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Podcast: S9 Ep. 17
Date: June 16, 2026
Title: LU Moment: Elizabeth Diaz exercises her voice as 2026-27 TSUS Student Regent | S9 Ep. 17
Host: John Rollins

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JOHN ROLLINS: Welcome to the LU Moment where we showcase all the great things happening with ¹ú²ú¾çÇ鸣ÀûÒ»Çø¶þÇøÂ鶹 faculty, staff, students, and alumni. I'm John Rollins, Associate Director of Community Relations and Public Affairs here at LU, and I want to welcome you all to this week's show. My guest today has been recently appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to serve as the Texas State University System Student Regent for the 2026-2027 term. She's no stranger to all things LU, and it's my pleasure to welcome Elizabeth Diaz to the show today. Welcome.

ELIZABETH DIAZ: Hi, thank you for having me.

JOHN: So, Elizabeth, I know you're a senior here at LU, majoring in exercise science, is that correct?

ELIZABETH: Yes, that is correct.

JOHN: Okay, awesome. But let's go ahead and hear more about you before we kind of talk about, I know you’ve got an exciting year ahead of you, but let's hear a little back story about Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH: So, as I said, my name is Elizabeth. I'm an exercise science major. I was born in Phoenix. I lived there for the first 10 years of my life, until I moved to Texas, which, honestly, I do prefer Texas a lot more. The weather isn't great, but I feel like the people are a lot nicer. I just went back home to Chandler in Arizona, and I would try to have casual conversation with people as I was like getting groceries and stuff, and it was like talking to a brick wall. So, I definitely did not enjoy that, but yeah, that is the opposite of Texas, right? So different, and I felt crazy because people were looking at me, and I don't think I have a Southern accent, but compared to, like, my West Coast family, I definitely don't talk like them. I was just getting stares all around, but I’ve lived in Texas for eight years now. I have two younger siblings that I love a lot. My family is like my biggest priority in my life, so I came to Lamar. Lamar is about an hour away from my house, so it was important to me that I was able to go home frequently and kind of see my family. But I love to read, I love to be creative, so that's kind of like my outlet. So, because I'm really involved in school, I feel like it's healthy to have something that you enjoy outside of school. So, I try to always explore that creative outlet.

JOHN: So, you said you're about an hour from family, is that Houston?

ELIZABETH: No, I actually live in Liberty County, so I live in Dayton. I always say an hour away, because a lot of people here don't know where Liberty County is, so I'm like, I'll just say, like, an hour,

JOHN: But it is, you're about right, yeah, it's about an hour, so yeah, okay, Dayton County, awesome. Well, so back close to family, we love that, like you said, they're a top priority in your life, as they should be. So, that's awesome. So, let's go ahead, you know, now that we know a little bit more about you, let's go ahead and dive a little deeper into the Student Regent position with the Texas State University System. You are essentially representing students across the system, so for folks who don't know, that it includes seven institutions that serve more than 100,000 students throughout the state of Texas. So that's pretty incredible. But tell us a little bit more about the role.

ELIZABETH: As a Student Regent, essentially what you're doing is you're kind of acting like a middleman for all the students in the university system, and then the mission that is upon the system at the Board of Regents level, so as a Student Regent, you're a non-voting member, but you're expected to kind of voice the opinions of not only your peers here at ¹ú²ú¾çÇ鸣ÀûÒ»Çø¶þÇøÂ鶹, but also at our other sister institutions who are in our system. So pretty much I'm working to kind of reflect the attitudes of college students and what they're looking for, while also working with the Board of Regents to make sure that we're meeting what we need to do financially, and as given to us by the governor, while also kind of making sure that we're satisfying our students throughout the entire system.

JOHN: That's pretty fantastic that that this role exists. First of all, even if it is non-voting, you have a voice, you have a seat at the table, so that's pretty huge. Can you tell us a little bit about the process, like what you have to go through to get to that point to become selected, you know.

ELIZABETH: Yes, so to get selected. Before I even thought about applying to be a Student Regent, I was very fortunate to be part of an internship program where I got to serve as a staffer at the Texas Capitol during the last legislative session. So I did that for the 89th legislative session. So throughout that I think I learned a lot of skills that prepared me to be a Student Regent. For example, there was a lot of new learning I had to do, because as an exercise science major, it was kind of like diving into the deep end. I really didn't know a lot about politics or a lot about how government worked, so going to work every day was exciting, because you got to learn a lot of new things. I got to serve with a representative from San Antonio, she was super great. She gave me so much room to learn, and she gave me so much responsibility that I was able to meet. So, what I focused on while I worked there was, I did a lot of child welfare, I did a lot of affordable housing, I took care of a lot of our health care policy. So that was really interesting to me, because children are something that are really close to my heart, something I really enjoy, and I also love healthcare. So, while there, I learned a lot of really good interpersonal skills, communication skills. I got to meet a lot of people who I never thought I would ever get to meet. So that experience I do feel prepared me for what I'm going to do as a Student Regent, because now I'm stepping into this role with at least an idea and an experience that I can attribute to the Student Regent role and adapt it to what I need to do now.

