with like-minded peers. I also built great connections with my professors. I wasn’t just another number on a roster.”
Dr. William Bush, director of the Honors Program, nominated Hernandez-Ontiveros for the Dream Maker Scholarship and praised his leadership and character. “Alberto has grown tremendously as a student leader with strong character and intelligence, serving as a role model for others,” Bush said. “It is an incredible honor to work with students like him, and I am thrilled that he is receiving this recognition.”
Hernandez-Ontiveros’s passion for medicine began in high school, where he joined a medical magnet program. A course in medical terminology sparked his fascination with how science can be used to improve lives. “It planted a seed in my mind that medicine was what I’d been looking for all along,” he said. “I realized I loved the idea of using science—the most empirical, factual thing we have—to help people.”
At A&M–San Antonio, that passion grew into research. During his first year, he studied the disproportionate prevalence of disease among minority populations—a project that earned first place in the Professional Studies category at the Great Plains Honors Conference hosted by Oklahoma State University.
“That experience opened my eyes to inequities in health care and the role I could play in changing that,” he said. “It solidified my desire to go into medicine.”
In November 2024, Hernandez-Ontiveros delivered a TEDx Talk to students from the Roy Cisneros Leadership School for Boys in Edgewood ISD. He spoke about overcoming imposter syndrome and how confronting complacency transformed his outlook on life.
Once he graduates in spring 2026, Hernandez-Ontiveros plans to attend medical school, ideally at Texas A&M’s College of Medicine in College Station, before pursuing a combined residency in general and reconstructive surgery. His dream programs include Johns Hopkins University and Stony Brook University, both renowned for their reconstructive surgery training.
Beyond his professional goals, he hopes to dedicate time to humanitarian work before returning to Texas to give back to his community. “Everything I’m doing is for my parents and for people like them,” he said. “They worked so hard so I could have this opportunity. Now it’s my turn to pay it forward.”
The 17th Annual Dream Maker Scholarship Celebration will be held Friday, Nov. 21, at the Mays Family Center at the Witte Museum. Proceeds from the event will directly benefit students at Texas A&M University–San Antonio.