Author Archives: Chris Ardis

Chris Ardis is a retired teacher. She is a freelance writer, editor, and social media manager and works with Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill to help schools and nonprofit organizations raise money. Chris is also an education blogger, and you can her blog at the link below. You can reach her at cardis1022@aol.com.

VIDA Support Turns Student’s Worries Into Success

e-Brief Features Education Healthcare News Non-Profit Comments

McAllen resident Rachel Tauli Batallang works as a patient sitter, a health-care worker with specialized training to intently monitor and assist patients requiring close supervision. When she started in this position, Batallang earned $9.30 an hour; however, her pay has increased to $12.07 per hour. Batallang enjoys this job but longed to be a nurse. Former classmates of Battalang told her about the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. This…

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Entrepreneur Builds Brands & Positivity

Food & Entertainment News Comments
Espresso, lattes, cappuccino, smoothies and more are served up at Rossina. (Photo Gaby Cueva)

Gaby Cueva doesn’t mind being seen as a disruptor. In fact, she wears the label with pride. A disruptor was formerly referred to as an individual who causes disturbances or chaos. Today, the term also denotes a person who causes a noticeable or even radical change in a market through innovation. Cueva has been disrupting the taco and café scene in the upper Rio Grande Valley in recent years, and…

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Pushing Through a Journey of Hurdles

Education News Non-Profit Comments
Alyssa Soto

When it comes to surmounting barriers to higher education, Alyssa Soto of Pharr could be a first-place hurdler. In her mid-30s, Soto is a single mother of three children, ages 8, 9 and 14. Prior to 2022, she had been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years. When her circumstances changed, Soto realized she needed to pursue a degree; she chose nursing and gained acceptance to South Texas College in the…

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McAllen Students Reach Elite Level

Education News Comments
The Lamar Academy IB Science Olympiad Team will represent McAllen and South Texas at the 11th annual MIT Science Olympiad Invitation Tournament in January 2025.

The students sat around a large table in the science lab at Lamar Academy in McAllen. Their exuberance felt palpable, smiling as their teammates spoke. The Lamar Academy International Baccalaureate Science Olympiad Team discussed how they got to this point. In January, the 20-member team will travel to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. to compete against 65 other teams in a national tournament. The Lamar Academy Team…

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Finding New Hope with VIDA

e-Brief Features Featured News Non-Profit Comments

Aida Meza had a job as a phlebotomist, earning $12 an hour. She felt fulfilled, but making ends meet proved challenging for this single mother. In July 2023, she applied for acceptance into the Medical Laboratory Technology Program at Texas Southmost College. One month later, she received an acceptance letter. Meza felt a sense of excitement and trepidation.  As she prepared to start the program, a barrier appeared along her…

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Study Goes Beyond Yearly Mammograms

Healthcare News Comments
Patricia Padilla, nurse practitioner at DHR Health, looks over a brochure with another hospital employee. Padilla runs the hospital’s innovative Breast Cancer Risk Evaluation Clinic. (photo DHR Health)

Dr. Lisa Chapa wholeheartedly encourages women in the Rio Grande Valley to enroll in a groundbreaking national study that measures the risk of women getting breast cancer. The WISDOM Study (Women Informed to Screen Depending on Measures of risk) can “revolutionize the way breast cancer is detected and risk is reduced,” Chapa said. This multi-institutional trial includes the DHR Health Institute for Research and Development, which serves as the primary…

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Local Nurse Receives Career Stepping Stone with VIDA

e-Brief Features Education Featured News Non-Profit Comments
Yvette Garcia

While in the Vocational Nursing Program at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen, Yvette Garcia attended an informational session conducted by the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. Little did she know that day how much this session would impact her life. Founded nearly 30 years ago through a collaboration between Valley Interfaith and business leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley, VIDA has remained true to its original mission.…

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Surgeon Makes A Difference In RGV

Healthcare Comments
Dr. Lisa Chapa completed a surgical fellowship in breast surgical oncology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She now treats breast-cancer patients at DHR Health.

Lisa Chapa graduated from McAllen Memorial High School in 2003 and headed to Texas A&M University in College Station. Chapa did not have a clear vision of her career path but she knew it would lead her back to the Rio Grande Valley. “Coming back home was always the plan,” she said. “We’re very close, as a family. I love this community. I love the culture. It’s the place I…

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VIDA Helps Create New Life for Mom of Six

Community e-Brief Features Featured Healthcare News Non-Profit Comments
Clarissa Magaña

When friends of Weslaco resident Clarissa Magaña told her about the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement, her goal suddenly seemed more viable. Acceptance into VIDA would allow her to obtain the degree she always wanted. Earning an associate degree in nursing would also be an important lesson for this single mother’s six children. Already a licensed vocational nurse, Magaña longed to return to school to become a registered nurse. …

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Restoration Honors History Of School

News Real Estate Comments
Angela and Marc Millis stand near the hound/beagle mosaic on the east side of The Annie, the couple’s second sign that they should purchase the historic property.

Angela Diaz-Millis and her husband, Marc, noticed a desolate building four years ago that is bordered by 16th and 17th streets in McAllen. A sign declared the property was for sale.  The couple are licensed realtors and own Millis Real Estate Group. They couldn’t overlook the distinct architectural elements of the building, which told their trained eyes that it held historic significance. The property was under contract, they discovered, but…

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