3 generations, 3 Longhorns: How a grandmother’s legacy created a family of Longhorns
Illo Credit: Gabrielle Hernandez
Mecom graduated with honors in 1975 with a degree in speech pathology in only three years and went on to work in the field for the next 45 years. Over the last few decades, Mecom built a legacy in her family to graduate from UT, as her daughter, Dawn Branksy, and two grandchildren, Miles and Mason Mendiola, also attended.
“The diligence of doing well (and) of having high expectations has carried over through our generations, excelling in whatever we’ve chosen and whatever field we’ve chosen,” Mecom said. “(My family) knows what respect we have for higher education, and acknowledges that it’s something respectable and should be acquired.”
Bransky, a business administration 1994 alumna, embraced that same respect and expectation for higher education. Following her mother’s footsteps both academically and with her love for the University, Bransky viewed attending UT as more than earning a degree — it represented upholding a family standard of excellence.
“UT has such a standard of excellence that has become an expectation, almost, in my family. (UT) shaped our story and people know and identify our family as being Longhorns and (have) a standard (for) what that means,” Bransky said.
With the influence of his grandmother, mom and older brother, Dawn’s youngest son, Mason Mendiola, grew up steeped in Longhorn pride from every angle. He always knew that UT was the place he wanted to be — but when he was offered a spot in the CAP program during his senior year of high school, Mendiola made the difficult choice to attend the University of Arkansas instead, he said.
Still, his dream school tugged at his heart throughout his freshman year, and Mendiola decided to submit a transfer application.
“I had to give up the UT dream and try to learn another school’s traditions that I was never really a fan of. It was what I had to do,” economics junior Mendiola said. “But once I got in (to UT), it was just huge. It felt like a huge accomplishment for me.”
While academics formed the foundation of their UT experience, football became the heartbeat of family life. From game-day rituals to traveling for big matchups, the family’s love for Longhorn sports is just as strong as their academic pride, said Bransky. After a childhood spent attending UT football games and one year as an Arkansas Razorback, Mendiola was more than ready for his chance to sit in the student section for the first time last fall.
Mecom said she feels that UT gives a solid foundation of education because of the opportunities it offers. She said it’s an honor to graduate from the University and that doing so allows people to increasingly impact their communities.
“We’ve just been proud of being a part of the UT System, proud to be a Longhorn and proud of the tradition that we started,” Mecom said. “To be able to continue that with three generations, it’s just so wonderful to us because we are full blooded Longhorns.”
This article was co-written with Eyesha Sadiq and Emily DeMotte for The Daily Texan the official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin
