A partnership with Texas A&M University is bringing the Aggie spirit to South Texas College students who aspire to be part of the university’s renowned engineering program.
The Texas A&M Engineering Academy at the STC McAllen campus is one of 10 such partnerships in Texas. The program links Texas A&M’s flagship campus in College Station with higher educational institutions around the state. The academy introduces A&M’s engineering program to first- and second-year college students who will work toward transitioning to the flagship university in College Station, or in STC’s case, the A&M’s campus in McAllen is also an option.
“We have a lot of students who want to go to A&M,” said Maricruz Hinojosa, a project manager with the Texas A&M Engineering Academic Program. “The students in the program are Aggies from day one.”
This fall, 36 STC students are enrolled in the Texas A&M engineering academy. The program was launched just last year with nine students.
“We’re having some growing pains,” Hinojosa said. “Our plan is to aim higher in having more students in continuing to grow the program.”
‘Already Aggies’
Vanessa Ortiz is one of the 36 students starting classes this fall as an enrollee in the A&M/STC partnership program.
The 19-year-old student is the daughter of a longtime Mexican factory worker. Ortiz moved to the Rio Grande Valley during her high school years. Her career ambition is to be a mechanical engineer.
“Participating in the engineering academy is great because I grew up in manufacturing, which is something I have known all my life, but I want to do better,” Ortiz said in a news release provided by STC’s public relations office.
Hinojosa says students like Ortiz have full access to all of the services provided by STC and Texas A&M. The latter provides an instructor from the A&M System to the engineering academy at STC. The academy curriculum highlights courses in mathematics and the sciences along with general engineering studies. There’s the added perk of STC students in the program traveling to Texas A&M’s College Station campus for visits. One of those visits this fall will include a football game at A&M’s Kyle Field to get a real-life feel of Aggie culture.
“They’re already Aggies,” Hinojosa said of the student trips to College Station. “That’s the beauty of this program.”
‘Not A Transfer Program’
The Texas A&M System has elevated its presence in the Valley with its establishment of its Higher Education Center in the Tres Lagos area of far north McAllen.
Among the programs offered at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen are a bachelor of science in multidisciplinary engineering technology. There is an additional undergraduate engineering degree focusing on hardware and control systems. The STC students interested in those programs and who are part of the engineering academy can earn undergraduate A&M degrees without leaving the Valley.
“It’s not a transfer program,” said Kelli Davis, the director of the transfer and educational advancement center at STC. “Seats are allotted to A&M, so it’s a transition to complete an engineering degree in College Station or McAllen.”
Hinojosa wants the academy’s students to explore all of their options and connect with engineering industry executives and manager in the Valley and across the state.
“That’s what their time in the Academy is all about, learning what majors are available and seeing what is the best fit for them,” she said.
