If you’ve ever parked your car on the Forty Acres, there’s a good chance you’ve interacted with Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) Director Blanca Gamez in some capacity, either directly or indirectly. When it comes to the day-to-day operations of PTS, there are very few things Gamez hasn’t worked on during her time at The University of Texas at Austin. Gamez, a first-generation Longhorn who graduated in 2004, has done nearly every job PTS has to offer over the course of her 23-year career that started when she was still a student. From maintenance, cashiering and working the enforcement kiosks, to pulling coins from parking meters and picking up cones at University events, she’s seen it all and done it all. It’s a career she’s passionate about and an organization she’s proud to lead, and she looks to share her enthusiasm with the UT community every day.
How did you start your career at UT and in Parking and Transportation Services?
I started as a student event worker during my freshman year (2000). I needed to find a job to help pay for school and I saw an ad during my spring semester. I contacted the department, came in for an interview and was hired. I stayed with the department as a student event worker until I graduated in 2004. I was then hired on after graduation as an administrative assistant.
What is the most rewarding part about your day-to-day job interacting with students and other employees?
The most rewarding part of my day is definitely getting to meet with students and staff and helping them solve their problems, work with them on their projects or make their ideas a reality on this campus.
What do you like best about working on campus?
I am here daily. I love the ability to walk the campus. As you can imagine, the campus has changed drastically since I was a student and the ability to see all the beautiful landscaping, landmark artwork and the spaces created on campus for students and staff is truly amazing. This campus looks vastly different from when I was a student.
What’s one part of your job and the work your team does that is important but might go unnoticed?
Our ability to be flexible and pivot. We get a lot of last-minute requests. Sometimes it’s the day of or the night before. But being able to be flexible and pivot when necessary is key to accommodate all the events that happen on campus daily.
What do you like most about being a Longhorn?
Absolutely everything. I knew I wanted to come to UT when I was a little girl, and I was beyond thrilled when I got my acceptance letter and moved into the dorms. I made my life in Austin, and I have so many core memories on this campus. I love the community. I love the fact that there is groundbreaking research on this campus. I love that when I meet with students, I might be meeting with the next student who will go on to do amazing things for our world one day. I love that my children have had the ability to be little Longhorns and attend the Child Development Center. This campus is amazing and has truly wonderful and unique experiences to offer, but, most importantly, I love that we are connected no matter where in the world we might be.
To learn more about the work of Gamez and her team, and the services they offer, visit the PTS website.
