Churning out winners: Famous and notable people who attended UTSA

The University of Texas at San Antonio is on a roll right now. But long before its historic 10-0 football season, UTSA was already churning out notable winners. (Trust me, there were a lot to pick from.)

Let’s take a look at these notable Roadrunners, some of whom you may recognize and others you might not. Like, for example, did you know a UTSA grad is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while another broke political barriers?

María Antonietta Berriozábal

María Antonietta Berriozábal (center) became the first Hispanic woman on city council, but she didn’t stop there.

Tom Reel /Staff photographer

Claim to fame: María Antonietta Berriozábal is a name you should know. She is the first Hispanic woman to sit on city council in 1981 and her campaign for mayor in 1991 drew national attention. She received her degree in political science from UTSA in 1979. In 2019 she received an honorary doctorate by Our Lady of the Lake University.

Saagar Shaikh

Who would've thought that UTSA had a tie to the MCU. — Who would’ve thought that UTSA had a tie to the MCU.

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Claim to fame: Saagar Shaikh is an actor who graduated from UTSA in 2011. His most recent and prominent role was as Haaris Shaikh in the YouTube series Unfair and Ugly. Shaikh is set to appear in the Marvel Studios series Ms. Marvel as Aamir. While not confirmed, the character shares the same name as the older brother of the Muslim Pakistani-American super hero Kamala Khan.

Kim Spradlin

Claim to fame: You probably saw UTSA graduate Kim Spradlin on the series Survivor: One World where she became a fan favorite and received $100,000.

Devin Brown

Claim to fame: Do we really need to remind you? The former Spurs guard helped the team win its 2005 title. He also scored 1,922 points over a 105-game career at UTSA. His Roadrunner jersey was retired in 2004.

Michelle Beadle

Claim to fame: You can’t have this list without one of the longtime faces of ESPN show SportsNation. Beadle is now continuing her career in the form of a new podcast with The Athletic.

JC Caylen

Claim to fame: You may not know JC Caylen, but he is a household name among zoomers. The YouTube personality and vlogger attended classes at UTSA and now has 2.9 million subscribers on his channel.

Elva Pai Adams

Claim to fame: Elva Pai Adams was an international student at UTSA where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree. She also won the bronze medal in Taekwondo at the 1988 Summer Olympics and was inducted in the San Antonio Women Hall of Fame in 2011.

Alexander Hernandez

Claim to fame: Alexander Hernandez earned a bachelor’s degree in business finance, but the UFC fighter owes his success to his fists. The San Antonio native took the Fight Night win against Francisco Trinaldo in 2019.