Texan News

Mr. TSU, Deriek Iglesias: The Man behind the Face of Tarleton State

By Ian Troub, Texan News Service

STEPHENVILLE, Texas--His face is everywhere. He is on Tarleton’s home page; he graces the cover of The Tarleton State University Magazine 2011, and he smiles from the street banners plastered all over the Stephenville campus. He is “the Face of Tarleton State University,” the very embodiment of school spirit and an expert on century-old traditions. He is Mr. TSU.

Deriek Iglesias was named Mr. TSU in April 2011. Iglesias said, “It’s a great honor. It’s a very humbling experience,” to have been given such a prestigious title by the entire student body.

Considered the highest honor any male Tarleton State junior or senior can achieve, the title of Mr. TSU is far from a simply symbolic one. Mr. TSU represents everything that the University has to offer. He is a man of the people, a shining example of what it truly means to “Bleed Purple.”

“The best thing about being Mr. TSU is that it reaffirms the fact that I made the best decision of my college career four years ago,” Iglesias said. “I get to meet all the new students and transfers and welcome them to the great spirit and tradition that is Tarleton. This is my family… Our family away from home. I believe being named Mr. TSU is the biggest honor I’ve received here at Tarleton.”

That’s saying a lot too, considering that Iglesias, now a senior in his fourth year at Tarleton State, can be found everywhere around campus, and holds titles other than Mr. TSU as a direct result of his campus involvement.

He is Cadet 2nd Lt. Deriek Iglesias while he’s drilling away with ROTC. In fact, it was the ROTC program that first brought Iglesias to Tarleton after graduating from Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas, in 2008.

“Deriek is an exemplary adult full of positive motivation and encouragement for everyone, especially the new incoming freshman,” said Cadet Sgt. Melanie Morales, a sophomore at Tarleton.

Iglesias, originally from the U.S. territory of Guam, chose to come to Tarleton when he received a four-year Army ROTC nursing scholarship. Iglesias hopes to commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Nursing Corps upon graduation in December 2013.

“Nursing is a very beneficial field,” Iglesias said, “I want to help people. I’m a people person. I want to care for people.”

Iglesias is also visible in Tarleton’s Greek Life. He’s the “Phi Mu Beau” when he’s helping with the sorority’s activities. He will be the first to tell you he is “a proud member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity,” for which he works on the national board of directors. He is on the training committee for Texan Reps as well, making sure the tour guides give the best possible tours.

Yet, for all his on-campus involvement, it is likely Iglesias’ life outside of Tarleton that has made him the man he is today.

Iglesias was the first Squire in an international organization’s history to achieve the rank of “Squire of the Body of Christ” in 2008. There are more than 25,000 Squires worldwide, according to stpaulchonghasang.org.

Iglesias said, “The Squires is an organization that is facilitated by the Knights of Columbus. It is a program that instills the morals and values of the Catholic faith and molds its members into young Catholic gentlemen.”

The Catholic Church has thus been extremely influential in Iglesias’ life.

“My Catholic faith has been my guidance all my life, molding me into the person I am today,” he said.

Iglesias serves the Catholic Church as a 3rd Degree Knight of Columbus and through his involvement in the Catholic Campus Ministry at Tarleton State.

Whether it’s on campus, in the military or in the community, Iglesias is truly striving to be the best he can be. He can be found eating in the dining hall, sitting with total strangers, constantly smiling and making them feel the sense of “family” that has made him so “proud to be a Tarleton Texan,” so proud to be Mr. TSU.