JOHN: What a great kind of launch pad for what you're doing now, like you just said. And then, so let me ask you this. You know, you mentioned all seven of the institutions that fall under TSUS. How do you obviously, it's easy to hear feedback at Lamar, but how from the other institutions do you have connections there, or is there a way to keep in touch and find out what their needs are?

ELIZABETH: So it is very easy here at Lamar, because I'm so involved on campus. It's like I always know what's going on here, but that is something I'm definitely going to have to watch. So, for example, I've been in communication with a lot of the student government boards at our sister institutions, just so I know what's going on at their campus level.

JOHN: That’s smart.

ELIZABETH: And I do have friends at a lot of our sister institutions, like Texas State, like I have a lot of friends who go there. So, once my appointment was made official, I was very fortunate that a lot of my friends were coming to me with kind of ideas that they had and issues that they were having, and then at the same time communicating with the student government boards at other institutions has really helped me kind of get a better idea of the different campus cultures on each campus.

JOHN: I think that's fantastic. So great to hear, for sure. And that's really cool that someone from our university is this voice across the system. So fantastic. You know, you kind of just hinted to this. You kind of just mentioned it. You're involved with a lot on campus. So let's go ahead and hear about some of those things, and I could list them out, but I don't want to sit here and list your resume, I want to hear it from you, what you do on campus, and kind of how that's been woven into your experience at Lamar. And then maybe, if you want to share some favorite memories, or maybe moments that stand out from your time here, we can go into that as well. So, so what are you up to here on campus?

ELIZABETH: So really, it changes depending on the semester. It feels like every semester I kind of walk into something different, like there's something different that is either asked of me or given to me, or I'm playing a different role. But I will say the biggest things that are kind of omnipresent in my life right now is I'm an Ambassador for Lamar, so I really enjoy that, because I get to exercise a lot of my professional skills while also being really personal with people, like for example, I just worked the Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, and the connections you get to make with people is crazy, the conversations you get to have that with people you would probably never interact with before. So I really enjoy the role that Ambassadors lets me play, both at a community level for Lamar and then at a personal level for my peers, and another big one that I really enjoy is I have worked as an Orientation Leader, for this is now my third year, and I always kind of say that my biggest motto is that in my life the one thing I feel like that has been avowed upon me is that I'm going to be a public servant no matter what role I'm playing. I do feel as though that is kind of my purpose. Yeah, so Orientation is a big deal to me, because you get to be kind of that first point of connection for a lot of freshmen, a lot of them are really confused, a lot of them don't want to kind of show that they're scared, that they're nervous, or that they're kind of having conflicting feelings about going to college. So, being that student who is the first person to talk to them and kind of relate to them on a personal level is really important to me, because it helps them open up, and I've gotten to see a lot of growth from that. I still have freshmen, or students who are freshmen from my first year during Orientation, that I talk to, because they'll see me on campus and just kind of update me on what's going on in their life, and it's really heartwarming to me to see that I kind of had that lasting impact on students. So I really do enjoy that. And then, of course, there's just a bunch of like organizations that I'm a part of that are important to me and are important to the kind of career growth I want to have while also serving Lamar.

JOHN: Yeah, well, I love that you bring up New Student Orientation and being an Orientation Leader. That kind of leads me into my next part here in the notes that I had to mention. You bring up a good point too, because those freshmen that you're mentoring basically they do stick with you, they remember you, and then they see you as a resource on campus, which you already are, especially with this new Student Regent role. So, I think that's really neat that you've got that built-in connection throughout your college career as well. Speaking of New Student Orientation, so we just put out a Q & A introducing all of you, and that just hit our LU News site today, I believe. So, we can go ahead and share that with y'all a little bit later through email, but something that you said after being asked this question, I thought it was a really, really nice answer. So, the question was, “What is one takeaway you hope sticks with students after orientation?” and you said, “Try new things. College is not just an extension of high school, it's your chance to grow into who you want to be, step into new experiences, even if they feel uncomfortable, that's where you learn and grow the most.” I think there's a saying where it's like the place where you grow the most is outside of your comfort zone, that's basically what you just said. So, is that something that you share a lot with freshmen that you meet or incoming freshmen that you meet at Orientation?

