On May 9, the graduating class of the UTRGV School of Medicine made history, both as the inaugural class and graduating via a virtual ceremony. The ceremony was a poignant way to honor the challenges graduates now heading into a time of pandemic. Online participants and visitors heard messages from both UTRGV and UT System leaders. Keynote speaker was Dr. Kenneth Shine, former executive vice chancellor for Health Affairs for…
It initially began as a way to help protect his mother Cecilia, a nurse at several healthcare agencies in the Valley. Julio Garza now runs an effort to support the medical community in the region as a whole. Garza, 23, says he found a niche creating protective face shields for healthcare providers by utilizing 3D printing techniques he learned as a student with the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program at…
Texas Southmost College is ensuring the safety of its students, faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, including its youngest population. Since mid-March Texas Southmost College’s Raul J. Guerra Early Childhood Center followed the college’s lead in extending spring break and then closing. The center serves more than 50 children between the ages of two weeks to 6 years old. “These have been trying times,” said the center’s manager Marisela…
March Madness took on an entirely new meaning this spring when schools, businesses and even day-to-day living came to a screeching halt due to COVID-19. Everything changed from one day-to-the-next. For school districts, COVID-19 meant transforming the traditional concept of teaching into robust home-to-home learning, which is better known as “distance learning.’’ At IDEA Toros in Edinburg, technology-based Summit Learning is often used. It incorporates a Self-Directed Learning Cycle. The…
South Texas College will maintain a distance learning environment for all classes during the summer 2020 semester which begins June 1. There is the potential of classes returning to a face-to-face format during the term if conditions allow. Students already registered for summer semester courses were notified of the online or alternate class format changes. “We are striving to insure that students are able to continue moving towards the academic…
Texas Southmost College’s registration is currently underway for both the summer and fall 2020 semesters. TSC Executive Director of Academic and Student Services Vanessa Vasquez said it’s important for students to keep in mind the benefits of registering early. “We’re moving ahead with registration anticipating this COVID-19 crisis will be behind us soon,” said Vasquez. “Classes fill up fast, so locking in your schedule early gives you time to work…
South Texas College is the recipient of a significant grant directly from the National Science Foundation to support students in STEM fields. The grant of $649,369 is part of NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) grant. It provides scholarships to two cohorts of 20 undergraduate students pursuing various associate degrees. These include Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics. The funding period for the grant is…
Engineering students are at work inside a new innovation lab building on the Mercedes campus of the South Texas Independent School District campus. They peer over laptops and move from table to table, conferring over projects and looking over numerical formulas that offer solutions. “These kids know they’re not on an island,” said Gabe Valdez, an instructor at the school. “They collaborate. They look for opportunities to teach each other.”…
Working to fill a national nursing shortage, the Licensed Vocational Nursing program at Texas Southmost College recently saw its largest graduating class. In addition, it is maintaining a solid 92-percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. “I am so proud of what our team and students have been able to achieve,” said TSC Vocational Nursing interim program director Molly Showalter. “This type of success gives our program a…
The first cohort of students are now making their way through South Texas College’s Dual Credit Cybersecurity Program. The program provides students from partnering area high schools the opportunity to pursue a certificate in the field of cybersecurity. Students participating in the Career and Technical Education pathway are on track to complete their Cybersecurity Specialist Certificate. Completion will come by the end of their senior years in high school.…