Melissa Foster

Bio

I work with the Top Scholar program on a variety of tasks involving recruitment, the application process, candidate selection, retreats, student enrichment opportunities, travel, and budgets.

I grew up in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida. After college, I married my husband and we moved numerous times around the southeastern United States. This produced a diverse professional career for me, including pager sales, advertising assistant, and coordinating continuing education at a children’s hospital. I enjoyed living in new locations and meeting new people. As our family grew, I had the opportunity to change my profession again to become a stay-at-home mom. It is the best job I ever had. I have lived coast-to-coast, moving from Central Florida, where we spent countless days at Disney World, to Northern California, where we enjoyed the amazing scenery of the mountains, forests, and the Pacific coast. In 2016, I moved to San Antonio, a city I consider the friendliest. Our boys are grown up now, two are in college and one is in high school, so I felt that before my stay-at-home job was completely eliminated, I would try a phased-out approach and that is how I began working at UTSA part-time in 2019. Outside of work, I enjoy family time kayaking at Boerne Lake, playing games, and finding new areas for sightseeing.

I enjoy my work in the Honors College because I have the opportunity to work with students that will be the future of our country and our world. It may sound cliché, but I am in awe of the many accomplishments they are making and the promise they demonstrate for that future. Additionally, my co-workers are advocates of growth and understanding which makes for a positive work environment.

Engaged Living

My oldest son participated in a high school band in California. My youngest son is now part of the band program in our Texas high school. The two programs and experiences could not be more different. Large, nationally ranked bands in Texas (and I am sure elsewhere) are not only about music and performance. They are also about teaching life skills and building community. Our band promotes respect and has a reputation for helping other bands when they run into transportation or instrument issues. The band program encourages everyone to enjoy the process independently of the results. My husband and I were unaware of how much fun we would have immersing ourselves in the program. We not only are involved in cheering on the performances but we actively participate in multiple volunteer areas and support the band in any way that we can. By supporting the core values of the program and putting in our time, we get to witness the personal growth of the students throughout the year.

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