SAN ANTONIO (May 15, 2023) – Deandra Vera from the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) softball team was recently honored by her hometown Uvalde Athletic Booster Club. She received the Michael Derek Sandoval II Collegiate Athlete Award, which recognizes Uvalde High School alumni who demonstrate discipline and commitment to their sport and academic coursework.

The recipient of this award has competed competitively at the collegiate level while earning a bachelor's degree. Vera has been a member of the softball team since 2019, and on May 11, she received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology.

The award acknowledged Vera's work ethic and dedication as a student-athlete, staying loyal and true.

Vera commented, "Being born and raised in Uvalde and being able to get this award and be honored by my hometown is very humbling. It was rough growing up in a small town and having opportunities to have that exposure to play at the next level. But through lots of traveling, I was able to seek opportunities to be able to play at the collegiate level and choose the education that I wanted.

"The Michael Derek Sandoval Collegiate Award is the first time this award has been given out to the Uvalde alumni who have achieved a four-year education while playing a sport. There were 10 alumni who received recognition, and I was very honored to be one of them. I want kids to know that it doesn't matter where you come from; it's about the heart and dedication you put into your dreams to make them a reality."

Vera excelled as a four-year scholar-athlete through the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Her teams have received NAIA Scholar-Team recognition. In addition, last year's team made it to the opening round of the NAIA National Softball Championship after capturing the conference regular season. This year's team has made a return to the opening round of nationals after winning the regular-season and tournament titles.