It was months in the making and took a community-wide collaboration, but after a busy Saturday on April 27, the organizers of the 2019 Mission Arts Festival look back on the event with delight. “We’re incredibly happy with the turnout in the community,” said Ariel King, the owner of the Historic William Jennings Bryan House. King also led the efforts for the first annual arts festival. “It’s all about networking…
The UTRGV School of Nursing recently welcomed eight students from the Project HEAL2 program. The students hail from the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District and are prospective UTRGV nursing students Project HEAL2 is a program from the Region One Education Service Center. The program provides high school students with an interest in a nursing career educational opportunities and experiences to kick start their career. Students who successfully complete the program can graduate with an associate…
South Texas College is gearing up for summer camps that will enable students to engage in fun and interactive activities led by field professionals. Week-long sessions will run throughout June and July for older elementary to high school students. June camps Campers at STC’s Technology Campus and Pecan Plaza can choose from a variety of camps. Each is designed to keep minds sharp and teach new skills while campers also…
It’s the 20th anniversary of South Texas College’s Dual Credit Programs. Over the years, more than 106,000 high school students have participated and earned college credit. This has saved families more than $200 million with tuition-free college classes. The program features four options in which students can take college courses while still in high school. Many receive their associate degree weeks before their high school graduation. This then puts them on…
Going from one classroom to another, Janie Garza Reyes gives a tour of a barber school that started with a handful of chairs 30 years ago, and is now the largest school of its type in the Rio Grande Valley – and one of the largest in Texas. “We opened this school from zero,” Reyes said, referring to the longtime partnership between herself and Angie Moreno in starting and building…
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will host the NSF INCLUDES Symposium for ADVANCING Latinas in STEM Academic Careers on May 16-17 at The Pearl South Padre Resort. The event will address best practices and lessons to enhance successful STEM careers, This is the first part of a two-part series on Latinas in STEM academic careers. The series addresses how work-life issues, policies/practices, mentoring and climate affect their pathways/pipelines, recruitment, retention and…
IBC Bank-McAllen employees are spending this spring using their professional expertise to teach local students the fundamentals of financial literacy. McAllen is joining IBCs across Texas and Oklahoma partaking in Financial Literacy Month and the American Bankers Association’s Teach the Children to Save initiative. IBC Bank-McAllen is providing 17 presentations to a total of 300 students. The presentations include real-life exercises like paying a mortgage, buying groceries and budgeting for emergencies. Bank…
They came. They competed. They won. Regional high school student teams recently participated in the BBVA inaugural Young Entrepreneur of the RGV Challenge, culminating in an awards ceremony April 30. There was a selection and awarding of competition winners, but all 19 groups are in a league of their own. Working together on a business plan and other crucial elements, presenting before a distinguished, local team of successful business leaders and…
There was a time that the round, domed building with 12-inch-thick concrete walls stored much of Weslaco’s water supply. But for almost half a century, the historic structure has served as a community theater. Now, following a renovation with the help of the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, the Tower Theater has a new lease on life. Constructed in 1928, the ground-level water storage facility was replaced in 1941 by the…
The McAllen Youth Apprenticeship Program is inviting local businesses to participate. An offering from the McAllen Chamber, South Texas College and McAllen Independent School District, the program offers apprenticeships and work to high school juniors and seniors. A vehicle for talent development to meet future workforce needs, the program serves as a recruitment pipeline. Potential employees can also be molded and trained to a business’s specifications. The Chamber, STC and MISD…