This Rawls College student will graduate with a marketing degree and already has a job lined up, thanks to his experiences as a Red Raider.

Domonic Mirelez surveyed the landscape far and wide around his hometown of Crane, Texas. To be sure, the options were few and far between, much like the communities scattered across the pumpjack-populated Permian Basin.

He could stay put, a half-hour or so from Odessa, where life was comfortable and familiar. Or he could venture off and see what the next chapter of life might hold for him. 

The pages of the future were blank. How they would be filled was up to him. Either way, he held the pen.

It’s been a little more than two years since Domonic packed up and made his way to Texas Tech University. While he was a little unsure of himself early on, and life threw him a curveball soon after he arrived in Lubbock, Domonic stayed the course.

His resolute commitment will be rewarded this week during Texas Tech’s fall commencement when he earns his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business. Domonic is proud to reach this milestone moment in his life, although there remains some trepidation as he prepares to transition into the workforce and his own career.

“I am excited to be graduating,” Domonic says, “but I am also extremely nervous just because I have this tendency with my close friends to be the first one to do something, and I’m the first one to graduate, and that’s setting me on this path.”

From here, the next stop is Austin, where in January he will begin a sales job with a freight brokerage firm.

No doubt about it: You’re not in Crane anymore, Domonic.

Act 1: Bright Lights, Big City

As a map reveals, it’s not a long way from Crane to Lubbock, but it’s quite the jump from a town of 3,500 to a campus of 40,000.

“I’ll keep it honest,” Domonic begins. “When I was choosing a school, money was a factor. I was thinking about a number of schools, but I wanted to be far enough away where I could be on my own, but I also wanted to be close enough that if I needed to rely on my family for something, I could.”

After narrowing his college choices to a handful of viable alternatives, Domonic landed on Texas Tech, which he said delivered on the factors that were most important, including cost and value. Then it was a matter of applying and hoping he would be accepted.

Of course, once his application was approved, he would have to leave his hometown and tight-knit circle of friends. Many of them were going their separate ways, some to other colleges.

“I decided to jump,” he said of his decision to attend Texas Tech. “I knew that’s what I had to do, and it really worked out because when I got here, it was all so cool how it happened. Basically, no one knew me, so I was going to get to meet all of these new people.”

Now, Domonic is the kind of person who has yet to meet a stranger. He is quick with a smile, a handshake and a conversation. He is genuinely interested in people and what they have to say.

The Texas Tech campus may be huge, but it is no match for a determined people person.

It started with his roommate, who was from College Station and noticed one thing right away about Domonic.

“He said, ‘Dude, you just go talk to random people,” Domonic recounted. “And I am thinking, like, ‘This is fantastic. It’s what I have always wanted, meeting someone new every day.’”

Act 2: Fathers & Sons

Domonic, a first-gen student, had hardly settled into his Texas Tech residence hall before having to navigate a personal tragedy as his father, Artemio Mirelez, passed away early in the fall 2023 semester.

Suddenly, on that September day just more than two years ago, the ground shifted beneath his feet as what had been a constant, reassuring presence in his life was now gone.

“Two weeks in,” Domonic recalled. “It was kind of tough. I had to do a furlough from school. I went to the dean and explained what I needed because I had to be there with my family.”

It was an emotionally challenging time for Domonic. He even considered not returning to Texas Tech. But as he mourned the loss of his father, he also remembered bits and pieces of advice he’d received from him through the years.

His father had been a source of strength and encouragement, often reminding him that he would be able to vanquish whatever challenge might confront him.

“We had even talked about this possible scenario,” he said. “I said, ‘What if college doesn’t go right, and you pass away?’ He said, ‘Son, you have always done what’s right. It’s your call to make.’ He always had so much faith in me. So, I chose to stay with college and survived.

“I cried, and I remember telling him that I didn’t know how to live my life without him, and that was the truth.”

Domonic figured it out and did much more than survive. He would go on to thrive, partly as a result of resources available at Texas Tech and partly because of Domonic’s singular strength of character.

He had place. He had people. He had perseverance.

It was time to write another chapter.

“I remind myself that graduating from college is what my father would have wanted,” he said. “He cried when I graduated from high school, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, he was really proud.’ I know I’m going to feel his presence, and I know if he were there, he’d be losing it.”

Act 3: Back to the Future

Ironically, this was a story that almost didn’t get started.

“I promise you, that semester before I graduated from high school, I had no faith that I would ever call Texas Tech my home,” Domonic said. “I was really concerned about it, and I had just gotten sucked into this small-town feel.”

There was a great big world out there beyond the Crane city limits sign, and Domonic eventually convinced himself to start exploring. He found what so many others have found: The people of Texas Tech, staff, faculty and students alike, all welcomed him with open arms.

He arrived as the university was celebrating its centennial. Domonic had done a lot of work ahead of time, attending dual-credit classes at his high school and beginning his academic career with much of the first two years of work already out of the way.

Domonic was also paying his own way, so it was important to him to negotiate remaining classwork as efficiently as possible.

Toward that end, he needed a job, preferably something on campus that would put a little money in his pocket and experience in his portfolio. 

