Class of 2013 chose UTMB in Ike’s aftermath -Former state Sen. Ogden featured speaker

Jonathan Lugo knew four years ago that he wanted to attend the University of Texas Medical Branch to get his medical degree.

And then Hurricane Ike hit, essentially flooding the entire island of Galveston where the UTMB campus is located.

Did Lugo have second thoughts about going to UTMB? “I had faith and there was no doubt in my mind that UTMB would continue to be a great place,” Lugo said. “I just knew it was in their cohesive nature to adapt and make it even better than it was before. I knew that I would get a great education and training here.”

And so, Lugo will become Dr. Lugo on Saturday, June 1, when he and more than 200 members of the 123rd class of medical students graduate from UTMB’s School of Medicine.

In 2009, Erica Saenz, of San Antonio, had been accepted to UTMB’s School of Medicine. She thought briefly that no one else would want to go there in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Another Texas medical school also had accepted her. But a UTMB prep program, a “mini-medical school” in the summer of 2009, convinced her that UTMB was right for her. “I liked the small-town feel of the island and you’re still close to Houston,” she said. “And I liked that the entire island is for UTMB.”

The graduation ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Moody Gardens Convention Center, and former state Sen. Steve Ogden is the keynote speaker.

“Senator Ogden worked diligently to help the people of Galveston, surrounding communities and UTMB recover from Hurricane Ike, and we are grateful that he will honor us with his presence at our graduation ceremony and for his support,” said Dr. Danny O. Jacobs, executive vice president and provost and dean of the School of Medicine.

Ogden served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 2004 until he retired earlier this year.

After commencement, Saenz will be commissioned a captain in the U.S. Air Force and will be a resident in internal medicine at the medical center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Lugo will begin his move to Odessa, Texas where he will be a resident in OB/GYN at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and its affiliates, including Medical Center Hospital in Odessa.

---

What: Commencement for the UTMB School of Medicine class of 2013

Who: 219 medical students, former state Sen. Steve Ogden

Where: Moody Gardens Convention Center, 7 Hope Blvd., Galveston, Texas

When: 10 a.m. Saturday, June 1