UH SUCCESS STORIES
PHOTO COURTESY HOUSTON TEXANS
lay collapsed on the pavement while others ran for cover from the attacking troops. In 2008, he won the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news photography for the photograph. Latif now works in New York as the editor in charge of pictures for Reuters, a position he has held for a little more than a year. He says his itchy feet keep him going. “For me, life is like a backpacking trip. You go and you listen and you discover, and it makes you a better person and the world a better place. That’s what I’m out doing. Learning cultures, religions, societies, governments and why people do what they do and sharing that with the world,” Latif said. “It’s about storytelling for me. I show the world what I witness. I let people make their own decisions though about whether things are right or not. But at least I put the truth in front of them.” Latif probably would have photographed Case Keenum if Keenum had served as one of NCAA’s top quarterbacks during the last decade of the 20th century instead of the opening decade of the 21st. And Keenum would have been used to the flashing lights. Keenum’s first throw during a college game came from the sidelines as the ball boy for his father’s football team when he was about 8 years old. “My dad told me to be a ball boy for his team, I had to be able to throw the big
PHOTO COURTESY ERICA FLETCHER
college career, Keenum had one piece of college football from the sidelines to the advice for current students. numbers so that I would be able to get it “Enjoy it. It goes by really quickly, and to the refs. So I worked on that — throwing you’ll never be able to get it back. So enjoy the big football halfway across the field,” it now,” Keenum said. Keenum said. Erica Fletcher may not have had her face During his time at UH, the Abilene naon a UH T-shirt, but it was in the pages of tive became one of college football’s most Glamour magazine as prolific quarterbacks, one of its top 10 college breaking records in total “ For me, life is like a women in 2010. passing yards, total ofbackpacking trip. You go During her time at fense, pass completions and you listen and you UH, Fletcher completed and touchdown passes. discover, and it makes you two film projects: “MariHis face was plastered anismo” explored the on a UH T-shirt, and a better person and the cultural factors that led the Athletics Departworld a better place.” to the alarming spread of ment created an official HIV/AIDS among Latin awards site during his women, and “Pack and Deliver” addressed 2011 run for the Heisman. the sex trafficking industry in Houston. After spending six years at UH, Keenum Fletcher hopes her films have some tried out for the Texans during their annual impact on her audience that, in turn, genertryout for local players. Impressed, Texans ates some action. head coach Gary Kubiak brought Keenum “In making films, I hope to share (some onto the practice squad. Last year, Keenum of the inexplicable suffering) I have seen signed with the Texans as their third-string and provoke an empathetic response quarterback. and critical thought among audiences “It’s a dream come true (to play for the about how they shape the world around Texans),” Keenum said. “I consider it an them and how they are shaped by the honor and a privilege to continue to repreforces outside their immediate control,” sent the city of Houston.” Fletcher said. Much like he did at UH, Keenum hopes Fletcher is now in her second year at the to stay playing in the NFL for as long as he Institute for Medical Humanities, where she possibly can and will seek a coaching posiis studying visual filmmaking and health tion after his career as a player is finished. In looking back on his longer-than-most education.
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