Dallas College

Student Experience: Maris Rodriguez

Maris Rodriguez was a high school dropout and didn’t think she had much of a future. Because of Dallas College and the STEM Institute, Maris has been rejuvenated with life and is now pursuing a dream of working for NASA. Maris recently was part of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program at the Ames Research Center in California. Now, with a Dallas College associate degree in hand, Maris is transferring to the University of Texas to continue her educational journey and further chase her NASA dreams.

“My dream job is to be a mathematician at NASA, so I can help with science exploration and study unknown phenomena,” she said. Maris is currently in the NASA L’SPACE Program, which is designed for STEM students interested in pursuing a career with NASA or other space organizations.

“Dallas College not only gave me a second chance at an education and career, but it gave me a second chance at life,” Maris said. “I want to inspire people with my story and to never doubt yourself.”


Read More

Alexandra Bohorquez

Alexandra Bohorquez

Web Developer and Designer Bitmore L.P.
“The best part of my experience at Dallas College was to meet competent teachers who promote investigation, which is an important skill to develop since technology changes every second. Most of the knowledge I got at Dallas College I’ve applied at my work. It was a good starting point.”
Computer: Web/Internet Services
Tommy Alsbrooks

Tommy Alsbrooks

Assistant Vice President Desktop Services Division The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
“The instructors were great. They really knew their stuff and brought real-world experiences to the classroom. After I received my associate degree, my career skyrocketed. It opened doors for me that I never thought were possible unless you had a bachelor’s degree.”
Computer: Programming
Rachel Quitevis

Rachel Quitevis

VFX Artist at Blizzard
“It was a lovely program, and I’m still friends with my classmates and still in contact with the professors to this day. They’re awesome people and made learning in that program a wonderful time.”
Interactive Simulation and Game Technology (Game Design)
Kevin Boykin

Kevin Boykin

3D Artist
“After two years of college, and several majors later, Kevin stumbled into Richland's Interactive Simulation and Game Technology program. He had never taken an art class before, so he was surprised to find his niche in Character Sculpting, although that didn't stop him from learning how to code in C# Unity as well as becoming a valuable asset on the program's Level Design teams.”
Interactive Simulation and Game Technology (Game Design)
Portrait photo of Maris Rodriguez
Maris Rodriguez
Transfer Student, University of Texas
Mathematics (Math)
School of Engineering, Technology, Mathematics and Sciences
Updated July 28, 2026