ELIZABETH: Yes, that's always my biggest piece of advice, because I feel like a lot of the time, whenever people are making that big transition, people kind of feel stuck in what they've done for so long. I know that was true for me after I was coming out of high school, I was kind of, I kind of felt stuck, like there was something, some things that people were expecting of me, and I was kind of just expected to continue down that route, but I was still freshmen that you should try new things, think. You've never heard of before, things that you have friends that have experienced things you don't have friends in, kind of just see what you can do and see what really makes you feel good. So, a lot of times I'll just tell freshmen just to do, go out and do new things, even if you don't know anyone in that space, even if it's completely uncomfortable to you. At least you can tell yourself you tried it, and you might just come out with a positive experience that will carry with you for the rest of your life,

JOHN: Like never be scared to expand your circles, right? So, you’ve got to put yourself out there for sure. So, I do want to ask you this, especially with a role like you're about to step into. Well, I guess you're in it now. It started June 1, right? So, how do you balance, you know, student life, work life, and having a personal life, especially from a student who's so involved, like you are. Like, what is your approach to that?

ELIZABETH: I will say it's really hard sometimes, because I go to school full time, and then I work a job on campus, and then I work a job working nights at Baptist, and then also I'm really committed to pouring into my cup before you pour into others, because I definitely do feel like you kind of need to work on yourself before you can even think about giving other people advice or helping people, so that's really important to me. It's really important to me that I keep that balance. A big way that I do it is I'm one of those crazy people who has like a paper planner, a digital planner. I have my planner as my wallpaper for my computer, like I have a big one on my wall in my room, just so that I can double-check everything I have to go through, and a lot of the times, like, I'll keep a different planner for school work, like, my personal life, because it's really important that I kind of get to exercise all of those avenues, and I'm very blessed to have friends and family that are super understanding of, like, what I have going on, like, for example, like, my parents during the semester, they're always super happy to come meet me. They're like, just don't drive home, like, we'll meet you, we'll do whatever you want to do, even if it's just, we're going to take you to get groceries, like, we just want to spend time with you.

JOHN: Oh, those are good parents.

ELIZABETH: Yeah, they're super sweet, and a lot of my friends are also super understanding, even if it's like, I can only hang out for like 30 minutes, but yeah, at least we get to spend time together. So, but I always tell people, don't think you have to be that person that uses planners, like a lot of people, there's organization in their chaos, and that's just how they think, like a lot of people can't really think unless they have everything they need in front of them, and to other people that might look like a mess, it might look like there's just stuff everywhere, but I always try to tell people it's completely up to you how you do it, like don't let anybody kind of tell you that there's a one right way to do it or one wrong way, as long as you have a system that is manageable for you, that's perfect.

JOHN: Yeah, that's really great advice. I love that you use a paper planner as well, because you don't hear that as much, you know, lately. But that's fantastic. I'm kind of the same, I'm the sticky note person in the office. I write everything down, because if you don't, it just goes, or if you don't put it into your email calendar immediately, it's just... no, I love that, and I love what you said too, about, or I guess something important to keep in mind, and I feel like you understand this, and it sounds like your family and friends do too, is that this is just temporary, you're not always going to have however many 15 hours of school and work after hours and internships and all these things, you know, but there is going to be a moment in time where you have to do all of those things to get to your end goal. So, I love that you kind of realize that that's temporary and people around you understand that. So, before we wrap up, let me ask you this: What would you say your biggest accomplishment at ¹ú²ú¾çÇ鸣ÀûÒ»Çø¶þÇøÂ鶹 is, if you had to pick, or what are you most proud of from your time here?

ELIZABETH: I think the thing I'm most proud of while I've been here is the different ways that I've been able to have a positive impact on the people around me. So that's a really big thing to me, is I feel like you should always leave anybody you meet or any room you meet better than how you got to it, so I always try to be really personal with people, be as accepting as you can, because you really never know what people are going through. Yeah, you can't just look at people and know everything that's going on in their life. So I always try to be just as accommodating, and even when people are kind of coming at you a certain way, or you feel kind of that people aren't treating you the best, you kind of just need to understand that you don't know what's happening, and unless they tell you you're not ever really going to grasp the whole situation, so you should kind of just meet people where they are and try to help them and try to help them grow and just leave them feeling better than how they enter that conversation.

JOHN: Well said, and I think you're in a great position to be able to share that, for sure. So, thank you for that. Thanks again for joining me today on the podcast, and best of luck in the upcoming year. When do you graduate? You're a senior.

ELIZABETH: May 2027. So, soon.

JOHN: Wow, so you have a very exciting year ahead of you. A very busy year, but you're going to get through it, like we said. This is temporary, it's going to lead to great things for you. So, thanks for coming on the show.

ELIZABETH: Thank you for having me.

JOHN: To catch the LU stories just like Elizabeth's, be sure to search LU Moment wherever you get your podcast to keep up with the events, activities, programs, and people right here at ¹ú²ú¾çÇ鸣ÀûÒ»Çø¶þÇøÂ鶹. Don't forget to follow us on our socials, that username is ¹ú²ú¾çÇ鸣ÀûÒ»Çø¶þÇøÂ鶹, so you can see for yourself all the great things happening here at LU. This is John Rollins, your host. Thank you for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.