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Laura Beth Garcia is a proud Air Force brat who now calls San Antonio home. During her undergrad years at UTSA, she found a passion for volunteering and giving back to her school and community. She always knew her next goal was to find a profession where she could take care of people. In 2011 she graduated from the UTHSCSA with her second Bachelors degree in Health Care Sciences and a Masters degree in Physician Assistant Studies. For the past 10 years she has been helping patients with chronic pain conditions and recently made the change to neurosurgery, which has been a dream of her since graduation. Outside of work she continues to be an active member of the Junior League San Antonio, proudly sits on the UTSA Alumni Board and is the current PTC president for her boys school. For fun she enjoys spending time with her husband Matthew and her two little boys Adrian and Christian. Their favorite pass time is cheering on the UTSA Football team and spending time with their family and friends.
Why have you decided to serve as a Trailblazer for the JLSA?
There are several things that made me decided to become a trailblazer this year. As one of the many military “brats “ out there, moving around always caused me anxiety. The unknown of going to a new place, will people like me, and more importantly will they accept me. Learning how to deal with emotions and express them in a healthy way is hard for any child and it was the same for me. Although I know this experience made me the person I am today it’s hard not to reflect back on situations that I wished I could have reacted differently to. As a professional, I have seen several patients of mine deal with anxiety or depression due to their pain conditions or family issues. I think it is so important to take care of our mental health so that we can start healing ourselves physically. As many of you know COVID hit 2 years ago and as a mom I saw first hand how it affected my boys. Both of my boys stayed home for a year and half and virtual learned through their school. The school did an amazing job at keeping my kids engaged but they missed their friends and seeing them through a computer instead of in person hit them hard . I saw how removing daily social interaction with kids their own age at times made it harder for them express how they were feeling. As a member of the JLSA and a friend to many who have used the Clarity Child Guidance Center, I am honored to be a trailblazer and raise money for good cause!!