Kristal Eaker is a 2012 and 2015 graduate of Texas A&M University – San Antonio with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Business with a concentration in Management/Human Resources. In her role as a single mother, she has undergone many hardships especially working and going to school full-time to support a son.

As a student worker in the College of Business at Texas A&M University – San Antonio, Kristal was hired to recruit students for the College of Business and to increase enrollment while discussing opportunities within the programs offered. Due to her hard work, she was soon hired full-time as a recruiter with mentors Kris Scheneman and Debbie Knipe teaching her transfer advising concepts which quickly became her niche. As a transfer advisor, she met and bonded with Roberta Cancio who is a firefighter with the San Antonio Fire Department. Due to her mentorship, Kristal began to volunteer with her at many SAFD fundraising events including the Heroes Fest for the Firefighters Cancer Fund. Kristal was also asked to assist in organizing and executing the fundraiser for injured firefighter Brad Phipps and Fallen Firefighter Scott Deem which raised over $90,000 for their families.

While attending A&M-SA, Kristal became involved in the Society for Human Resources (SHRMA) on campus and the City of San Antonio Chapter (SAHRMA) (serving as President of the A&M-SA Chapter for two years). Kristal along with her team headed many volunteer efforts including helping students get registered to vote in the election (over 70 students were signed up in just one day) and getting donations each year for the local food bank, raising over 52,000 lbs for those in need.

Due to wanting to help the Military Affairs Office on campus assist veterans, Kristal began volunteering with that office and attended many recruiting events in order to help our military better understand their options for education and help to ease their transition.

Over the next several years, Kristal was able to assist numerous active duty, retired, separated, Green-to-Gold and ROTC students. She says, “It is amazing to see our ROTC kids develop into the great adults that I know they can be. Even after my employment with A&M-SA ended, and I found employment closer to home, I still found time to help out our ROTC cadets with their advising questions, their 104R and even their workouts (although they are much better at it than me. Ha)”.

Kristal has since become involved with Project Phoenix (a non-profit organization geared to helping Veterans and the homeless), the Travis Manion Foundation (a non-profit that empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations) where she has participated in the 9/11 Heroes run for the last 4 years and has been the top donation earner the last 3 years, and the SA Rodeo Ticket Committee where she assists the Military Affairs office in hosting Wounded Warriors for a night of friendship, camaraderie and entertainment that they most likely would never get elsewhere.

To be able to help our Service Members and First Responders in any way that she can is what drives her to do what she do. Her father and grandfather were military and her son is an active duty Marine. This is her way of giving back.