Ivo Isqueiro, a mechanical engineering freshman, is a member of the UTRGV Men’s Tennis Team. Isqueiro graduated from SEK International School El-Castillo in Spain.
Q: What do you like about the Rio Grande Valley?
A: “The people are really nice. Very welcoming. [I moved to the Valley in] January 2023. The culture I already had experience with, coming from an international school. It was kind of easy to adapt to different cultures. Everybody was super welcoming, really nice, there was no issue with anybody, so it was nice.”
Q: What kind of music do you like and who is your favorite artist?
A: “I wanna say some reggaeton, ‘El Merengue.’ [Favorite artist] just depends on who has a better song at the moment. I’d say Justin Timberlake, ‘My Love,’ is good. ‘El Merengue’ is pretty good, ‘La Bachata.’ ‘Medusa’ by Anuel [AA].”
Q: What movies or shows do you like?
A: “Anything old school. I like ‘Heat,’ ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Top Gun.’ Anything in the ’90s, really. ‘Roadhouse’ also, unbelievable movie. I like stuff like that. … I like ‘Suits.’ Also, ‘Peaky Blinders’… and ‘Shameless,’ too.”
Q: Who is one of your role models?
A: “My father is my role model. He did everything for me. He had a lot of hard times. He stayed loyal to the family and everything. He’s a great guy. Did everything for us..”
Q: What motivates you?
A: “Family. My parents keep pushing for my future. My kids, if I have any in the future. I don’t have any right now. Thinking about the future, the life I want to live. That motivates me to keep going, pushing forward.”
Q: Would you want to keep playing tennis or do something with your major?
A: “Both, I would say, because I want to do stuff for later for tennis and also stuff for later into my major and combine both of them in a way. … I really want to have a tennis academy of my own. But I would also, like, if I stick to engineering, go through with it, maybe get some, like, housing stuff, get into houses and everything.”
Q: Do you have a fun fact about yourself?
A: “I’ve had probably over 500 dogs. My parents used to sell dogs, so we used to have like 60 dogs at a time. We had that place for 12 years. So, we accumulated over 500 dogs, total. All breeds. We went for the pure blood just cause it’s easier to sell and everything. Like, German Shepards, Spitz, Chihuahuas.”
Q: What are some of your personal goals?
A: “Tennis, obviously, I want to make a big impact on the team, not only on the court but off the court. Leave, like, the tennis program in good hands. … Get the [Western Athletic Conference] Championship, that’s the goal. Get along with all my teammates.”
–Compiled by Jose Medina
