Ruben Herrera:
CLASS OF 1981
Pecos High SchoolClass of 1981
Pecos, TX
University of Texas - EngineeringClass of 1985
Austin, TX
Ruben's Story
Life
Someone once told me that life is what you make of it. I don't know if that's totally true, but life sure has been interesting.
My first revelation was attending UT-Austin, when I saw more people at my first Longhorn football game (78,000) than we had in all of Pecos (12,000). Yes, there really is a new world out there.
My second was getting married - how can this not be a big event in anyone's life?
My third and forth were the births of my two boys, Gabriel and Daniel. They are the most important things in my life. Even though we have moments (doesn't everyone?), I wouldn't trade them for anything. The funniest thing is that I tell them things that my parents used to tell me.
Over the years, I've met people from all over the world and I've found that, despite our different backgrounds or origins, we're not that different. In some cases, I've been surprised by the similarities.
One thing's for sure, life is short. You never know when it's going to be your turn to leave. Spend time with family and friends and make the most of the time that you've been given.
School
I really enjoyed my years at Pecos High. I wish that I would've gotten to know a lot more of my classmates, but that's okay. We had a pretty close class. Although I don't hear from everyone, we all keep in touch as a group. I have good memories of my friends.
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Going to UT-Austin was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything because doing so opened my eyes. I didn't have a lot of free time, but through the years, I got to know people from all over the world and this allowed me to broaden my mind. We may not speak, dress or look the same, but inside, we aren't all that different.
Workplace
I got a degree in chemical engineering and while I always knew that I would end up working in the petrochemical field, I never imagined that it would be on the environmental side.
I was fortunate to have worked for Texas' environmental agency for many years because during that time I was able to obtain a lot of experience in air quality permitting and regulatory analysis.
Now I work for Big Oil, but I've come to know, and I'm sure everyone else has come to the same conclusion, that regardless of the job, the human interactions, issues and dynamics are pretty much the same. Some days are better than others, but in the end, what drives me is knowing that I've done my job well.
I have to say that I've been really lucky in my work experiences - everywhere I've gone, I've met and befriended smart, sincere and genuine people that want to do the right thing. How great is that?
Military
Alas, no military experience for me. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would've enrolled at ROTC while attending UT.
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