You might say Dustin Lee’s roots run deep at UT Permian Basin. His grandmother, Peggy Lee, is a Falcon.
“My first day of school was the first day UT Permian Basin opened its doors,” she said.
Dustin’s father is also a Falcon.
“I earned my geology degree and engineering degree from UT Permian Basin,” Larry Lee said. “There was only one building back then – the Founder’s Building. It has changed a lot over the years.”
And today, Dustin is the third generation of his family to graduate from UT Permian Basin.
“That really made me feel a more personal connection with the school because I am a third generation Falcon,” he said.
But Dustin’s road to graduation wasn’t exactly traditional.
“I came here for about a year and actually got kicked out because I failed a lot of my classes,” he said.
Dustin left for a college in Colorado, still trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.
“My dad would call all the time saying this is what we’re doing here business-wise and I thought hmm…ok,” Dustin said.
He came back to UT Permian Basin and everything changed. He not only found his purpose in the College of Business, he found pride earning a B.B.A. in 2017 and now – his MBA.
“You realize your grandmother graduated from here and your aunt – the outlook changes. You look at this as a family institution versus a college in Odessa,” Dustin said. “This is a University of Texas school. That really opened my eyes to the fact that this is a prestigious university.”
He says UT Permian Basin helped him realize his potential.
“I never thought I’d have a graduate diploma. I never thought I’d walk the stage twice,” Dustin said. “I left here with a 0 GPA, came back, got into grad school and I have a 4.0 GPA right now.”
