Antonio Lopez-Ramirez, a senior at Navarro Early College High School, described on May 22 how his interests in football, wrestling, and robotics shaped his high school experience. While he stopped participating in sports during his junior year, Lopez-Ramirez said his passion for robotics and computer science increased through the P-TECH program.
Lopez-Ramirez has been working toward an associate’s degree in computer science by taking advantage of P-TECH opportunities available across several Austin Independent School District campuses. Through this program, he began an internship with IBM that he plans to continue.
Looking ahead to graduation, Lopez-Ramirez said he is excited about attending Texas A&M University to study physics. “With a degree in physics, Antonio hopes to launch a career in robotic science with a specific focus on prosthetics.” He explained that visiting family members in the hospital inspired him to learn more about prosthetic devices. His long-term goal is “to make prosthetic arms that can be directly attached to a patient’s limb and make prosthetics more financially accessible to all.”
The Austin Independent School District educates more than 72,000 students and employs over 5,000 classroom teachers across diverse school communities; it operates 116 schools including elementary, middle, high schools as well as early college programs like P-TECH. The district supports a multicultural environment with instruction offered in over 100 languages and maintains a graduation rate of 93.3 percent while exceeding state averages on SAT and ACT scores, according to the official website.
The district also focuses on partnering with families and the community so students are equipped for success after graduation through college or careers according to the official website.
