The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ is an event that people travel from all over for to enjoy live music, Texas-sized rides and deep-fried foods. However, to many native Houstonians, the rodeo is more than just an attraction — it is a catalyst for change.

Every year, the HLSR awards millions in scholarships every year to high school seniors all across Texas that go toward supporting the future of their education.

In 2010, Bauer College Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) student Yuselmy Garza was the recipient of the Metropolitan Scholarship and ever since, she has been committed to giving back.

Garza has volunteered at the Houston Rodeo for 12 years and over that time, she has served on three different committees: Gatekeepers, Parade and most recently, Scholarship Administration.

“I knew I wanted to be a part of the magic I felt that first time I went to the rodeo.”

Yuselmy Garza

The committee she has served on the longest is the Gatekeepers, where she started off as a regular volunteer and now serves as the Vice Chair. They are one of the largest committees with more than 1,700 volunteers scanning tickets and pointing fairgoers in the right direction to find the best funnel cakes.

Garza is one of the first friendly faces guests see as they step onto fairgrounds, and one of the last people to say goodbye to them as they leave after a full day of fun.

“I think that’s the best part... it’s kind of a full circle moment,” Garza said. “You can see the excitement in their eyes anywhere from kids to adults.”

Garza has experienced a full circle moment of her own by working on the Scholarship Administration Committee. She is able to pay it forward by being involved in the group that once helped her achieve her academic goals.

She still remembers the day she received a package in the mail from the Houston Rodeo that announced the news that she was the recipient of the Metropolitan Scholarship, she said. It is a fond memory she reflects on every year at the annual Scholarship Banquet.

Seeing the students celebrate with their families and connect with their sponsors is one of the most rewarding parts of her job as a volunteer, Garza said.

“It’s the event I look forward to every year,” she said. “It’s one of the best ways to be reminded of where I started and what brought me to this organization.”

Throughout her time at the rodeo, Garza has given back to her community — from scanning tickets to being a part of high school seniors’ journeys — and built lifelong friendships with other volunteers.

Although this season has kept her particularly busy as she prepares to defend her dissertation at the end of March, when she hears stories of all the wonderful memories being made on the fairgrounds and the lives they are impacting every day, she thinks to herself, “I’ll catch up on sleep afterwards.”

“The friendships and the mission really do keep you going,” Garza said.