It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the Texas Southmost College campus and to kick off the holiday season the college hosted its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Students, faculty, staff and community members lined the sidewalks outside of Gorgas Hall to see TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez and Board of Trustees Ruben Herrera, Adela Garza, Eva Alejandro, J.J. De Leon Jr. and Alejandra Aldrete light up a towering tree adorned with red and gold ornaments and poinsettias.

“Watching our tree illuminate our campus is always an amazing sight,” said TSC Board of Trustee Chair Ruben Herrera. “But the best of all this year is the togetherness. Seeing everyone come together again for this tradition and unite for the holiday season is what makes this experience worthwhile.”

Those in attendance were also treated to holiday performers dressed in red and green with Santa hats and reindeer antlers atop their heads from the TSC Raul J. Guerra Early Childhood Center Little Scorpions, in addition to performances by TSC student John Paul Savino and TSC Instructor Antonio Durant and the Bruce Aiken Elementary Cheer Team.

“We are excited to continue this longtime tradition this year. It really kicks off the season,” said Rodriguez. “We take pride in adorning our campus during these months with trees and lights for all to enjoy. TSC is everyone’s college, it belongs to the community. This is for them.”

TSC student Miguel Gutierrez said the lighting ceremony has really gotten him into the holiday spirit.

“It’s beautiful,” said the Brownsville native. “The entire night was fun, and as a student, I feel a sense of pride in our campus seeing it shine bright at night. I’m glad traditions like this are back. It gives us hope and brightens our days, especially with the stress of finals. This really is wonderful.”

Rodriguez agrees with Gutierrez and says he hopes the ceremony spreads a message of hope.

“The holidays are about togetherness and hope in the present and the future,” said Rodriguez. “The Board of Trustees and I wish our Scorpion Family and everyone in our communities a Happy Holiday season and Happy New Year.”

In its 20th year, the Binational Literary Conference was hosted recently at Texas Southmost College, bringing some of the most extraordinary authors and poets from the region together for readings and panel discussions.

The conference, also hosted simultaneously in Matamoros, Mexico, this year honored the late McAllen author Roberto de la Torre Hurtado, who is known as the pilar of Spanish literature across the country and is the founder of “Voces en la Frontera” (Voices on the Border), one of the best-established literary events along the U.S. and Mexico border.

“It’s been two decades since this conference was first hosted, and we’re so excited to be back in person, sharing it with our communities after last year’s hiatus,” said TSC Division of Humanities Spanish Professor Juan Antonio Gonzalez. “It’s great seeing our campus and local community engage with us.”

The conference was well attended by TSC faculty, staff, students and community members from both sides of the border who have an interest in literature or are looking to become published authors.

One of those TSC students in attendance was Christian Valladares, a general studies student who expects to graduate next month with an associate degree and who has dreams of becoming a published writer.

“I think it’s amazing how TSC gives us opportunities like this one,” said the Brownsville native. “It exposes us and allows us to network with writers and speakers who can educate us on important issues, and because I’m an aspiring writer, they have also served as inspiration.”

Valladares added, “The conference has given me a better understanding and new perspective on the culture and people of the region. Hopefully, one day I have the chance to write a book about life along the border.”

Students like Valladares and others in attendance had the opportunity to hear poems and narratives from more than 20 authors, including keynote speaker, author, researcher and professor Lauro Zavala, Ph.D.

Zavala traveled to TSC for this year’s conference from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City to share a lecture on short story evolution and theories.

An accomplished author himself with 24 books, 18 literary anthologies and 19 scholarly books, Zavala wants others to understand the writing and analysis of a short story – to help, he delivered examples of contemporary writing.

“The short story is the DNA of any kind of narration, so understanding its structural principles is very useful for any person interested in writing and teaching language and literature,” he said.

TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez said hosting this group of accomplished scholars and authors is an honor.

