This summer, Gov. Rick Perry appointed UNT Health Science Center senior Christopher Vera ('11) to serve a one-year term as student regent on the UNT System's Board of Regents addressing issues that impact students.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Vera served as a hospital corpsman and was deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom during his enlistment. Following an honorable discharge, he attended UNT, where he received his bachelor's degree in biology with minors in music and chemistry.

Vera is pursuing a master's in public health from the Health Science Center's School of Public Health in Fort Worth. He also is a medical student at its Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.