Today@Sam Article

Commencement Spotlight: Ron Rawls

Nov. 27, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins

Ron Rawls

Manvel, Texas

Bachelor of Science in Construction Management (Minor in Middle Eastern Studies)

Ron Rawls has always found inspiration in adventure.

Despite his young age, the Sam Houston State University senior has already visited 26 countries, fostering fierce ambitions that know no borders. As he prepares to earn his bachelor’s degree in December, further constructing his future, Rawls is grateful that his vast travels ultimately led him to Huntsville.

“After visiting campus, I figured it would be a perfect fit,” said Rawls, who transferred to Sam Houston from Texas A&M University following his sophomore year. “I have loved it ever since.”

Rawls spent his early collegiate years discovering the best way to harness his many interests relating to Arabic-speaking cultures and interpersonal relationships. After a brief stint in economics, he shifted to international studies at A&M before landing on foreign languages.

“I felt like the education was good, but I didn’t have any personal time with my teachers,” he said. “When you are learning a foreign language, especially one like Arabic, you should be able to sit down and have conversations or ask specific questions. With the class sizes at A&M, that just wasn’t always possible. At Sam, Dr. Samar Zahrawi was great about not only teaching us all the basics and grammar, but also immersing us into the culture.”

The majority of countries Rawls has visited are Arabic-speaking. While in Egypt, he developed a deep fascination for the people and culture, specifically their architecture.

“The way they built everything, from their homes to the mosques and pyramids, pulled me in,” he said. “I’ve never been one to necessarily work with my hands and build stuff, but I’ve always been curious about how and why structures were built as well as the mechanics and engineering behind them.”

Despite his lack of hands-on experience, SHSU offered Rawls a welcoming environment to pursue his interest in construction. He credits John WeHunt in the Construction Management department for having the biggest influence on his major and career.

“Since the classes were smaller, I had more time to understand what he was teaching,” Rawls said. “He walked me through everything and never made me feel bad for not knowing certain concepts at first. He would take time out of class to show me what to do, and how to do it safely.”

After his junior year, Rawls was able to land a project management internship with a mechanical subcontractor at Samsung’s historic Semiconductor Plant facility project in Taylor, Texas. His coverage zone included HVAC systems as well as underground plumbing. Due to Samsung’s strong safety measures, part of his duties were to ensure that workers took all of the proper precautions while on the job.

“In order to be a good project manager, you have to have a good relationship with the guys in the field,” he said. “I used a lot of my time to try and absorb everything in order to gain a better understanding of what they go through.”

With the ideal internship under his belt, Rawls will look to merge his diverse set of interests in the professional sphere and continue pursuing his greatest aspiration in life: discovering all the world has to offer.

“Ultimately, I would like to join the oilfield simply because of my fascination with the Middle East,” he said. “Being able to speak Arabic gives me plenty of opportunities and could make it a little easier to get hired.”

In the meantime, Rawls is just looking to secure a role that can further his experience as he prepares to celebrate his commencement with a community of classmates and faculty members that have become family.

“I’ve had about half of the same people in most of my classes since I started here and we’ve built really close relationships,” he said. “I’m also going to miss being around my professors and absorbing information from them. They do a really good job of getting outside the curriculum and teaching us stuff that is not just beneficial in the construction field, but beneficial in our lives.”

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