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Mario Medina

Sophomore from San Antonio, Texas
Software engineering

Do you live on campus? If yes, what do you like about living on your own?
Yes, and I love living on my own because it gives me a chance to make my own choices. The freedom of it all helped me learn responsibilities that I would not have had the chance to learn had I stayed home.

List some of the clubs or organizations you are involved in at UT Dallas.
Chi Phi Fraternity and Extreme Sports.

List some of your hobbies.
Photography, video, the Internet, programming, video games, friends and sports.

What is something that people may not know about you?
I am the Zeta, or historian, of Chi Phi.

Why did you decide to become an Orientation Team Mentor?
I wanted to become an Orientation Team Mentor because I wanted to meet/help people. The transition between high school and college is not an easy one. I hope I can make things easier for incoming freshman.

What advice do you have for the freshman class coming to UT Dallas?
Don’t let all the newfound freedom of college engulf you.

What do you wish you did during your freshman year that you didn’t?
I wish I had branched out a bit more. I had a group of friends that I made from Comet Camp and I stuck with them that whole year.

What do you like about UT Dallas?
I like UT Dallas because of the fact that it’s a small campus, giving me the ability to see my friends on a daily basis and not be sucked into a crowd of nameless faces. The apartments are nice too!

Why did you decide to attend UT Dallas?
The degree fields in computer science and software engineering are some of the best in the nation.

What has been your favorite/best UT Dallas experience so far?
Joining Chi Phi has been the best experience so far. I have done so many things that, had I not joined, I would never get the opportunity to do.

What did you learn about college life that you didn’t know before?
It is something that needs constant adaptation. In high school, things almost never changed and the problems were relatively simple. In college, one now needs to worry about a broader array of problems/issues. If one cannot adapt, they will surely get swamped by the newfound world.

What do you like to do to unwind after class?
Internet surf, hang out with friends and play video games.