Dr. Brenda Melton ’13

Shaping the Future through Counseling Excellence

Dr. Brenda Melton ’13 has dedicated her life to the betterment of young people. With a career spanning nearly four decades, she began as a teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District in 1973, transitioning to a school counselor in 1982. Driven to further her impact, Brenda decided to pursue her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at UT San Antonio, leading to her role as a counseling professor with the university in 2014.

Continuing her commitment to education, Brenda recently made the bold step to include UT San Antonio in her estate plans and created the Brenda Melton Endowed Scholarship to support undergraduate students studying counseling and psychology. She also utilized the UT San Antonio Legacy Challenge (opens in a new window) to create an additional graduate scholarship that will have an immediate impact on students.

During her tenure as a school counselor, Brenda significantly enhanced the educational experience at an alternative school for middle and high school students facing unique challenges. This role not only deepened her commitment to educational psychology but also led to a collaborative partnership with Larry Golden, a friend and professor of counseling at UT San Antonio. Their eight-year partnership provided UT San Antonio graduate students with career-engaged learning experiences as they offered counseling services to these students, ensuring they felt seen and heard. Inspired by this program, Brenda decided to further her own education, returning to academia to pursue her Ph.D.

In Brenda’s subsequent role as a UT San Antonio professor, she designed innovative coursework that sent her students into various organizations–ranging from the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas to the San Antonio Food Bank–to observe real-world counseling scenarios. After retiring from active teaching in 2022, Brenda made her generous contribution to the future of the university’s counseling department by naming UT San Antonio in her estate plans in 2023.

“I believe it’s essential to think deeply about the future we want to create. The legacy established through supporting education endures and impacts lives in perpetuity,” Brenda expressed. “I chose to leave this legacy at UT San Antonio because it truly is San Antonio’s university–a place that mirrors our community and is committed to helping first-generation students and those who need caring guidance throughout their college journeys.”