University Magazine

Sara Salmon

Sara Salmon has always been a history buff, which is why she chose to make history at Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-San Antonio) as part of the first freshman class to graduate in May 2020. Just 15 minutes from her house, Sara has spent the last four years preparing to be an elementary school teacher. When asked why she chose A&M-San Antonio, she says, “I want to be part of history. I wanted to have the opportunity to leave a legacy.” A defining moment for Sara was the pinning ceremony at orientation. Her mother pinned her official jaguar pin to her lanyard, and she knew then she was part of a new family – the Jaguar family.

Sara remains grounded with the strong familial influence on her life. She reflects on how her parents and grandparents were her biggest influence to going to college. Her grandparents set a college-going expectation as a core value for their family. “Ever since I was little, they instilled the importance of getting a college education,” Sara explains. Her sister, Karina, is a junior at A&M-San Antonio who currently holds the rank of “Miss A&M-San Antonio.”

Following in the footsteps of her parents, Sara graduated from Harlandale High School on the south side of San Antonio. Her parents were high school sweethearts at Harlandale, and Sara explains that her whole family has graduated from Harlandale. Sara spent her time in high school expanding her leadership skills in the National Honor Society and advocating for children in the south San Antonio school districts through the Ready Set Teach program. This is when she felt the calling to be a teacher.   

The elementary education graduate credits her strong academic success to faculty members like Dr. O'Quinn, the first professor who taught in her major. Sara says, “Dr. O’Quinn was very caring and is the type of teacher that I want to be for my own students.” Sara also improved reading scores of third-graders during her research in the elementary school classroom by administering the Informal Reading Inventory and planning interventions for student to improve their reading. 

Sara spent four years learning and leading in the President’s Leadership Class (PLC). She says, “I learned so much about what kind of leader I want to be for my students.” This cohort-based program became her core group of support. “We were going through the same things and supported each other.” This led to mentoring freshman and sophomore students and playing an instrumental role in the planning and execution of the Emerging Leaders Conference. PLC transformed this introvert into a confident campus leader.

As for the next chapter in Sara’s life, she has accepted a position as a third-grade teacher in Southside Independent School District. Teaching is Sara’s calling in life, and her focus is on making a difference in her community on the south side of San Antonio. She strives to inspire her students to take on the world. Sara says her goal is to “shape young lives by helping create kinder human beings.”

There is little doubt of the legacy left by Sara as she made history at A&M-San Antonio. Sara is a living example of the grit and determination shown by many of the University’s students. When asked about the impact of A&M-San Antonio on her life, Sara says, “A&M-San Antonio was the best four years of my life. I have no idea what kind of person I would be now if I had not attended this university.” 

Sara Salmon has always been a history buff, which is why she chose to make history at Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-San Antonio) as part of the first freshman class to graduate in May 2020. Just 15 minutes from her house, Sara has spent the last four years preparing to be an elementary school teacher. When asked why she chose A&M-San Antonio, she says, “I want to be part of history. I wanted to have the opportunity to leave a legacy.” A defining moment for Sara was the pinning ceremony at orientation. Her mother pinned her official jaguar pin to her lanyard, and she knew then she was part of a new family – the Jaguar family.

Sara remains grounded with the strong familial influence on her life. She reflects on how her parents and grandparents were her biggest influence to going to college. Her grandparents set a college-going expectation as a core value for their family. “Ever since I was little, they instilled the importance of getting a college education,” Sara explains. Her sister, Karina, is a junior at A&M-San Antonio who currently holds the rank of “Miss A&M-San Antonio.”

Following in the footsteps of her parents, Sara graduated from Harlandale High School on the south side of San Antonio. Her parents were high school sweethearts at Harlandale, and Sara explains that her whole family has graduated from Harlandale. Sara spent her time in high school expanding her leadership skills in the National Honor Society and advocating for children in the south San Antonio school districts through the Ready Set Teach program. This is when she felt the calling to be a teacher.   

The elementary education graduate credits her strong academic success to faculty members like Dr. O'Quinn, the first professor who taught in her major. Sara says, “Dr. O’Quinn was very caring and is the type of teacher that I want to be for my own students.” Sara also improved reading scores of third-graders during her research in the elementary school classroom by administering the Informal Reading Inventory and planning interventions for student to improve their reading. 

Sara spent four years learning and leading in the President’s Leadership Class (PLC). She says, “I learned so much about what kind of leader I want to be for my students.” This cohort-based program became her core group of support. “We were going through the same things and supported each other.” This led to mentoring freshman and sophomore students and playing an instrumental role in the planning and execution of the Emerging Leaders Conference. PLC transformed this introvert into a confident campus leader.

As for the next chapter in Sara’s life, she has accepted a position as a third-grade teacher in Southside Independent School District. Teaching is Sara’s calling in life, and her focus is on making a difference in her community on the south side of San Antonio. She strives to inspire her students to take on the world. Sara says her goal is to “shape young lives by helping create kinder human beings.”

There is little doubt of the legacy left by Sara as she made history at A&M-San Antonio. Sara is a living example of the grit and determination shown by many of the University’s students. When asked about the impact of A&M-San Antonio on her life, Sara says, “A&M-San Antonio was the best four years of my life. I have no idea what kind of person I would be now if I had not attended this university.”