Alumna works to improve well-being of humanity
by Anndria Flores (B.A. ’12)
Judy Reyes outside the Rockefeller Center in New York City
Judy Reyes (B.A. ’01) was just 4 when her family moved to the Texas border town of Mission from Mexico. Her dad, a professor in Mexico, stayed behind and visited on weekends, while her mom worked in a convenience store. These were sacrifices fueled by her parents’ desire to give their children a chance at the American dream.
Determined to make her parents proud, Reyes excelled in school and at St. Mary’s University, where she was an Economics major. With the encouragement of her adviser Roy Robbins, Ph.D., she graduated from St. Mary’s and went on to attend Harvard Law School.
“You don’t know how far you can go until you challenge yourself,” she said.
Today, Reyes is living her version of the American dream, just as her parents’ hoped. She lives in New York City and serves as an associate general counsel for the Rockefeller Foundation. While the details of her job are often about evaluating loan and grant agreements with partner organizations for the Foundation, she feels her job is about much more than that.
“The work that I do has impact and has value beyond me performing a service and getting money in exchange for it. I work to help improve the well-being of humanity.”
