Yanelli Hernandez 
From balancing classes to making sure students’ voices are heard. For some, this might seem stressful.
For Student Regent, Patrick O. Ojeaga, getting the opportunity to have this leadership position and advocate for student’s success helped him find his passion for higher education.
Ojeaga is a fourth-year medical student at UTRGV and will be ending his term with the UT system Board of Regents at the end of this month.
“One year ago in December, I applied to become a Student Regent and it was a long application time,” says Ojeaga.
“I applied through university then it was sent to the president and the chancellor from there it was sent to the governor’s office, where an interview was set up in march.”
He mentions that after his interview, there was three months of silence until he finally found out in June that he was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott.
Ojeaga’s first goal was to make sure that every student’s voice was heard, not just his own.
“Being a student regent, I’ve been able to meet so many students and people around the state that I had never spoken to previously,” he says.
“Coming from a very unique background as a African American Male, as a former student athlete, now as a medical student, formerly at UT Austin and now UTRGV School Of Medicine,” mentions Ojeaga.
He adds that he has had such an incredible experience so far and hopes to have made an impact.
“With that being said, I feel as if I was uniquely positioned to contribute at a very high level this year and be able to make an impact.”
He mentions that being able to provide his own feedback on what he’s done in the past and the present has helped give him more motivation to further his education.
“I graduate this coming Saturday and I’m excited for that,” he says.
“I will be doing orthotic surgery residence at UT South Western, my take away from my experiences is I found a passion for higher education that I didn’t know was there before.”
Ojeada says that in five years he will become a physician and a surgeon, but he will keep that mindset of higher education in the front of his mind and even pursue more leadership positions in the future.
“If I have a lesson for everyone, seek out those opportunities and don’t be afraid to pursue those opportunities that maybe you’re a little hesitant about because you never know, you might find a passion that you didn’t know was there,” said Ojeaga.
