McAllen resident Rebecca Gutierrez always had career goals, but barricades kept getting in her way. “It was always financial challenges of either paying bills or paying for school,” Gutierrez said. “I was not able to do both, at times.” Gutierrez is a Valley native. She is also one of six children who witnessed their parents perform the grueling labor only migrant farm workers know. “My parents both worked hard for…
More than one-third of all South Texas College graduates who will walk across the stage for commencement are already employed or have jobs waiting for them once the celebrating is over, according to STC leadership. Announcing the latest graduation numbers at the college’s first-ever Workforce Summit on May 5, STC President Ricardo J. Solis said the graduate figures are proof that the college’s role is increasing. He also says the…
UTRGV has been included in The Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine’s first-ever list of the top 10 schools in the country for Hispanics/Latinos in STEM careers. The ranking is based on the number of graduate degrees granted to Hispanics/Latinos in the eight STEM fields. These degrees include all master’s and Ph.D. degrees. Hispanic Outlook ranks UTRGV: No. 5 – Top 10 Schools for Mathematics and Statistics (Graduate Degrees, 2019-20). No. 7…
Beginning this week, UTRGV faculty are offering a free, six-week training in American Sign Language to first responders from Brownsville, Edinburg and McAllen at the municipal police departments. Those in the training include police officers, fire fighters, medical first responders and other emergency personnel. Brian Cheslik, assistant professor and program coordinator for the American Sign Language and Interpretation degree program at UTRGV, said the training will help bridge the communication…
The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded two Jobs and Education for Texans grants to support career training in the Cameron County area. TWC awarded Harlingen CISD $332,500 to help the school purchase and install a fire training simulator to initially train 130 students for careers in firefighting. The agency awarded Brownsville ISD $329,060 to buy welding equipment to initially train 130 students for careers in welding. The equipment funded through these grants will…
McAllen ISD is receiving recognition for its attention to fitness and health with the recent awarding of a state award from It’s Time Texas Community Challenge. For the second straight year, the district finished first in the Medium School District category across the state in the annual health challenge. McAllen ISD earned nearly 2.4 million points. In addition, the City of McAllen was also recognized after it took first in…
The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce was recently recognized by the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley’s Graduate College as the 2022 UTRGV Community Engagement Partner Award. The chamber’s nomination came from Sandy Hansmann, dean of UTRGV Graduate College, for its efforts to support graduate education. The university commended EDD Executive Director Ronnie Larralde for leading the effort to transform the RGV through student success, community engagement and sustainable development…
U.S. News & World Report has recognized all five McAllen ISD high schools among its rankings of the “2022 Best Public High Schools.” This is the eighth straight year McAllen ISD has had its high schools recognized by either U.S. News & World Report or The Washington Post. The McAllen ISD schools are Achieve Early College High School, McAllen Memorial High School, James “Nikki” Rowe High, McAllen High School and Lamar Academy. Achieve Early…
Going up against the best of the best, two teams from McAllen ISD earned spots in the top seven for the entire country. Teams from Lamar Academy and Achieve Early College High School took third and seventh, respectively, in the National High School Championship April 8-10 in Memphis, Tenn. They were also the top two teams in Texas. Individually, Cameron Williams (Achieve ECHS) and Jeffrey De Groot (Lamar) finished tied…
Texas Southmost College recently introduced the college’s first Digital Library, making completing assignments and essays more convenient for students. The idea for TSC’s Digital Library was first introduced in 2019 to give TSC and its students its own library and resources, since this service was originally being shared with a local university. “TSC needed its own in-house library for students and faculty,” said TSC Librarian Nancy Bond. “So, my goal…