English Lecturer Amy Frazier spent most of her childhood living in Europe and Japan because her dad was in the U.S. Army.
She graduated from Hanna High School in 1978 and started college at Pan American University at Brownsville.
“My dad retired from the Army when I had just graduated from high school,” Frazier said.
Luciano V. Sierra retired from the Army after 30 years of service and started college with Frazier.
“We took English, history and science classes together,” she said. “He was a troublemaker. He would like to ask the professors challenging questions.”
Frazier said that in the English courses that she and her father took together, they would have the same writing assignments and what would take her five pages to write, he could write it in one page and get the same grade.
“He was a good writer,” she said of her father, who died on Dec. 5.
Frazier decided to go for a year to the University of Texas at Austin and then returned to graduate from PAUB.
“I started teaching at Porter High School for four years, then I moved up to Dallas and taught three years in a high school,” she said.
After that, Frazier came back to Brownsville to get her master’s in English at what was then the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College.
“That was back at a time when you could get your master’s and work here at the same time,” she said. “This is my 23rd year teaching here.”
Getting to know what their professors do outside of class may help students better understand them.
Besides being a lecturer, Frazier serves on the board of the Brownsville Beautification Committee.
“We try to beautify our city with trees and plants,” she said. “And there’s areas downtown where we try to beautify with landscaping. That’s one of the projects.”
She is also a delegate of Voting Precinct 12 in Brownsville and recently was sworn in as chair.
“We vote as a delegate when it comes time for people to run for office,” Frazier said. “We represent our precinct of the people that vote for local leaders, state leaders and national leaders.”
Frazier’s days are filled with work, volunteering and healthy living.
6 a.m.: Frazier wakes up and does “oil pulling” and has a bowl of kefir milk with flaxseed and organic Stevia for breakfast.
“It’s a natural way to detoxify your body,” Frazier said. “My daughter says I’m weird, but I’m very health conscious.”
7:30 a.m.: She arrives at the UTRGV Brownsville campus and gets ready for her 8 a.m. class.
“I teach from 8 to 1:30, back-to-back classes,” Frazier said.
1:30 to 3:30 p.m.: She has office hours Monday and Wednesday.
“If students need to come talk to me, if they need some help with their essays–it’s not just to help them with work,” Frazier said. “I’m available to help them in other areas. … If I can help, I’ll go over there.” She has helped students get enrolled and to get advised when they are having a hard time doing so.
“I didn’t realize for a long time that, sometimes, the students don’t have anybody to turn to,” she said.
3:30 p.m.: “Teaching four classes back-to-back, I haven’t had time to eat, so I’ll go eat,” Frazier said. “I have too many favorite places. I love sushi, so I love to go to Kumori and eat there.”
She also likes to go to Cheddars because she likes the spinach dip.
5:30 p.m.: Last Thursday, Frazier served as a volunteer for the “Everyone Counts” survey of those who are homeless. She helped distribute bags containing water, socks, underwear, among other items, to the homeless.
“The more surveys we fill out from the homeless, the more funds we get from the federal, local and state levels,” Frazier said. “We do this so we can help the homeless with shelter, food and jobs.”
7 p.m.: “One day I jog, the next day I lift weights,” Frazier said. “I’ve jogged for more than 30 years.”
She enjoys lifting weights at Gold’s Gym.
“They have a great weightlifting class. … I use the big bars; by the time you’re through, you do over a thousand squats,” Frazier said.
8 p.m.: After the workout, Frazier goes home and cooks a meal.
“I usually cook organic vegetables with a little meat,” she said. “Nowadays, they have organic hamburger meat, organic bacon and organic chicken.”
9 p.m.: “I watch British shows because I studied British literature,” Frazier said. “They are such great actors; some of them I didn’t even know they are British.”
Her favorite show is “Doc Martin.”
10 p.m.: “It’s time for me to start getting ready to go to bed,” Frazier said. “I have to wake up at 5:50 a.m.”
Her favorite hobby is traveling to other countries.
“I like to observe the people from other countries and learn their customs, listen to their languages, eat their food, listen to their music,” Frazier said. “I’m very fascinated and intrigued by their customs and traditions.”
