What are LSC-CyFair’s former Falcons doing now? We are excited to share the academic and career success stories of a new alum each month here in Cy’s Spotlight. On occasion, we will also include successful achievements about our Falcon faculty.

Matthew Diaz

May 2026: Passionate about emergency medicine since childhood, Matthew Diaz began working in the emergency medical services field after graduating LSC-CyFair in 2008 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Paramedic Technology.

Adding that LSC-CyFair’s program motivated his pursuit for higher levels of education and professional growth, Matthew has since earned a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in health administration and currently serves as an Emergency Department Nurse Manager at Houston Methodist Cypress.

“My uncle was a paramedic with the San Antonio Fire Department, which inspired me early on. I was also drawn to the fast-paced, team-oriented nature of emergency care,” said Diaz. “Becoming a paramedic gave me a strong foundation in critical thinking and clinical decision-making - skills that are essential to being an effective registered nurse and leader.”

His healthcare career includes time as a paramedic, staff Registered Nurse, trauma program manager and a travel RN, to name a few positions, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help open a brand-new emergency department at a new hospital.

In his current role, Matthew said “I value being a resource for my staff, patients and the community, and I find great fulfillment in making a meaningful impact every day.”

Reflecting back on his time at LSC-CyFair, Matthew said the small class sizes (approximately 8 students in his night class) created a close-knit learning environment and dedicated instructors (like James Kieke) made lessons engaging and practical.  

“I especially remember extrication day, which included moulaged patients, flipped vehicles, and even a helicopter - an exciting and realistic training experience,” he said recalling realistic simulations and extensive clinical experiences. “My first ambulance clinicals were both intimidating and formative, and those early experiences helped build my confidence and clinical skills.”

He adds that the hands-on, real-world preparation helped develop critical thinking skills, adaptability, resilience and self-confidence that still guides him in his career today.

“I am grateful for the education and experiences I gained at LSC-CyFair. They played a significant role in shaping both my career and my commitment to serving others in healthcare,” he said.

Matthew advises prospective students that taking full advantage of opportunities available, being intentional and engaged in education, and committing to doing one’s best, pays off in the long run.

Julia Chialastri

April 2026: Fully expecting a future in her family’s farming operations, Julia Chialastri graduated from Lone Star College-CyFair in 2016 with a new career path that led her to become a Research Associate II at the Institute for Homeland Security at Sam Houston State University (SHSU).

“Courses, conversations with professors, and new areas of study opened doors I hadn’t expected,” she said. “Over time, those experiences at LSC-CyFair nudged me toward research, data analysis and eventually criminology and intelligence work. What started as a very focused goal evolved into a much more interdisciplinary path; one that blended my curiosity, analytical skills and the mentorship I was fortunate to receive along the way.”

LSC-CyFair is where Julia said she realized education is a collaborative process adding that “Learning how to ask questions, seek guidance and build relationships has directly influenced my success as a researcher and analyst.”

Julia’s academic journey continued at SHSU where she earned a Liberal Sciences bachelor’s degree, with concentrations in agricultural business, criminal justice and geography/geosciences. Staying for graduate school, she completed a master’s degree in criminology, focused on cultural criminology and data sciences. Trusted on a project that involved building a database and collecting research statistics while a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant led to her first professional role in business intelligence. Now Julia’s role is based in academia, but supports the community and private industry, which is a perfect match for her.

Having worked in both academia and Fortune 50 environments, Julia said “To me, academia is about depth: creating knowledge, building mentorships and supporting communities. Private industry is about direction: innovation, adaptation and moving society forward. Both are valuable on their own, but when they overlap, they boost each other!”

Reflecting on her time at LSC-CyFair, Julia gained an academic foundation and personal confidence to achieve success. With mentorship, well-being checks and coaching on career opportunities, she learned how to communicate with faculty, advocate for herself and engage deeply with her coursework.

“Those small moments of care and humanity (particularly after a personal tragedy) shaped my experience at LSC-CyFair and stayed with me long after I left,” she said. “The supportive environment there set the tone for the way I work, learn and connect with others today.”

Dr. Bequita Pegram

March 2026: When Dr. Bequita Pegram enrolled at Lone Star College-CyFair, she was loving her career as a barber, but also had a desire to finish what she had started at Jackson State University (JSU) and get that associate degree.

“My LSC-CyFair experience shaped who I am today,” she said. “The small class size attracted me to the campus. As an older student that returned to school, LSC-CyFair was welcoming and did not make me feel out of place.”

