Graduates
UTTUA Graduates - let us know what you are up to! We'd love to celebrate your achievements post-graduation and share them here! Email us your updates and photos - please include your name, campus and graduation year.
Theoren Stroud, UA-Tyler Class of 2022 and UT Tyler alum (electrical engineering) took top honors at the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub iLaunch Competition as a member of the Fire AI team. Fire AI is the winning startup that leverages artificial intelligence for advanced fire detection and prevention. The Fire AI team competed against 51 teams to land the $10,000 prize. Congratulations Theoren!
September 2025 - Alumni Spotlight! Melissa Hilbig (third from the right), a UA Class of 2025 alum, got a head start in research while still a senior at UA, working in UT Tyler Professor Banta’s biology lab. Now a freshman at UT Tyler, Melissa was invited back to continue her work alongside undergraduate and graduate students. Their research explores the presence of NTMs (Nontuberculous Mycobacteria) in East Texas and projects where they may occur in the future. Melissa’s story is a great example of how University Academy’s focus on STEM and Project-Based Learning prepares students to thrive and achieve at the college level.
We're proud to share that two of our UA-Palestine valedictorians, Thomas Willingham and Kirsten Garcia, recently graduated from UT Tyler—both earning degrees in Mechanical Engineering and graduating Summa Cum Laude. Huge congratulations to you both!
May 2025 - Alumni Spotlight! Ian Orr, UA-Tyler Class of 2024, is making us proud! After graduating from University Academy, Ian went on to attend the University of Tulsa—where he was recently named one of just five Outstanding Freshmen!
This special recognition is awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance in a challenging program. Ian was nominated by one of his professors, who praised his "commitment to the great books of the Western tradition, to thoughtful discourse, and to our shared values as a College." Way to go, Ian—congratulations on this well-deserved honor!
Congratulations to UA-Palestine's own Hunter Brown, a 2023 graduate, who was selected for the prestigious UTIMCO (University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company) summer internship opportunity!
Hunter is currently in his 2nd year at UT Tyler as a math major. He was nominated by his microeconomics professor, Susan Doty, and selected to attend the UTIMCO Scholars program, focusing on introducing the scholars to different areas of investment management. From those students, Hunter was further selected to continue as an intern at UTIMCO. Way to go, Hunter!