Islander Impact in Action: Island University Announces 2024 Homecoming Alumni Honorees

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – One has made a name for themselves in real estate, one has taken their knowledge of marketing to help reshape area businesses, one has used their voice to help a local nonprofit and thrill baseball fans, and one team ran with their opportunity and made history in the process.

All of these Islanders ­— Alex Harris ’89, Musanna Al-Muntasir ’08, Amy Montez Frye ’14, and the 2002 Women’s Cross Country team — once walked the halls of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and now they will be honored at the Homecoming Honors Banquet during Islander Homecoming Week 2024.  

“The Homecoming Honors Banquet is so much more than just a dinner engagement,” said Elvia Aguilar ’17, TAMU-CC Executive Director of Alumni Engagement. “The Island University’s proud legacy is at the heart of what the banquet represents. The event not only shines a light on those who have left their mark on this university, but in the communities they serve. With these new honorees, that light has never shined brighter.”

Alexis Harris ’89

Distinguished Alumnus

Like TAMU-CC, the Corpus Christi area continues to grow. Among those who have helped in this growth is Alex Harris, who has been a fixture in the local real estate market for decades. Harris earned his Master of Business Administration at a time when the upper-level Corpus Christi State University was transitioning to a four-year institution.

Harris said his MBA was instrumental in helping him grow his real estate career from a title insurance company to a property builder and developer. In fact, it was one of his first classes, entrepreneurship, that helped Harris buy his first title company.

“I found a title company in Corpus Christi that was failing,” Harris said. “When I gave my final presentation to the class, I handed the professor the closing statement where I had completed the purchase of the title company. Since that class, I have started, purchased, and sold numerous companies in Corpus Christi.”

Harris has built and developed more than 480 townhomes on North Padre Island and Port Aransas. He has also made a name for himself in commercial real estate and residential home building. He is currently the owner and president of Brite Star Construction.

 “The MBA program at the Island University introduced me to new skills to run my business,” Harris said.  “Entrepreneurship, finance, economics and management — each one helped me grow.”  

Musanna Al-Muntasir ’08

Outstanding Alumnus

Marketing has been Musanna Al-Muntasir’s passion since he graduated from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a Bachelor in Business Administration in Marketing.

Among the first jobs he landed post-graduation was as a marketing and pricing analyst at Susser Holdings. In that role, Al-Muntasir oversaw pricing gas for all the Susser owned gas stations in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. He also added the role of adjunct professor at The University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio to his list of accolades.  

But it’s his deep roots in the Coastal Bend that have helped Al-Muntasir build strong ties to the area.

“I was born in Bangladesh, but I made my way to Texas as fast as I could,” Al-Muntasir said. “I consider Corpus Christi as my hometown.”

The Flour Bluff High School graduate spent over two years with the South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind as their director of marketing and development. That career path led him to start his own business, a branding and digital marketing agency called ItsMoose.com that helps local businesses grow their brand awareness and increase their online presence.

Al-Muntasir chooses to give back to the Island University and the future leaders it develops through an endowment that provides scholarships to students in the College of Business.

“The endowment not only provides financial support to the deserving students for education, but also fosters a sense of community, networking, and connection to academic and professional opportunities,” Al-Muntasir said.

Amy Montez Frye ’14

Young Alumnus

Thousands of people fill Whataburger Field each year to watch the Corpus Christi Hooks swing for the fences. Amid the cracking of the bats, and the umpire calling balls and strikes, there is another sound that captivates the crowds. It is the voice of Amy Montez Frye. She is the first female public address announcer in the history of the Corpus Christi Hooks franchise, and the first for the Houston Astros organization, which runs the Hooks.  

Frye, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies, has been using her voice to make waves since she was an 18-year-old intern at Real Country KFTX radio. Through her course work at TAMU-CC, she perfected her craft of public speaking and fine-tuned other communication tools that she still uses to this day.

“The teachings, the connections, the growth that came from my time at TAMU-CC led me to those opportunities,” Frye said.  

Those tools come in handy in her latest role as the Community Engagement Manager for Goodwill Industries of South Texas. The nonprofit’s mission is to create life-changing opportunities for people with disabilities or other barriers to employment. Through her work, Frye is an integral part of that mission as she helps raise awareness and vital funds for the organization.

Though it has been nearly 10 years since she attended her last class at the Island University, Frye’s presence is still felt and heard around campus as she plays the role of public address announcer for Islanders Athletics.

“I knew what I wanted from a very young age and my time at TAMU-CC taught me how to reach my career goals, polish my skills, and provided me with academic credentials that set me a part,” Frye said.    

2002 Women’s Cross Country

Hall of Honor

Islanders Athletics has come a long way since its inception 25 years ago and the 2002 Women’s Cross Country team is among one of the first programs to leave their mark on the university. That ’02 team was just in its third year of existence when Coach Shawn Flanagan guided them to victory at the Texas A&M Invitational, one of the biggest cross country meets in the state.

“Our credibility was hammered home when we won the Texas A&M meet,” Flanagan said. "After that we were ranked fifth in the region, which was huge as there are 34 schools in the region, and this was the first year we were eligible for post season competition.”

The 12 women that comprised that historic team would go on to victories at the Houston Invitational, the Sam Houston Invitational, and they finished in the top 10 at the Stanford Invite, one of the biggest meets in the country.

“They bought into the idea that by working hard they could be very good if they trusted each other,” Flanagan said. “They had each put a lot of faith into TAMU-CC that we could go from zero to competing with the powers that be in Division I. They had a dream and were willing to work to fulfill it.”

Team members include:

• Alamar Cavada
• Nicole Gonzalez
• Rachel Hudson-Freeman
• Leeann Jimenez
• Laura MacLellan
• Jennifer Miller Reasner
• Anita Quirino
• Yvette Rodriguez
• Yvonne Rodriguez
• Annie Marie Roque
• Karla L. West
• Bree Wilson-Soileau

The Homecoming Honors Banquet will be held on Friday, March 1, at the TAMU-CC University Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Individual tickets or table of eight can be purchased at islanderalumni.org/hoco-2024.