Rick Saldaña’s story, beginning as the eldest child of Mexican immigrants from the mountains of northern México to now excelling in his career in grants and contracts, is a story of resilience and dedication to his passion and profession. Born to Mexican immigrants who traveled from the Northern mountain pueblo of El Potrero, Rick set the example of perseverance and achievement as the eldest sibling to three sisters and one brother. In 2016, he became the first in his family to graduate college, earning a Bachelor’s degree in English  from Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio Texas, where his passion for writing and advocacy flourished.

As head reporter for OLLU’s student newspaper, Rick covered many community issues, including a feature on an alumnus James Hernandez Campaign for the Alamo Community Colleges Board of Trustees. His McNair Capstone project, “Homoerotica and Homoromance in Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla,” explored queer identity in Gothic literature and has been cited in academic work. Rick also won the title of “Mr. Providence” in the 2016 Mr. & Ms. OLLU Showcase, a pageant for students to display their talents and formal wear. Rick also has published several written works including three poems, three book reviews, and six short horror fiction pieces, in addition to being acknowledged by Dr, Wallis Sanborn in The Klondike Stampede: As It Appeared to One of the Thousands of Cheechacos Who Participated in the Mad Rush of 1898-1899

Rick’s dedication to social justice earned him the President’s Volunteer Service Award for over 100 hours of community service before graduating. His community engagement didn’t end there as he soon joined Food not Bombs and served hot and homemade vegan meals to the local homeless population, where he first met the Autonomous Brown Berets where he was soon inducted as a new member. As a member of the Autonomous Brown Berets de San Anto TejAztlan, he played a leading role in OCCUPY ICE SATX, a protest and occupation spanning several months outside of the San Antonio ICE processing facility to advocate for the abolition of ICE and for the rights of undocumented immigrants and to fight against their brutalization and exploitation. Rick amplified marginalized voices and articulated the occupation’s demands through appearances on Telemundo, Univision, and the San Antonio Express-News, with his reflections captured in his retrospective In Defense of Lost Causes: A Retrospective on OCCUPY ICE SATX and Revolutionary Potential in Grassroots Radical Activism.

Following working for several nonprofits in San Antonio and eventually moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Rick accepted an offer to work as the Grants and Contracts Specialist for The Salvation Army’s North Texas Area Command in December 2023. There, he secured over $700K in funding from local, state, and federal funders and successfully coordinated a $1 million federal contract. His ability to maintain and recover previously lost grant documents and his leadership led a city contracting party to reverse their previous decision to terminate a $500K contract, highlighting his skill in managing high-stakes negotiations. Recognized for his contributions, Rick was promoted to Grants and Contracts Analyst for The Salvation Army Texas Divisional Headquarters, where he reviews and processes an average of $2M in public funding every month, working with every location across Texas by modernizing and leveraging JavaScript and AI to assure accurate of grant data from the service locations and to streamline the review process.

Despite his professional and philanthropic commitments,  Rick remains grounded by his most important commitment: making time to play cars with his godson, Chito. 
 

Rick Saldaña was born, writes, and will one day die.