Student Success Specialist

"Be a student of success, learn everything you can from those who have been the most successful” 

Hello, I am Viviana Gomez, and I am originally from Medellin, Colombia, where I obtained a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB). After getting my bachelors' degree, I moved to Canada for a couple of years and then moved to Lubbock in 2011 after marrying my lovely husband, who is a faculty member in the Davis College.  
 
My journey at TTU started in 2013 when I joined a Graduate program in Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Human Science. During my masters, I worked as a research assistant, and believe it or not, I successfully defended my master's thesis when I was 37 weeks pregnant and obtained my Graduate Degree in May 2016.  
 
Currently, I am a Student Success Specialist. I'm excited and happy about my new role and I am looking forward to meeting with students. I really want to support and connect all Tech students with the proper resources on campus, so they can successfully achieve their career goals at Tech, have a great college life experience and enjoy their time at Texas Tech. 
 
I have over 15 years of experience as a Social Worker providing social work services and support to communities and populations in need. In addition, I also have experience assisting individuals and their families in enhancing the quality of their lives through supportive services. I have experience as a counselor, having work with students, families, and employees, as well as work experience as case manager working with local and minority communities and international students, nonimmigrant workers, and immigrant populations. I understand student needs and the resources provided on campus to help them achieve their academic and personal goals. 
 
Outside of work, I really enjoy spending time with my family. We really like watching movies, playing outside, traveling, and going on family road trips. For me, family is everything and the most important thing in the world, so I tried to enjoy my free time with my husband and my son doing fun activities together and eating tasty food! My family and I enjoy our life in Lubbock; we are a Red Raider family, even our son attended the CDRC at Tech and has been enrolled with Raider Red's Kids Club since he was 3 years old! We love to attend all the activities and events that Texas Tech and the city offer to students, staff, faculty, and their families. We love going to football, basketball, soccer, and baseball games, as well as going to the carol of lights, homecoming week, Wreck ‘Em Tech! 

Stats

Ask me about:

My Academic Journey

While I was doing my masters at TTU, I struggled during my first year of graduate school, especially because it was more than ten years after I obtained my bachelor's degree and I had just recently moved to Lubbock after getting married. I did not know too many people in the same situation as me, I felt overwhelmed with my class schedules and assignments. It was hard for me to adjust to all the new responsibilities. However, I received the proper advice, support and help from my advisor, that I was able to navigate, and I learned about the different resources on campus, I connected with organizations, and I obtained good grades. 

Back in Colombia, I started with graphic design, and although I like the work and the area, I quickly realized that I lacked the creativity skills to perform well in this Major. After visiting the career center and talking to a career counselor, I took a career assessment test and the results indicated that I was a better fit for Social and Human sciences. I changed my major to social work during my first year of college and joined the Social Work program, it was the best decision of my life!  I received the proper advice at the proper time in my career and I'm a proud Social Worker! 

My Background

Was a first gen college student.