Steven and Ursula Duron Nuñez

My husband, Steven, and I live on a 3.5-acre urban farm, which also serves as our homestead, located in southeast Fort Worth. We are also parents to two wonderful children, one in elementary school and the other in high school, who share our enthusiasm for this lifestyle (we like to think).

Steven chose to study at UT Arlington because it was the closest university offering a degree in architecture. I also chose UT Arlington for its master’s program in sustainability, a field that few, if any, schools offered at that time. This allowed me to pursue my passion close to home, which was important as Steven and I were non-traditional students, balancing our studies with being married and raising a young child.

My passion for nature and the environment, combined with the strong influence of my great-grandmother and grandmother, drew me to sustainability studies. They lived through the Great Depression and faced the hardships of being migrant workers. My grandmothers learned to be resourceful with food, belongings, and finance; their resilience and resourcefulness have inspired me deeply and shaped my commitment to sustainable practices.

Steven grew up as an artist and later worked in the construction industry, so he discovered that architecture was the perfect blend of creativity and building. Additionally, his passion for nature, sustainability, and the outdoors made landscape architecture the natural next step in his professional development.

Steven’s and my graduate degrees have directly contributed to the development of our urban farm, Mind Your Garden, where we’ve designed and built a sustainable, productive space in southeast Fort Worth. By applying sustainability practices, we’re able to reduce waste and enhance soil health. We reuse wood chips from a local tree service and receive surplus produce from a sustainability-focused organization to create compost, enriching our garden beds for food production. Using permaculture principles, we also capture rainwater runoff, which is absorbed into our garden beds, reducing the need for irrigation. Through diverting green waste from landfills to create nutrient-and mineral-rich compost, we’re able to grow organic produce, fostering a healthy, local food system in a beautifully designed farm within a food desert.

"Our journey to where we are today has taught us the importance of being spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy."

During our studies, Steven and I lived on campus at UT Arlington, where our son attended the campus daycare, and I worked in Undergraduate Admissions. We loved every aspect of the university - the diversity, the vibrant student organizations, and the genuine care UT Arlington shows for its employees. Today, Steven is proud to teach in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs. We truly believe UT Arlington is an outstanding place to study and work.

Our journey to where we are today has taught us the importance of being spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy. Each of these aspects must stay in balance, as an imbalance can quickly lead to challenges. Currently, we are followers of Christ, parents, educators, designers, farmers, and plant-based cooking demonstrators, with a clear understanding that our role is to serve others.

Family, shared passion, Steven’s United States Marine Corps experience, and unfortunately, the chronic health conditions in our loved ones, have all guided us onto our current career path. Key moments along the way have inspired us to continue profound impact of lifestyle choices: the foods we eat, physical activity, social connections, drinking plenty of water, and our connection with nature all influences our mind, body, and soul. Our mission is to help others recognize and embrace the potential for positive change in their own lives.

"Set a goal, stay focused, listen to your body, and remember that it’s okay to pivot."

One key lesson Steven learned at UT Arlington (as a student who was recognized as both a McNair Scholar Participant and Olmstead Scholar Finalist) is that you get out what you put in—the harder he worked on projects, the better the results, a truth that applies equally to both personal and professional pursuits. And for myself, I remember attending a presentation on the Master’s in Sustainability Program from the UT Arlington Fort Worth Center Executive Director, Mike West, who emphasized that our level of success would depend on how tenacious we chose to be; the journey was ours to shape. In this way, both Steven and I have encountered these lessons, though we experienced them in our own unique ways.

Our message to the next generation of UT Arlington graduates is this: set a goal, stay focused, listen to your body, and remember that it’s okay to pivot. As first-generation college students, we put ourselves under immense pressure to prove our worth, but looking back, much of that stress was unnecessary. Celebrate your small victories along the way and focus on learning and building connections with others rather than solely on grades and accolades. We want to thank UT Arlington for including us and sharing our story. We are grateful and proud to be Mavericks! Semper Fi! God Bless!

– Ursula Duron Nuñez