ANDY BLAISDELL & DASON DOMINGUEZ: EXPLORING ALTRUISTIC CAREERS IN TEXAS
Andy Blaisdell and Dason Dominguez are currently living in Galveston, Texas. Dason is working towards his doctoral degree in Physical Therapy at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He will be graduating in the summer of 2023 and is excited to begin his hard-earned career as a physical therapist. This past year, Andy began her work as the Development Specialist at the Houston Area Women’s Center, a non-profit organization that helps men, women, and children escape domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. She has also been working towards a Master’s of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, graduating in the Fall of 2022.
In addition to developing successful careers, these two Webber graduates have been busy planning a wedding. They were married in November 2022 and are excited to see where this next chapter takes them and their rescue dog, Jimbo. Andy and Dason continue to contribute to their community, and Webber Academy is thrilled to have been a part of their academic careers.
How did the pandemic affect your professional life?
I think the pandemic opened a lot of doors for me professionally, as strange as that sounds! Many organizations have switched to remote or hybrid work, which has enabled me to work from home and spend more time with my dog. Living in a small town like Galveston, it was difficult to find work in my field, so I was very grateful for the remote work opportunities in larger surrounding cities. For Dason, his program continued to be in-person throughout the pandemic and, although that had many challenges, he was glad to be learning and interacting with his classmates and professors.
What was one blessing you got from the pandemic?
We have talked about this many times, but we both feel like the pandemic offered us this rare opportunity to slow down and spend more time with our families. We both graduated from our undergraduate programs in the spring of 2020 and, unfortunately, our final year of university was cut short due to school closures. However, we both got to move home and live with our families one last time and it was incredibly special! It really made us realize how much family means to us and it has shifted our idea of what we want our future to look like, which is definitely living close to our families!
Now that you have been away from Webber Academy for a while, what sticks out to you as something you remember well, or cherish from your time here?
There were a lot of things about Webber Academy that we look back on fondly! We both loved how beautiful the school was and the way that it looked in every single season of the year. Looking at the back field from the third floor science center windows and seeing the greenery with the mountainous backdrop never got old. Dason has a soft spot for the food in the cafeteria and still talks about some of the staples like the chicken panini, the dumplings, and the chocolate chip cookies to this day. I think overall, Webber was a place that we grew up in together and so we have a lot of nostalgia for the school and we are both grateful for the experiences we had there.
What advice do you have for current Webber Academy students?
Andy’s advice: Be open to more than one career path! When I graduated from Webber, I was so sure of what my future would look like. I was to be a doctor and NOTHING else! When I realized that my true passions were leading me elsewhere, I was scared and honestly felt like I had failed. I promise you that changing your mind about what you want to do is not a failure! It is a wonderful opportunity to explore what else is out there, find what lights you up inside, and work with people that you continue to learn from and admire.
Dason’s advice: Don’t be afraid of saying “yes” to random opportunities that I guarantee will present themselves in university and beyond. Even if you think you won’t like them, just the exposure to something different may lead you to an interest you might not have thought you had. We really have nothing but time so be welcoming to mistakes, be okay with being wrong, and learn from the people around you.
Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
We hope to be living in a place where we can do tons of fun outdoor activities, where there are little cafes, and good people to share food with. We would love to be near family and to find a place that really feels like home, since we have been moving around a lot. Career-wise, neither of us are 100% sure about where we will be or where we hope to be. This is mainly because we are curious about, and interested in, so many different professions. The best thing about our academic backgrounds is that we are well prepared to enter into a variety of professional and academic spheres with confidence.
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Andy: “This is Your Life” by Hannah Cohen
Dason: “Handful of Nothing” by Mind’s Eye
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We are heading to Maui in December for our honeymoon and could not be more excited!
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Andy: “You are here to decide if your life, relationships and world are true and beautiful enough for you. And if they are not and you dare to admit they are not, you must decide if you have the guts, the right - perhaps even the duty - to burn to the ground that which is not true and beautiful enough and get started building what is.”
– Glennon Doyle, Untamed
Dason: “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”
– Michael Scott, Season 2, “The Fight”
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Andy: Excessive amounts of the Crime Junkie podcast.
Dason: Only have time to read textbooks!
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Busy, peaceful, cozy, exciting, “in bloom”
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We are grateful for all of the wonderful people that supported us and enabled us to be where we are today!