“Our goal as a comprehensive community college is to always provide these types of experiences and opportunities to our students and community to enrich their cultural perspectives and lives,” he said. “Hosting this many accomplished writers and scholars, some from TSC, is something we can’t take for granted. Their works speak to so many and to be among them is inspirational.”

Gonzalez called this event a true success for the literary world.

“This conference serves to promote to our community the talent and aptitude that surrounds our region and state,” he said. “It allows our students to see the possibilities of writing and how it profoundly shapes our perspectives and thoughts. It gives them reason to dream and realize that anything is possible.”

For the second consecutive season, the Texas Southmost College Men’s Soccer Club packed up its cleats and headed north, this time to Lubbock, to compete in the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Region IV Super Regional Soccer Championships, from Oct. 28-31.

“We’re going with the intention of bringing back the title that we won in 2019 since there wasn’t a tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic. We have all the desire in the world to bring back our bid to compete in the national tournament,” said TSC Men’s Soccer Club Head Coach Mario Zamora. “We are well prepared and the players are motivated and conscious of the fact that we can have a good shot at winning the regional tournament.”

This will also be Zamora’s second straight trip to the regional tournament at the helm of the Scorpions. TSC was the only community college men’s soccer team to qualify to the 2019 regional tournament and repeats the feat this season.

“We’re thankful for the support we’ve received from our community and the college, the TSC Board of Trustees, TSC President, students and administration,” said Zamora. “We want to make TSC and our community proud and showcase the talent we have in the Rio Grande Valley.”

TSC defeated Texas State University 3-2 in the last game of the regular season to qualify for the regional competition.

“I’m excited, it’s my first time going to regionals with this team and I feel confident,” said Scorpions defender Gerardo Valle, who played at Brownsville Veterans Memorial during high school. “We have a really solid team that can take us all the way. We have a lot of quality players on the team and a good coach.”

The Scorpions will open up the tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. against Texas A&M University in the first match of pool play. On Saturday, Oct. 30, at 11:30 a.m., TSC will continue its quest for one of the three national tournament bids against Southern Methodist University. The Valley squad will wrap up pool play that same day at 6:30 p.m. when they take on Washington University-St. Louis.

The winners of each pool advance to one of two championship matches to be played on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 8 a.m. The two finalist winners will advance to the national tournament. The losing finalists will face off at noon for the third and last national bid. The NIRSA Soccer National Championships will take place Nov. 18-20 in Foley, Alabama.

During the regular season, all of TSC’s opponents were four-year universities such as Baylor, Texas State, St. Edward’s, the University of Texas-Austin, Trinity, the University of Texas-San Antonio and Texas A&M-Galveston. TSC’s only loss came against UT-Austin.

“It wasn’t easy. It was a tough season,” said Valle. “We got through and pushed all the way. We are where we are now because of it. We just have to keep doing our best and we’ll see the results.”

TSC’s tough regular-season schedule against four-year universities prepared the team for regional competition.

“It (regular season) prepared every single one of us to learn from our mistakes. We got better as a team,” said TSC freshman defender Adrian Longoria, who played high school soccer at Los Fresnos. “I believe we can go far. We show up to practice every day and put in the work. With the team that we have, I believe we can win regionals and go to nationals. It’s going to be a tough competition, but as a team we believe that we can accomplish anything.”

The Texas Southmost College Foundation made an unprecedented investment in local workforce development by allocating $1 million for workforce training scholarships at Texas Southmost College during their regular board meeting this week. The allocation will fund student scholarships for a variety of workforce programs such as aerospace, manufacturing, construction trades and health care.

“The Texas Southmost College Foundation Board of Directors provides stewardship for the college’s scholarship endowment, which assists students in earning a college degree or certificate, helping to transform their lives,” said Manny Casanova, TSC Foundation Board of Directors President. “This latest investment complements robust efforts underway at TSC to cultivate an even more sustainable and resilient regional economy.”

