Felida Villarreal worked in the private sector as an accountant and financial analyst and developed an interest in the work of non-profit organizations focused on community service.

In the early 2020s, that interest led to a job as the director of finance for VIDA, the acronym for Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. The Mercedes-based organization was founded in 1995 and serves residents in the four-county Rio Grande Valley. The focus is on serving first-generation college students and those working who are underemployed and seeking to improve their income.

VIDA provides an array of support services to its students while partnering with area colleges and universities in connecting its participants to the needed training and education to becoming more employable. In 2024, VIDA served 750 students. Villarreal – who has risen in the organization to become its chief executive officer – says VIDA’s goal in 2025 is to serve at least 1000 participants as it looks to broaden its appeal and demographic reach. 

“I’ve become so inspired by the work we do,” she said. “We work to break down the barriers for our students so they can succeed in their fields of study.”

Success Stories

VIDA’s start 30 years ago began when private sector leaders and Valley Interfaith joined forces to address the region’s then double-digit unemployment rate and the large numbers of underemployed residents.

Its revenue sources come from local and county governments, federal and state grants, and private foundations. VIDA’s operating revenues have grown from about $2 million before 2020 to nearly $5 million in the new year. The added revenues are being directed, in part, to target the 18-to-24-year-old demographic and the older adult learner population. In the middle of those groups is the current average 27-year-old student VIDA currently serves. 

“We’re trying to serve more of our community in need,” Villarreal said. 

That community includes what she calls “justice-impacted youth.” They are considered an at-risk population who may have not completed high school or fallen into past troubles with the justice system. This segment of the regional population shares some traits with other VIDA participants in needing more education and training to become more employable in earning a higher wage.

Growing Employment Opportunities

VIDA has had some of its greatest successes in the following fields:

• Health care, especially in nursing programs.
• Skill trades such as welding, plumbing and electrical.
• Science and engineering and new opportunities with SpaceX and the liquefied natural gas plants coming to Brownsville. 

VIDA works closely with UT-Rio Grande Valley, South Texas College and Texas State Technical College in connecting its students to higher education courses. There is just as much emphasis on the skill trades, Villarreal said, in assisting students wanting shorter-term programs that provide certifications and job opportunities after a year or two of study.

One example is VIDA’s partnership with the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, a national organization with a RGV chapter that works with the private sector in training and employment opportunities in the skilled trades. In the Valley, electricians who have gone through VIDA programs have benefitted greatly from this partnership.

‘Wrap-Around Services’

Villarreal points to graduation rates of above 80 percent for VIDA participants and what she calls a “persistence rate” of over 90 percent, meaning once in the organization’s programs, few drop out.

This is possible due to VIDA’s “wrap-around services,” Villarreal said. These services include career counselors, child care and transportation assistance, and frequent meetings with students in Mercedes and the campuses where the students attend classes. There are also partnerships with employers like South Texas Hospital Systems, which has medical facilities throughout the Valley. The company has its professionals speak with students in the health care field and offers them workshops and mentors to help them learn more about medical careers.

“It inspires our students and it’s a good recruiting tool for South Texas,” Villarreal said of VIDA’s partnership with the company.

Serving more participants is VIDA’s topline goal for 2025. That goal seems attainable in building on 30 years of successes. 

“We love our students and we want to help them to remove roadblocks in achieving their goals,” Villarreal said.