Analisa Rojas

By Kane Sandoval

Analisa Rojas is a computer science (CS) undergraduate who embodies community involvement. Raised and homeschooled in San Antonio, she was active in the Civil Air Patrol, which is the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. The Civil Air Patrol hosts the Cyber Defense Training Academy, where the 33rd Network Warfare Squadron from Lackland Air Force Base taught cadets about cybersecurity. Learning from mentors with CS backgrounds and careers in cybersecurity showed Rojas the varied paths the degree could take her. Rojas is also a lab assistant for a National Science Foundation-funded project that aims to increase Latinx representation in computer science through high school teacher professional development led by Timothy Yuen, associate dean of undergraduate students and a professor in the Department of Computer Science.

Rojas found CS intriguing—the multiple coding languages, the ability to easily know when it works or not and the need for creative solutions. She earned her associate degree at Northwest Vista. To begin her bachelor’s, UTSA was the best option for her because of its proximity and affordability, the simple transfer process, and the cybersecurity program’s status. In 2020, Rojas became a Roadrunner.

Eventually, Rojas came across the College of Sciences’ Student Success Center (COS SSC), which helps students develop a science identity. Rojas marveled at the students’ stories and admired how the program provided support. In Spring 2022, she headed a committee that implemented professional development activities. A fellow mentor, Elijah Moya, alerted Rojas of an opportunity to serve as the director of the Rowdy Creators. The Rowdy Creators, a subgroup of UTSA’s Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), promotes student projects and learning new technology from the pre-idea to pre-seed project development phase through mentoring, organizing project groups, and providing software and hardware.

After learning about the director position through her connections with the COS SSC, Rojas campaigned in an ACM election where members vote every spring for officer and director positions. Candidates are required to create a presentation and speak on their qualifications and ideas for the coming year. During her presentation, Rojas promoted a new mission for the Rowdy Creators that involved preparing students to be the next generation of scientists to lead the way in the workforce by providing them with the best training, opportunities and projects. She landed the role, and now she helps students improve their computer science skills and encourages them to connect with like-minded peers and professors.

The COS SSC helped Rojas solidify her choice of major, form connections with professors and become the director of the Rowdy Creators. She is thankful that the COS SSC genuinely wants to help people. “I appreciate just having people be around who try to bring you up and a community that understands it’s okay to have a rough semester,” she said.

Rojas recently accepted a summer internship offer from USAA to work as a product management analyst, where she will analyze and interpret complex data to influence regional product strategy. She recommends fellow Roadrunners branch out and learn as much as they can across multiple disciplines. “Say yes to anything and everything because you never know what might mold you into your next life decision,” said Rojas, who will graduate with her B.S. in computer science in December. Rojas hopes to work in a nonacademic setting and aid others in developing computer skills that will grant them access to new opportunities.