The Team

Isabella Hinojosa, President and Founder '22

Isabella is a Senior at UTSA pursuing a major in Statistics with a Concentration in Biology while also taking Pre-Med courses. Her ultimate goal is to become a Pediatric Oncologist. She currently is a Peer Mentor at UTSA, runs a small art business, and spends most of her free time in quarantine playing video games like Warzone and Minecraft. She learned how to play chess one year ago, but founded the organization at UTSA to allow her friends a safe space to meet and play new people. After working all Summer to complete documents and get members, the organization was finally founded in Fall 2019 with Isabella as the President. As a beginner herself, she constantly advocates for beginners to come to the club and play for fun, giving the club a "safe" feel that she hoped the club would adopt. She spearheaded the Rowdy Knights program and is currently working on developing the first-ever Virtual Intercollegiate Chess "Playoffs" with schools around the country.  

Anthony Garcia, Vice President and Co-Founder '21

Anthony is a Senior at UTSA pursuing a major in Marketing. Eventually, Anthony would like to open up his own clothing line, whether that's redesigning old clothes and making them fashionable, or creating completely new designs on his own. Over quarantine, he started to set the foundations for his future business by practicing his sewing, designing, and embroidery skills. In addition, he spends most of his free time with his family, working out, painting, and playing video games. He learned how to play chess from his dad his freshman year of high school, and has recently started reading chess books, studying games, and is currently our undefeated tournament champion. He co-founded the organization so he could find new opponents. Anthony enjoys spending time teaching people how to play, and has taught over 10 people already. 

Swapomti Surampudi, Marketing Manager '24

Swapomti is a Sophomore as a first-year at UTSA and is starting her coursework with the goal of attaining a Computer Science major. She is interested in exploring the Cyber Optics path as well, but it open to where the Computer Science path will lead her. After college, she isn't 100% sure what she will be doing for her career, and currently one of her favorite hobbies is Game Design, which may be a future career path. As a blossoming first-year student in college, starting classes virtually during the pandemic wasn't an easy transition, but it was something she made the best of. During COVID-19, Swapomti has been enhancing her artistry and began making a comic book as well as small-scale animation. She currently interns with Booz Allen Hamilton as a part-time "job" and she is aspiring to land a lab position at UTSA as well. When she was younger, her father taught her chess, something which is rare in the chess community (fathers teaching daughters, that is). While she started off playing chess younger, she has decided to become more involved in the game as a Rowdy Knights coach, where her student excelled. Now, she is the Marketing Manager and hopes to gain new members through her creative endeavors on social media. 

Rebecca Lowry, Secretary and Co-Founder '21

Rebecca is a Senior at UTSA pursuing a major in Psychology and taking Pre-PA and Pre-Nursing courses. She aspires to become a Physicians Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner and is open to discovering and exploring both paths. Rebecca currently has been on the frontlines during the COVID pandemic as a Sterile Processing Supervisor at a major hospital in San Antonio. In her free time when she's not working or taking rigorous classes, she finds herself spending quality time with her family and partner and loves watching TV shows and movies, such as The Great British Bakeoff. As the Secretary of the organization, Rebecca works hard to create the many forms and sheets that the organization needs to function efficiently. 

Elias Hudson, Treasurer '22

Elias is a Junior at UTSA majoring in politics and law and studying Pre-Law. Being pre-law, he hopes to go into graduate school eventually. His career goal centers around being a proprietary lawyer in the music industry. If you make music and want him to represent you, you'll have to wait a few years. He is also earning a minor in music, relevant to his career path, and also learning more about his own music, which he creates as well. In his free time, he enjoys playing games such as Clash Royale and Clash of Clans, as well as Minecraft. Elias is extremely involved in the UTSA student community and if he isn't managing the funds at the Rowdy Chess Club, you can find him at the Student Art Society or even the Rowdy Gaming student organization. 

Brian de Leon, Parliamentarian '24

Brian is a Freshman at UTSA pursuing a major in Mechanical Engineering and wants to attain a certificate in Aerospace Engineering. He hopes to eventually become an Aerospace Engineer to work in the airplane industry, but doesn't have a specific preference and hopes to explore different paths. He has been playing chess since he was in elementary school, but got serious about studying the game recently and hopes to learn more about tactics, strategies, and mastering his gameplay. Brian raises chickens (which are very cute) and loves to read and garden in his free time during quarantine. If you ever get the chance to play him, you may hear birds chirping or chickens clucking in the background since he loves the outdoors and fresh air.