“I didn’t want to ask my family for money, and I received some grant and scholarship money that helped,” he said. “I was looking at jobs on campus, and I was thinking that maybe I should try to work at the library.”

In his mind, a gig with the University Libraries would be perfect because Domonic thought he would be able to work and complete homework assignments as his schedule allowed. It would have been the best of both worlds.

Then he came across a content creator job with Hospitality Services, and as he scanned the qualifications, Domonic worried it wasn’t a fit because the position description mentioned the word “videographer.”

“I thought to myself, ‘No way am I qualified for this,’” he said.

Then he remembered he had created content during his days in high school. It wasn’t necessarily cinematic-level video material, but friends who saw his work complimented him. The application required video submissions in three categories, so Domonic went into his files, grabbed the required material and sent off his application.

He also had to submit a video interview of himself, and he relied on the Michael Jordan-centered documentary, “The Last Dance,” for inspiration, using two cameras to record subjects from two angles as they spoke.

“I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can come up with enough good reasons for why I should get the job, but at least I can make it look cool,” he said with a laugh.

He used his phone and his sister’s phone to recreate the two-camera effect and laid out the reasons he was qualified for the job. Two weeks later, he received an email notification indicating he was hired.

Domonic showed up ready to learn. He said third- and fourth-year students who had experience as content creators were helpful in sharing their knowledge with him. 

Suddenly, Domonic’s community had expanded.

“Domonic is curious, and that’s something you can’t really teach,” said Evan J. Wilson, unit manager with Hospitality Services. “He’s always ready to jump in wherever he’s needed and brings genuine energy to everything he does. He’s the kind of person who makes the people around him better.”

The job challenges Domonic to be creative in different ways and help Hospitality Services build awareness around its offering. He is also busy with projects, brainstorming and doing what he can to get Texas Tech students to engage with his content.

“From the first conversation, it was clear he had the right mix of drive and creativity,” Wilson said. “He joined us in the fall of 2023 and fit right in from day one.

“I’ve seen Domonic grow from a talented student creator into someone I point to as an example for the rest of the team. He’s reliable, thoughtful and professional, but he also brings this creative spark that keeps our work fresh.”

Act 4: Frisbee fever

He wasn’t sure where else to plug in as a Texas Tech student. The connections were happening, slowly but surely, and Domonic has no trouble striking up a conversation with people.

Still, there was something missing as far as completing his student experience. His first thought was to serve as a resident assistant (RA) in his residence hall, but that turned out not to be a viable option since he was a new student.

Fortunately, along came the ultimate frisbee club.

“I didn’t know what to do, quite frankly,” he said. “I was really into sports in high school, but I wasn’t going to be a Division 1 athlete.”

One day, he stumbled into the ultimate frisbee club through University Recreation. He was immediately captivated by the opportunity.

“It just seemed like fun, and I was recruited by the captain,” Domonic said. “And they gave me a home.”

The team competes against other Texas universities like Baylor, Texas A&M and UT-Austin. Domonic serves as the club’s vice president, and the club is one more reason he has loved his time at Texas Tech.

“It gave me a sense of community,” he said. “I mean if you had told me before I got here that I was going to be part of the ultimate Frisbee team, I would have told you that doesn’t make sense. There are communities out there for everyone, and I think students should try to find one.”

Act 5: The Way Forward

The ride has not been without its share of bumps, but as it turns out, Domonic has zero regrets about that decision years ago to leave his hometown and see what might come next.

He has grown in ways he may once have not thought possible, and he has remained true to who he is and who he wants to become all along the way.

It’s funny because there were times when he wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t know if I ever really landed on marketing,” he said with a laugh. “I was pretty sure I wasn’t smart enough to be an engineer, and I didn’t want to be a doctor. I wasn’t even sure about being creative, so it’s funny how I ended up doing content creation.”

As he thought about it, he remembered other family members who had success in business-related majors. He also knew he had a gift for connecting with people and wanted to use his conversational skills regardless of the path.

“I have always wanted a job that involves talking with people,” he said. “I think if you have a job that deals with people, you will never get bored. I know as a content creator, interacting with others was always one of the fun things about the job.”

For Domonic, he thought a career in sales made sense, and that meant marketing, where he took several courses that helped him polish his salesmanship skills.

“In some ways, it was taking a shot and hoping it landed,” he said. “I am very proud of the major I chose. I’m glad I took the shot and it turned out to be right one.”

The same could be said for Domonic’s entire Texas Tech journey. He took a shot, and guess what? It found the mark.

What would today’s Domonic, with the benefit of experience, now say to his younger self?

“I think we sometimes wonder how much fear can hold us back,” he said. “But you can’t be afraid to jump. I know I was terrified to jump when I was in Crane, and I’m scared about jumping now that I’m about to graduate, but that’s what you have to do, and that’s the advice I would give someone. Don’t be scared to jump because you are going to have to do it multiple times in your life.”

For him, Texas Tech was the perfect place to spread his wings and fly.

“If I hadn’t come to Texas Tech where I’ve had a chance to do a lot of cool stuff, I would have never had these possibilities,” he said. “If I had stayed in my hometown, I would not have even touched any of this. Texas Tech is a place where you can basically bust down doors and find out what’s possible for you.”