Motivated by the support of all her professors, Dr. Pegram not only had the confidence to graduate in 2015 with an Associate of Arts degree, an interest for pursuing an education career had been sparked with a goal to share the same opportunities and experiences with others that she received as a student at LSC-CyFair.

Dr. Pegram’s academic journey continued back at JSU where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a master’s degree in History with an African American emphasis, followed with a Ph.D. from Prairie View A&M University in Educational Leadership.

Her career in education began with three years as a Texas History 7th-grade teacher in Cy-Fair Independent School District, includes six years as adjunct faculty at LSC-North Harris, and currently as History Lecturer at PVAMU.

 “For me, teaching history is about restoring narratives, especially stories that were silenced or simplified,” she said. “It’s about helping people think critically, claim their agency, and realize they’re part of an ongoing story — not just observers of it.”

She is also the founder and director of Onyx Mentoring, an organization empowering African American females in higher education.

“I love mentoring and sharing knowledge because history is more than dates and events to me — it’s identity, power and possibility,” she said.

Dr. Pegram adds that education “nurtures and trains the current you so the future you can succeed” and her advice for those considering enrolling at LSC-CyFair is “Take advantage of all opportunities that align with the future you.”

John Burghduff

February 2026: Since the third grade, John Burghduff wanted to be a teacher and, in the fall of 1975, he stood in front of a classroom as a high school substitute geometry teacher. He has now been helping students truly understand mathematics for 50 years, with the last 22 years at LSC-CyFair.

“My aunt was a college professor, my mother was a librarian, my grandmother and her sister both taught in one-room schoolhouses in the 1920s and 30s, so education was something of a family business. Now, both of my nieces are public school teachers,” said John.

With a genuine belief in the power of learning, John is proud to have seen numerous former students become successful teachers at the K-12 level, including two who are now full-time college professors of math.

In 2003, John joined LSC-CyFair as a founding faculty member, has been a two-time Faculty Excellence Award recipient (2005 and 2014), and, as Math Department chair, has hired several adjunct instructors who now teach full time at LSC-CyFair. He also supports students at LSC-Westway Park Technology Center and in the Academic Success Center.

What keeps John in the classroom doing what he feels privileged to still do? The students.

“Those who come up to me at the end of the semester, sometimes with tears in their eyes, to tell me this is the first time they have ever made an A in (or maybe the first time they have ever passed) a math class,” he said. “And the students who change their major to something that they have always wanted to do but had been afraid to try because they thought they couldn’t do the math.”

Why math? “What could be better than teaching something you love? … I discovered that I loved helping other people understand new concepts and that I could help people feel safe and supported, even if they were anxious about mathematics.”

And five decades later, he believes this is the career he was built for and will continue doing as long as he remains in good health and has fun because - “Each year, I love teaching even more than I did the year before.”

Leonardo Castillo

January 2026: A passion for photography that began as a child capturing images on his mother’s flip phone became a career in visual and cinematic storytelling when Leonardo Castillo graduated from LSC-CyFair in 2023 and founded his own production company, Lion Castle Studios (@lioncastlestudio).

As a first-gen college student, Leonardo earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Video and Post Production (Magna Cum Laude) offered through LSC-Westway Park Technology Center.  

“I think what also makes Lone Star’s Video and Post Production program unique is leaving the program with a portfolio,” Leonardo said. “It was one of the most important pieces to have because I could use that in my search for other video production gigs.”

Additional benefits of his degree program included working hands-on with equipment, collaborating with other creatives on and off campus, and the personal 1-1 interaction with professors, he said.

One of the highlights of his program experience was creating a 10-second clip of his class getting hit by a car as part of an After Effects class project.

“If you’re a movie lover like I am, it’s so rewarding to re-create the special effects we see in action films in a school parking lot like we did,” he said.

The biggest lesson Leonardo said he learned while in college was to take risks and try things because “the worst that can happen is realizing it's not for you.” He also advises giving more than what’s expected because someone will notice the passion and hard work.

“Lone Star impacted my career by giving me the confidence I needed to go out and advertise my skills as a professional,” said Leonardo, who is focusing on his director of photography and producer skills.

Once in the industry, Leonardo realized he wanted to do every part of filmmaking such as pre-, pro- and post-production. Working on a wide range of film and photography projects, including with Actuality Abroad, he travels extensively as reflected in his freelance portfolio with work in Bangkok, Paris, London, Las Vegas, Atlanta, New York and Wisconsin.

“What I love the most about my job position is that I get to work on so many different projects with different crews, which help me stay excited about the next project,” he said.