A biomedical engineer for NASA by day, and a second-career, part-time law student by night, Andy Garcia didn’t always know he would end up at STCL Houston. Garcia had previously considered a move to Boulder, Colorado, for law school, but realized he had great opportunities in his hometown and wanted to continue his work supporting medical operations on the International Space Station.
“Working with Dean Cramer on my unusual schedule showed me the welcoming, accommodating community I would be joining,” he said. “I became determined and committed to studying law at South Texas College of Law Houston.”
After the spring semester ends, Garcia is attending the Shook Scholars Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, sponsored by Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP. Upon his return to Houston, he’ll then take a leave of absence from his NASA job to spend half of the summer working as a legal intern with the Office of the General Counsel at Empower Pharmacy.
He made the connection for the internship with Empower through the Career Resource Center’s On-Campus Interview process. “As a part-time student with an intensive and demanding full-time job, the CRC’s support was instrumental in helping me navigate recruitment as a first-generation law student,” he said. “They function like a well-oiled machine and, in many respects, remind me of the engineering teams I work with.”
Garcia’s top advice to law students going through recruiting is to, “like Nike, ‘Just Do It.'” He urges students to make the time to complete applications and never be the one to count themselves out of opportunities. “Where one sows the seeds of genuine effort, trees of abundant reward will later grow.”
As an engineer with a passion and aptitude for scientific thinking too dear to leave behind, Garcia aims to practice patent law in the future. However, he is far from limited in his pursuits. “Thanks to the LawFit career survey I took through the CRC, I learned I might also enjoy healthcare law, government relations, and lobbying. My interests and affinities have always been multifaceted, and my career goals are no different.”
Despite his busy schedule, Garcia has been involved with the Hispanic Law Students Association, OUTLaw, and the First-Generation Law Students Association, whose leadership he credits with making him feel involved on campus. “Thank you for intentionally making space for part-time students to be included in these extraordinary communities,” he said. “Your efforts are much appreciated.”
This sense of community isn’t limited to student organizations, but is instead something Garcia feels all around him South Texas Law. “My classmates, the professors who stay late to teach us in the evenings, and administrators who care about and carve time to hear students out — they all continually sharpen me into a stronger, more resilient individual who will be ready to contribute to the legal profession with honor and distinction.”
One such figure is Professor Ryan Nelson, who taught Garcia’s Civil Procedure I class last semester, and who he considers his most influential professor during his time at South Texas Law.
“Professor Nelson, like me, is a part of the LGBTQ+ community on campus,” he said. “He is an exemplary legal educator and scholar who continually raises the bar for himself. Notably, individuals who present themselves authentically, like Professor Nelson, remind me there’s space for me not only to exist but to flourish in and elevate the legal profession.”
