Alyssa Garcia Zarco, admission coordinator, celebrates an honor only few Aggies receive. Zarco received the Inaugural 2023 Aggie Way Award from the President’s Meritorious Service Award on April 24, 2023.
When students, faculty, or staff become a part of the Aggie family, the Aggie core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service become more than historic tradition—they become values to uphold and to lead by. Today, she continues to lead by example as the admissions coordinator at the School of Engineering Medicine, showcasing every pillar of what it means to be an Aggie.
Recognized for her outstanding service and remarkable leadership, Zarco received the inaugural Aggie Way Award, the newest award of the 2023 President’s Meritorious Service Awards. The Aggie Way Award is presented to two staff members of the Texas A&M University System who have shown commitment to the Aggie core values, dedication to the university, and exceptional initiative and creativity within their role. Zarco not only becomes the first staff member from the School of Engineering Medicine to receive a President’s Meritorious Service award, but one of two recipients of the Texas A&M University System to receive the first Aggie Way Award.
Zarco began her journey working in higher education in 2016, amidst her second year of undergrad where she started as a student worker in the Office of Admissions. By the time she became a junior, Zarco had been promoted three times, climbing the ranks to become the lead student worker. Working in admissions had given Zarco the opportunity to lead students to a successful undergraduate career. She expressed “I have always had a passion for leadership; I wanted to know I was making a difference in lives like mine.” Aggies helping Aggies was not just another saying for Zarco, it was her motivation.
Since 2016, Zarco remained loyal to admissions and recruitment efforts. What started out as an entry-level campus job for an underclassman, ignited a fire in her heart and grew a passion for higher education. Nearing her sixth year of service to the university, Zarco became the admissions coordinator for the School of Engineering Medicine in 2022. Serving the EnMed community for just under a year, Zarco has become a reliable resource for students—someone students can go to for information to relieve them of worry or wonder.
Zarco consistently upholds the mission and vision of the School of Engineering Medicine, and thanks the leaders before her that have helped shape who she is today. John Louis Bolch, associate director of enrollment & academic services, nominated Zarco because of her tremendous loyalty and selfless service to EnMed students, faculty, and staff. “Alyssa is an innovative problem solver, creative thinker, and swift decision-maker. She provides a wealth of guidance and leadership for the EnMed program,” stated Bolch.
Zarco’s efforts do not go unnoticed and are admired by the entire EnMed community. Bolch recognizes Zarco as “a positivity that every leader hopes their team members embrace. Alyssa’s positive attitude and leadership brings consistency and helps each of us to orient ourselves in our own work better.” Always achieving more than the day before, Zarco recognizes this accomplishment as “just the beginning.” Continuing to represent Texas A&M, Zarco states that she has only scratched the surface in service to the university.
As she approaches her seventh year with Texas A&M, Zarco is eager to take on more responsibility and explore opportunities to grow in and outside her role.
