Humans of San Marcos: Raymond DeLeon

By Sarah Bey
Blog Content Contributor

Raymond DeLeon is a 38-year-old non-traditional student at Texas State. He is currently in school to get his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice. We discussed his family and how he feels about his non-traditional experience at Texas State.

Bey: Tell me about your experience here at Texas State.

DeLeon: It’s been awesome. I mean, I’m going to graduate 16 years late in May. When I transferred over here, I was a little nervous that everybody was going to treat me like “the old guy” and they didn’t. They accepted me in like everyone else. It’s been a great experience.

B: Where did you transfer from?

D: I was going to Austin Community College.

B: What do you want to do with criminal justice?

D: I actually want to teach at the college level. So I’m already working in the criminal justice field and I’m coming back to get my master’s. At least my master’s, so I can teach at the community college level.

B: Do you have a family?

D: I’m divorced. I have two kids. I have a son who’s going to graduate from high school this year. That was one of my goals when I came back to graduate before him and I’m going to graduate like a couple of weeks before him. I have a daughter that’s still in elementary.

B: So are you guys (DeLeon and his son) going to throw a graduation party together?

D: He’s actually against that. I wanted to do that; you know, be economically conservative on that part. But he didn’t want to do that. So we’re going to have separate parties.

B: What does your usual day consist of?

D: It’s a busy day. I go to work (at Caldwell County in Lockhart) and it depends on the school day. I either go to work in the morning and then come to class or I come to class. My son is already 18 so he goes to work and kind of does his own thing. When I have my daughter, it’s a little busy. You know, we have church and if she’s in T-ball or whatever, I’m running around doing those kinds of things. Just trying to find time to balance everything together. Being a non-traditional student, I think that’s harder. But I need to be a little more focused on school. (You have to) be task-oriented to get things done but it’s a little bit harder on the family.