AFJROTC Inspired Cedar Hill Graduate
(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) For lifelong Longhorn Camron Goodman, joining the Cedar Hill High School Air Force JROTC inspired him to a lifetime of service and leadership.
“That was my introduction to leadership, and I saw a lot of different people and learned different perspectives,” said Goodman, now a 25-year-old Dallas citizen who works as an Operations Analyst for Goldman Sachs. “I was able to get a full grasp of the world around me. It really prepared me for life, in college and afterwards.”
Goodman, a 2014 Cedar Hill High School Graduate, attended Highlands Elementary, Joe Wilson Intermediate and Permenter Middle School. He’s reached some of the highest levels of leadership at different levels.
“I appreciated growing up in Cedar Hill, a tight-knit community, and I am still friends with many of my classmates whom I met at Highlands Elementary in the early 2000s,” Goodman said.
In addition to AFJROTC, Goodman competed in cross country and baseball. He also became involved in the Cedar Hill High School Student Council. By his senior year of 2013-14, Goodman was elected Senior Class President and graduated in the top 20 percent of his class.
“We planned a lot of the social events and a few fundraisers,” Goodman said. “We worked on Project Graduation.”
After graduation, Goodman enrolled at Dallas College-Mountain View. He never took a tour of The University of Texas At Austin, but he chose to transfer to the university in 2016 based on its strong reputation.
Goodman was involved in a few clubs and organizations at UT, especially those centered around transfer students such as himself. Those experiences led him to UT Student Government, so he could be an advocate for his fellow transfer students.
As a senior in 2019-2020, Goodman was elected Student Government President at UT, becoming the first transfer student elected to that position at the state’s flagship university (which has an enrollment of more than 51,000). It is one of the 10 largest universities in the United States.
Goodman and UT Student Government Vice President Amie Jean became the first Black students to serve as UT Student Government President/Vice President at the same time.
“We understood the impact of the history and what that meant for other students of color,” Goodman said. “Serving as President of the UT Student Government was probably the most impactful journey in my college career. To be the student face of the university and to make history in so many ways and to listen, empathize and advocate on a university, city, state and federal level was special.”
Goodman said the process for running for the top Student Government position at such a large university was involved.
“In high school, I had one friend helping my campaign,” Goodman said “At UT, it took a team of 100 people. We worked on it every single day.”
In addition to working on issues related to transfer students, Goodman also advocated for non-traditional college students, increased safety and resources on campus, and on behalf of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Goodman earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance with a minor in Management Information Systems in May 2020. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the graduation ceremony took place virtually.
Academically, Goodman was able to complete his coursework remotely. But the Pandemic presented a whole different set of challenges for Goodman as UT – along with most other universities and colleges – closed its in-person classes in March 2020.
“I think my leadership was truly put to the test,” Goodman said. “It was difficult because you had to maneuver, while respecting other people’s opinions, on providing the best environment academically, emotionally and mentally for our students. I also had to navigate the transition to a new Student Government Administration as my term was concluding.”
In addition to his position at Goldman Sachs, Goodman leads a non-profit, “Love Like Ty,” started in honor of a friend from Dallas who passed away in 2018.
“Through his impact, we started community service projects and partnered with cities and communities,” Goodman said. “We started scholarships for students.”
Goodman, who said he’s interested in running for public office in the future, is also very involved in his faith community, Dallas First Church.
