By Dan Lathey

Hard work, an unrelenting focus and a commitment to helping others has served former Texas A&M International University men's basketball standout José Alicea well. Alicea attributes the support of his mother, friends, family members and his faith with getting him through some tough times to achieve his status as a newlywed and established wealth management professional in his native Puerto Rico.
 
Growing up with the dream of playing professional basketball in Puerto Rico, Alicea realized that it would be important to play collegiately at the NCAA level in the United States. It is with that in mind that he accepted then TAMIU head coach Tarvish Felton's offer to play for the Dustdevils "without giving it much thought."
 
At just 17, Alicea arrived in Laredo in 2005 to begin a period that he considers vital to his personal growth. Despite playing for four head coaches in a five-year span (he was a medical redshirt as a sophomore), he says that he is grateful for the experience of competing at the NCAA Division II level and playing with teammates that have left an indelible mark on his life. Standing as the only four-year letterwinner in TAMIU men's basketball history, Alicea ranks as the TAMIU career leader in games played (96).
 
Alicea's senior season in 2009-10, under the direction of first year head coach Shane Rinner, was a memorable one. The Dustdevils notched its first win against Heartland Conference rival Incarnate Word in six years (the previous win was when TAMIU played at the NAIA level) and qualified for the conference postseason tournament for the first time.
 
Rinner remembers the 72-61 home win over Incarnate Word on January 9, 2010 well and says that Alicea's grinding defensive effort against UIW's leading scorer and Heartland Conference MVP Pierce Caldwell was a key to the landmark win.
 
"I remember the night José held Pierce Caldwell to nine points (making only three of 13 field goal attempts) in a huge win for us," Rinner said. "We played a box-and-one and José would not allow him to catch the ball. Always known as an offensive weapon, he fell in love with playing defensive that night. In the locker room he said 'Coach, I have never been so tired after a game.' I replied it is the first time you played defense in your life, of course you are tired! That win was a pivotal point for that team and our program. José modeled for all of us what it means to put team over self. Our team motto was 'Find A Way', José is special because he has done that his whole life."
 
Alicea completed his bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a minor concentration in business administration with a GPA over 3.5 in 2009. While playing his senior season he served as a graduate assistant for Professor Kimber Palmer's business law class. He earned his master's degree in business administration, international business in 2010 with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
 
After finishing his master's degree, Alicea returned to Puerto Rico where he played semi-professional basketball for a couple of years with Liga Sub-25. He began his wealth management career with Signator Investors in 2011 before moving on to MassMutual Financial Group in 2016. Alicea is on the verge of spinning his wealth management practice under a new marketing name Bridge Investments.
 
Alicea recently married Yarelis Rondon, and in addition to spending time with his wife and family he enjoys attending church, where he also teaches ministry classes. He recently took time from his busy schedule to share his thoughts on a variety of subjects ranging from his memories of his TAMIU playing career to the importance of the wealth management profession to his hopes for his beloved Puerto Rico.
 
Question: What is your best memory of your TAMIU playing career?
 
Answer: In my senior year we achieved two big accomplishments:
1. TAMIU beat Incarnate Word for the first time, I remember Pierce Caldwell and the Cardinals always handing us a beating!
2. We made the Heartland Conference Tournament for the first time in my playing tenure.
 
Question: What is the most rewarding aspect of your chosen career and what are your ultimate career goals?
 
Answer: The most rewarding aspect of my professional career is helping individuals, families, and corporations achieve their desired financial future. I help them to achieve this by continuously monitoring and advising their financial planning, investments and overall wealth management decisions. This is something that I enjoy doing, those who know me know that I have always loved to help others, and now through my professional career I get to help others organize their financial matters; something I believe is important given the evolving complexity in the areas of financial markets, taxes, insurance, and overall financial planning concepts.
 
Ultimate Professional Career Goals:
 
1. Develop the financial knowledge of everybody that I am able to reach through seminars, stewardship workshops, one-on-one meetings, pro-bono work, etc.
2. Develop Bridge Investments into a well-known wealth management practice were clients can find clarity and transparency throughout the entire wealth management process.
 
Question: What role do you see your profession playing in a post pandemic society?
 
Answer: No matter where you look, personal finance and investment is a hot topic these days! I have experienced how having an investment strategy that is aligned with a tailored financial plan provides clients with security and confidence, even in times of unprecedented instability. Into the future, working with the correct financial advisor, one who is committed to turning goals into plans and plans into reality, should prove to add long-term value. In the end, a society where most folks have their financial matters in order shall prove to be a society where the people are financial prepared; even if another hurricane, earthquake and/or pandemic comes their way!
 
Question: How is Puerto Rico continuing to recover from Hurricane Maria and what are you hopes for the future of the island?
 
Answer: It is well known that Hurricane Maria in 2017 was a devastating event to the island. All major drivers of the economy were hit hard, people lost their jobs, families were left without their roofs, yet the Puerto Rican people started reconstructing the day the hurricane passed. Before COVID-19 hit, I would feel comfortable saying that we were getting the economy restarted. Now we are facing yet another crisis; one that is invisible in nature, but is hitting us harder than a category 5 hurricane! In the end, I believe we will prove again to be resilient and find innovative ways to jump start the economy and stay afloat.
 
Question: Any shoutouts to former teammates, professors or others at TAMIU?
 
Answer: Although I love all my teammates, coaches and the people that made TAMIU a great experience for me, I have to do a shoutout to my boy Christopher Swan who was recently wed (like me) and is a new father! Also, to Coach Weakly who I have the privilege and blessing to be supporting in this part of his life, where now his focal point is to use basketball as a means to spread the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
 
What they are saying ...
 
TAMIU Business Instructor Kimber Palmer on her former student:
 
"I first met José as a freshman and had the pleasure of having him in at least three courses. José always impressed me as a very hard worker. He was extremely successful, and one might think it came easy to him because he made it look so easy. But he mentioned to me once that it didn't come easy to him; he just had to work hard in order to get the grades he wanted. And he did! He was also very trustworthy. As a graduate assistant, I could tell him what I was looking for and he would always deliver exactly what I wanted. He did not need a lot of instruction, or reminders; he just delivered. I also remember how excited he was to be going back to his beloved Puerto Rico. He missed it so much. I cannot speak highly enough of him, and I am, as always, sending him many good wishes."
 
Former TAMIU Assistant Basketball Coach Bryan Weakley:
 
"In our first season at TAMIU, Coach Rinner and I did not know what to expect moving to a new city and coaching new players. Jojo was one of the players who made our first season such a joy. Yes, he was talented athletically, but even more important he possessed the qualities that made the community endear him. He is a consistently happy person and treats others how they would like to be treated. These qualities are what has enabled him to achieve success after college in the business world and as a friend."