Generation Sun Devil: Father, daughter alums reflect on dual ASU journeys

Many Sun Devil stories start with the first day of a student’s first year. But for Arizona State University alumna Isabel Vasquez, the journey started when she was in diapers. 

“I was born the opening weekend of ASU baseball, and my dad was on the team at the time,” she said. “I think one of the first things I ever wore was this little ASU onesie.” 

Isabel’s father, Tim Vasquez, was pitching for ASU and in his junior year in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences when Isabel was born. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from The College’s Hugh Downs School of Human Communication in 1998.

A few decades later, Isabel returned to the Tempe campus as a student. Following in Tim’s footsteps, she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication in 2017. But she also made the experience her own by studying abroad in Italy and completing her degree in just three years.

Tim is now the owner and operator of local Mexican restaurant chain Someburros. Isabel serves as its operations manager. The enterprise began with a single Tempe location opened by Tim’s parents in 1986. Today, it boasts eight locations around Arizona, including one inside Sun Devil Stadium. 

Isabel said some of her favorite student memories are of Homecoming games and Family Weekends. Seeing the Someburros logo in the same stadium that hosted those moments is an important connection.

“I think as a little kid, it was always so cool seeing the student section at the ASU games. I couldn’t wait to be part of it,” she said. ““I always knew I’d go to ASU, I even dressed up for Halloween as an ASU cheerleader and then as Pat Tillman. Now I see the Someburros logo whenever someone scores a touchdown or kicks a field goal, and it makes me really proud to see our family represented that way at ASU.”

Tim and Isabel aren’t the only Vasquezes to have called ASU home; Tim’s father George graduated with a business degree in 1974. Growing up in Tempe, Tim forged a lot of his own early memories on campus. 

“I remember going to Sun Devil Stadium as a kid for football games, so putting on a jersey myself as a baseball player really meant a lot to me,” he said. 

But Tim said by far his favorite moment is one in which baseball and family came together. It happened just after a game against Texas Tech University. 

"I pitched the last inning, got the win and ran into the locker room after and checked my pager," he said. "There was a 911 page from [my wife], and she was going into labor."

Isabel was born the next day. 

What’s it like being in a family of alumni? We asked Tim and Isabel to catch each other up on their Sun Devil stories.

https://youtu.be/-Zmj-IDeBK4