The drive from Buffalo, NY to McAllen takes approximately 28 hours. That road has led Evan Thielman on personal and professional journeys he could not have foreseen. Born and raised in Buffalo, Thielman earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He accepted a job with a medical device manufacturer in his native state that had a manufacturing facility in Reynosa. Every few months, Thielman flew to South Texas to work…
Eleazar Olivarez first heard about the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement when he was still in high school in Mission. At the time, his mom was enrolled as a nursing student. She heard about VIDA and told her son about it. Nearly 30 years ago, Valley Interfaith joined forces with a group of Valley business leaders who recognized the critical need to serve underserved residents of the region. They…
Samuel Arguelles had excellent role models and grew up witnessing the importance of higher education. Unfortunately, that provides no guarantee. “I am a second-generation college student; however, I lost my parents at a very young age and have been trying so hard to make them proud,” Arguellas said. His parents passed away from different forms of cancer, his dad while working on a PhD and his mom while working on…
Holidays in the Rio Grande Valley involve a lot more than your average Christmas tree, a lighted menorah, wrapping and unwrapping gifts, and eating too much turkey. The Valley is in Texas, where everything is big, including holiday events in McAllen. The city will host everything from parades to shopping events and holiday music from an orchestra and a wind ensemble to “The Nutcracker.” Dream Land Then there’s the South…
Normally a 10 year old would be considered a child; however, at the age of 10, Diego Medina saw himself as a young man when his parents divorced. He began working in the fields and mowing lawns on the weekends to assist his mother with their household bills. Over the years, Medina had countless setbacks, and he found it more and more difficult to get ahead. In his early 30s,…
“I will tell you; she was one of those stars that I saw immediately,” McAllen City Manager Roy Rodriguez told a packed room at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 12 about Liz Suarez, the chamber’s new president and CEO. Rodriguez and Suarez worked together in city administration for just over 19 years. Suarez served as the director of the city’s transit department before transferring to McAllen International Airport,…
Every month, VBR publishes a story about a current Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement participant or one who has already earned a certificate or degree, altering the trajectory of his or her life. This month, we feature Rhonda Diaz, who will graduate from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in December with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. “Before VIDA, I was attending college part time; with VIDA’s…
The Greater McAllen Association of Realtors has nearly 1,800 members and as of Jan. 1, 2024, it will have a new president. Anita Moon will take the leadership spot at the beginning of a new year and be the first woman president of the association in 10 years. She is a Texas Tech University graduate who started her career in a management position at a Holiday Inn in McAllen. It’s…
For Weslaco resident Martha Zuniga, the distance to her destination holds little significance; what matters is reaching it. “The journey can be 1,000 miles away,” Zuniga said, “but you begin with one step.” Zuniga’ journey began in 2008 when she became a certified nursing assistant while in high school. After graduation, she took the next step by becoming a certified medical assistant. “My parents always said that education is the…
Roberto Silva is a Mission native and University of Texas-Pan American graduate who left his hometown area before returning in recent months to provide behavioral therapy services for children. Silva began his career teaching special-education students in Mission and La Joya. He enjoyed working with special needs children. Silva yearned to serve them in a different way. He wanted to specialize in applied behavior analysis, a research-based behavioral therapy for…