Where Are They Now: Kevin Lopez
The “Where Are They Now” series revisits students whose careers were shaped by the generosity of What Starts Here campaign donors.
Kevin Lopez, B.A. ’21, grew up in Weslaco, Texas, about 300 miles south of Austin. He was a bright kid with a full ride waiting at a university up north. The University of Texas at Austin, the school he was holding out for, would come down to what scholarship funding he could secure.
Lopez didn’t want to leave his family and travel across the country for school, but without a scholarship at UT, that was his best option. As a first-generation student, he knew finances would be a deciding factor. When he was named a finalist, it was a dream come true. He went on to receive the Dell Scholars Program scholarship, and his decision was made: Lopez was officially a Longhorn.
The scholarship helped cover his tuition and expenses, along with a laptop, textbook credits and a dedicated student support system.
A few months after graduating with a double major in economics and Human Dimensions of Organizations, Lopez found himself sharing the stage with Michael Dell at the public launch of the What Starts Here campaign. He got a chance to describe what being a Dell Scholar meant to him.
“I don’t think I would have made it through college without the Dell Scholars program,” he said. “Their support helped me acclimate to college life and become the best student I could be. As a first-generation student, I didn’t have a solid support system, and the program gave me that.”
Today, Lopez is a solutions engineer at Cloudflare, a cybersecurity company, where he helps people “protect and build a better Internet.”
The job suits him. “Helping people and the curiosity to continue learning is something that I have always been passionate about,” he says. “I love technology and getting to know how things work down to a granular level.”
Lopez built the career he wanted. Being a Dell Scholar helped prepare him for it.
“The impact this program had on me was monumental,” he said. “I don’t think I would have made it through college without it.”
If you would like more information on how you can support students like Lopez, reach out at changetheworld@utexas.edu.
