"Host father" Dr. Elltott T, Bowers awards Sam Houston State University's first master of arts in photography degree to Roberto 0valle, a native of Mexico who says hard work can cure his country's economic problems.
The economic problems of Mexico are not that severe - nothing that hard work cannot cure. This is according to Roberto Qvalle, a 24-year-old stu dent from Mexico who came to study computers and who ended up with a photography degree, Ovalle believes in hard work. "They're not as bad as they - the large debt for instance," says Ovalle. "We have the brains. If the people will work we can get out of this debt very fast."
Ovalle received his master's degree in photography this month at Sam Houston State University, and now must decide whether to rejoin his family in Mexico or stay and work in the United States.
Ovalle's family is wealthy. He doesn't flaunt it, but he doesn't hide it, He has three brothers and one sister.
"I'm the spoiled one," he says.
One brother Is a civil engineer in the northern part of Mexico, another b a government architect in southern Mexico, and the other is a mechanical engineer in a Volkswagen plant near the family's home in Puebla.
"I admire them," he says of his brothers, "because they are working machines." His sister is married to an American and lives in
Houston, Roberto lived with them and commuted while attending Sam Houston and becoming thie university's first recipient of the only master's degree in photography offered in Texas.
Roberto, too, is a working machine. In addition to his studies, he worked in the photography department and also worked for Houston photographer Murray Getz. He lost 18 pounds from his 170-pound frame during his last semester, he says, and often became so tired on his late night drives back to Houston that he had to pull over for a few minutes before continuing.
Roberto's parents - Antonio Ovalle and Bertha de Ovalle were from southwestern Mexico, near the Guatemala border, He has been offered a job as director of tourism for that he says, but wants to test the job market in the United States before deciding.
"The last time I was in Mexico was three years ago." he says. "Some of my teachers go back more than I do. I tell them, 'Hey, send me a post card."'
Roberto attended the University of the Americas in Puebla, studied computer science, and came to Rice University in Houston to continue that study under a student exchange program.
He decided, however, to study photography. ''Since I was 10 years old I got involved in photography," he explains. "My family is artistic in tradition."
Also, he admits, "I love to take pictures of girls."
His father, who has since forgiven him, was not in favor of his switch to photography.
"Are yoy crazy?" Roberto said his father asked him. "I think he could have killed me ... but now he's glad. He changed his mind"
Roberto received his bachelor's degree in photography last December, attended a Professional Photographers of America school in Indiana last January, and hurried to complete his master's this December.
He gives Getz, professional Frank Cricchio of Port Arthur, who has taught workshops at Sam Houston, and faculty members Hal Fulgham and Emmette Jackson credit for his technical progress.
He gives Dr, Elliott T. Bowers, Sam Houston president, credit for keeping him motivated. Bowers was assigned as Roberto's "host father" at Sam Houston. When he felt the need, Roberto said, he would go into Bowers' office and plop himself down for a pep talk.
Roberto likes fashion photography, did his thesis on fashion, and is himself a dapper dresser.
Most photographers dress as if all their earnings go into camera equipment he says. He believes in dressing well - "marketing" himself - and living well. "Gonna live once" he says, "gonna live good"
