Valley teachers earn master’s degree while working

By RAUL GARCIA JR

 Every time former Mercedes city commissioner Diana Tovar drives by the Texas Valley Communities Foundation as she heads west going out of town towards the expressway, she is reminded of the city’s connection to Harvard University.

The Texas Graduate Center, a component of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation headquartered in Mercedes, has made it possible for more than 50 teachers from Valley schools to earn master’s degrees from world-class universities like Harvard in the disciplines of mathematics, biology, and cybersecurity.

“How many people can say Harvard University is in their town,” Tovar said. “People need to really find out what good work the Texas Valley Communities Foundation is doing and the educational opportunities that they offer. They have a number of different programs for teachers, for parents, for kids in science, and in technology, mathematics as well as robotics.  Through their educational programs they have given a lot back to the community, they really have.”

Teachers who have participated in these programs come from school districts throughout the Valley including Mercedes, Weslaco, Donna, San Benito, Lyford, Edinburg, McAllen, PSJA, La Joya and Brownsville.

“One of the things that the Texas Valley Communities Foundation strives for and is dedicated to is that we need to educate our kids,” Tovar said. “We have to start now in order to give our kids that chance and we need to give them a vehicle and what better vehicle than to have teachers and our community affiliated with Harvard. Not just Mercedes, but the whole Rio Grande Valley, needs to take advantage of it and help our teachers get a master’s degree from Harvard and other Ivy League schools so that they can be able to teach our children to aspire to do more and contribute back to the community.”

According to Adriana Lopez, Executive Director of the Texas Graduate Center, each year a teacher in the program  provides instruction to approximately 100 students. In 10 years each teacher will have provided instruction to 1,000 students.  One of the goals of the program in the next few years is to graduate 100 teachers with master’s degrees, who by teaching for 10 years in the classroom, will provide world-class instruction to 100,000 Valley students in mathematics, biology, cybersecurity, physics, chemistry, and other STEM fields.

  Francisco Rodriguez, Mercedes Early College Academy (MECA) algebra teacher, is participating in the Harvard program. He was recently named teacher of the year for the Mercedes Early College Academy. He said the Texas Graduate Center is “one of the best kept secrets in the Valley.”

Rodriguez is expected to graduate from Harvard with a master’s degree in mathematics next year.

Mercedes Early College Academy math teacher Jose Constantino earned his master’s degree in mathematics from Harvard in 2017 and Raul Zavala, a MHS biology teacher earned his master’s degree in biology in 2018 from Washington University in St. Louis, ranked as the No. 6 Best Medical School for Research in America by U.S. News & World Report. 

“The training I have received in this program has been essential in molding me as a successful science teacher in terms of having gained current and curriculum knowledge,” said Raul Zavala.

Rodriguez credits his Harvard University training through the Texas Graduate Center for helping him become a better math teacher in the classroom.

Each teacher is required to attend classes on the Harvard campus during the summer for seven weeks.

“At Harvard during the summer we meet people from all over the world,” Rodriguez said. “I’m able to bring those experiences back and I talk to my students about them. And I want them to go and experience different places. The program also allows me to choose two former students of mine to go during the summer and tour the Ivy League campuses.”

More than 100 students from across the Valley have had the opportunity to take a college tour of Harvard, M.I.T., Columbia, Princeton, Yale, and Brown University since 2016.

The Texas Valley Communities Foundation also offers more learning  opportunities to students and parents. They have a number of different programs for teachers, for kids in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well as robotics. 

PASOS

In 2014, the Texas Valley Communities Foundation created the Parent Academy of Success of Schools (PASOS) and over the last six years thousands of parents have participated in enrichment training sessions that help guide their children through the education process. Parents who participate in PASOS learn how to create a positive and lasting environment at home, build parent-teacher relationships and explore the factors affecting student success. Research shows that the most successful schools are those that partner with parents and share the responsibility of student education. PASOS informs parents about the workings of the school district and provides them with the skills they need to best support their child’s education.  For many parents, the PASOS graduation ceremony is the first time they walk across the auditorium donning a cap and gown. It also allows for an inspiring moment as their children see them graduate from the program and be recognized for all their hard work.

Mercedes Students Tour Ivy League Schools 

Mercedes high school students as well as other Valley students have participated in the Texas Graduate Center’s annual sponsored trips to the East Coast. On these trips students visit the following Ivy League universities including, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, and Brown University. At each university, they receive a detailed tour and meet with students who currently attend these schools from the Rio Grande Valley. The tours provide a profound experience for students offering a world of possibilities and a glimpse of what a college lifestyle might offer in their future. 

Youth Medical Occupational Skills (YouthMed) training program

The Texas Valley Communities Foundation has also partnered with South Texas ISD in Mercedes to sponsor a Youth Medical Occupational Skills (YouthMed) training program for high school students that incorporates robotic state-of-the-art medical human patient simulation technology to train four hundred (400) youth in healthcare workforce occupational skills in the following subject areas: Patient Care Technology, Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy Technician, Emergency Care Technician, and EKG Technician.

Engaging Communities for College Readiness (ENCORE)

The Texas Valley Communities Foundation’s Engaging Communities for College Readiness (ENCORE) program was originally funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and has worked with more than 30 school districts and provided college readiness mentoring to more than 4,800 students throughout the Valley.