An International Impact

On a spring afternoon in 2024, Alvaro Escobar Guevara found himself sitting at the Blackwater Draw Brewery in Bryan, Texas, thousands of miles from home. Since he’d moved to Texas to pursue his master’s in construction engineering and management at Texas A&M University, Alvaro often worried about his parents back in Lima, Peru, who were working hard to support him. 

As Alvaro and his friends sat and talked in the brewery that day, he shared the burden he felt he had placed on his parents by coming to the United States to study. In a moment of vulnerability, his friends granted him the hope he needed — they told Alvaro about the Sheryl and John Barton ’86 Endowed Fellowship and encouraged him to apply. An application later, an email entered Alvaro’s inbox that changed everything — he had been awarded the fellowship.

“That was a very special moment for me because I had already been almost through my whole first semester, and there was always this feeling of uncertainty that you don’t know if your family will be able to continue to support your studies,” Alvaro said.

In his excitement, Alvaro immediately called to tell his parents the great news. As his family celebrated, it was evident that Alvaro’s father, who was the one directly supporting him, felt a huge relief and was so happy for his son.

“He was very proud of me,” Alvaro said. “He probably did not have a lot of words at that moment. But he just told me, like, you know well, at the end of the day, this is for you. This is your life, make the best use of it. Whatever comes afterwards is your decision, right? And he knew that I would make something good with it.”

From a young age, Alvaro had a love for math and science, which later inspired him to pursue a degree in civil engineering. 

“And I wanted to use all that knowledge to do something else for my society, right, to actually create infrastructure and something that can have a real impact,” Alvaro said.

During his undergraduate studies at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Alvaro had the opportunity to take part in an exchange program and study for a semester at the University of Wyoming. While there, he was able to meet a substantial number of graduate students.

“And that was the first time that I learned like the number of opportunities that graduate students can have here in the U.S.,” Alvaro said. “It was a very experience for me thus pretty much why I later chose to come back.”

During his time in Wyoming, Alvaro said he experienced the difference in U.S. education system compared to the education in Peru.

“...in Peru, you will typically study with just Peruvians like 99 to 100% of the people in your class will be Peruvians, which is normal, right?” Alvaro said. “Then in the U.S. you have very strong cultural influences and participation from different parts of the world, and that makes a very rich academic environment.”

After returning to Peru, Alvaro learned about Texas A&M’s strong reputation in civil engineering and the strong sense of community and Aggie culture on campus. Alvaro started planning to attend graduate school in the U.S. with Texas A&M as his top contender. Once Alvaro found out he’d been accepted to Texas A&M’s Graduate Civil Engineering program, he continued working for the International Airport Expansion Project in Lima until his move.

Guevara said one of the most valuable things he received from the fellowship was the opportunity to meet his donors, Sheryl and John Barton.

“I have been able to validate what I thought was true, that there are a lot of opportunities for international students in the U.S., and I can talk specifically about Texas A&M and about the Department of Civil Engineering,” Guevara said. “Like it’s true, you know! You can get support, and I am very happy, very proud, and I feel that this is something that can make an impact on my studies and on my future.”

As he imagines his future after graduation, Alvaro said he’d like to continue his work in infrastructure and construction management, wherever that may lead him.

“As long as it has an impact on society, that's where I want to be,” Alvaro said.

The generous help he received from the Sheryl and John Barton ’86 endowed fellowship will continue to serve him and further fuel his desire to use his education to make a positive impact on the world.