In this month’s Alumni In The News, we highlight two University of Houston-Downtown graduates who take pride in serving their communities.

UHD Alumni Conchita Reyes and Anthony Abbott were both featured in local media outlets for their active roles in helping others in need.

KPRC Highlights Alumna’s Community Efforts

During Hispanic Heritage Month in October, KPRC’s Voices of Houston spotlighted Conchita Reyes. Reyes earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and went to work as a Certified Public Accountant and eventually founded her own company, CR Financials Group.

Reyes admits she is passionate about being involved in the community. She has helped raise over $36,000 to purchase 155 laptops for Houston ISD’s Yolanda Black Navarro Middle School in need of computers. She also serves as a board member for the Morales Memorial Foundation and volunteering with State Rep. Christina Morales on various food drives.

In addition, Reyes is part of The American Jewish Council. She says she enjoys working with the Jewish community and serving in a role to getting other ethnicities and cultures to communicate, to work together and bring awareness to issues.

UHD Alum Heeds the Call as Fire Chief

In a recent series about first responders, the Wharton Journal-Spectator featured the city’s fire chief and UHD alumnus Anthony Abbott.

Born and raised in Houston, Abbott attended UHD and set his originally on attending the police academy. However, upon his graduation from UHD, hiring was frozen in the city’s police force, which led him to working security at the South Texas Nuclear Power Plant in Bay City for 12 years. After deregulation forced cutbacks at STNP, he landed a job with the Houston Fire Department while also continuing to volunteer in Wharton. The opportunity then came up to serve as the chief in Wharton, were he has gained the respect of the department.

“The department has evolved a lot from where it was because of Chief Abbott,” Wharton firefighter Ryan Salazar told the Journal-Spectator. “I think it just keeps progressing and getting better.”