CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With 4,000 universities to choose from across the country, Jose Guardiola Guaderrama could have landed anywhere. The creative writing professor was doing a nationwide search for a job when he saw a position that fit him perfectly — right at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where his father, statistician Jose Guardiola, has taught for 20 years.
"Among 4,000 universities in the United States, he got this position and well I was happy about it and mainly I am happy that he got it in his own merits," the elder Guardiola said.
Now father and son share more than just DNA — they share a daily commute.
"It's a lot of fun. It's a lot of unsolicited advice... Being at this point where we can talk to each other as friends," Guardiola Guaderrama said.
Guardiola Guaderrama described a pivotal moment in their relationship. Years ago, when he was just 15, he nervously showed his father a short story he had written.
"I gave it to my dad, it was nighttime, I went to bed and at like midnight I felt something at the foot of my bed and I got scared and I jumped up and I saw it was my dad and he was holding the story and I thought he was mad and he said you should be a writer," Guardiola Guaderrama said.
For the elder Guardiola, working alongside his son has added a new dimension to a relationship that was already close.
"I believe that it is a rare opportunity for parents to share the same work environment with their sons... we always have been very close together, but now that we are sharing the same workplace, it just adds another dimension to our relationship," Guardiola said.
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