TSC President Jesús Roberto Rodríguez said the college has been working collaboratively with economic development organizations and industry partners to ensure the Lower Rio Grande Valley remains a destination for innovative businesses and entrepreneurship, fueled by a high-quality workforce. He said investments by the TSC Board of Trustees, TSC Foundation, public entities and private partners have strengthened TSC’s position as the destination for regional workforce training.

“In addition to the current investment by the TSC Foundation, the TSC Board of Trustees continues to do its part in supporting academic and workforce development programs by investing $23 million in capital investments over the past four years,” said TSC Board of Trustees Chair Ruben Herrera.

He said the investment funded active learning classrooms and state-of-the-art workforce labs for programs such as welding, plumbing, pipefitting, electrical, Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology and the Criminal Justice Institute.

Casanova noted that the TSC Foundation’s $1 million investment provides student scholarships for short-term training programs that are not funded by federal financial aid, meaning students must either pay out-of-pocket or rely on other outside sources of funding. He added that while the TSC workforce grants team has been very successful, earning awards of more than $1.6 million in just the last nine months, each grant specifies unique criteria for scholarship distribution.

“The foundation’s investment will ensure more students are eligible for workforce training scholarships to support students’ needs that are not covered through other grant programs,” Casanova added.

Rodríguez said the college’s workforce development team prioritizes meetings with industry partners to listen to their plans for the future and works collaboratively with them to build training programs to address their workforce needs. As a result, TSC has established a variety of new workforce programs, such as Forensic Macro Photography and Industrial Insulation—which are the only ones of their kind in the nation—with more to come, such as Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) pilots and maintenance.

Community members interested in the available scholarships to upgrade their skills or train for a new career may contact TSC’s Workforce Training and Continuing Education division at [email protected] or 956-295-3724.

More information about the programs offered may be found here.

Texas Southmost College will celebrate 95 years of service to the Lower Rio Grande Valley with a free community event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 30 at the TSC Performing Arts Center. Hosted by the TSC Board of Trustees, guests will be treated to food, live music and a fireworks show.

TSC Board of Trustee Chair and TSC alumnus Ruben Herrera said the event will celebrate the milestones of the past 95 years as well as the accomplishments of today.

“It’s impressive to see how TSC has thrived,” Herrera said. “Few could have imagined how the college would evolve from its humble beginnings 95 years ago. I look forward to its continued growth and positive impact on the community during the many years to come.”

Today, students at TSC have access to multiple academic programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), humanities, health professions and a variety of workforce programs. And, because TSC is a comprehensive community college, students can choose from a variety of pathways to earn a college credential including academic degree programs with courses that transfer to any university in Texas, workforce degree programs and customized training programs that help graduates secure employment and leisure learning classes.

“Since its establishment 95 years ago, TSC continues to meet the evolving academic and workforce training needs of the region,” said TSC President Jesús Roberto Rodríguez. “One thing has remained constant over the years: TSC’s commitment to providing a high-quality, affordable education close to home.”

The college was founded in 1926 as the first institution of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley. Students attended college classes, at what was then known as the Junior College of the Rio Grande Valley, at the local high school building on Palm Blvd. In 1930, the college became the first accredited community college in Texas.

The 1940s brought about extraordinary growth, with soldiers returning from the war flocking to the college. Later in that decade, the college had a new name, Texas Southmost College; a new home, the grounds of old Fort Brown; and a separate taxing entity that would ensure its viability into the future.

Working collaboratively, the TSC Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and administration are unwavering in their mission to transform local communities through innovative learning opportunities.

In the past few years, the TSC board has lowered tuition two times, making TSC the most affordable institution of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley; lowered the tax rate for property owners; supported students financially through tuition discounts and waivers and other initiatives during the COVID-19 global pandemic; and approved $23 million for new state-of-the-art workforce labs and active learning classrooms.

“TSC’s future remains bright. We have a supportive board of trustees and powerhouse team in place to continue building education and career pathways that serve our students, industry partners and communities throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley,” said Rodríguez.

TSC will continue its celebration of the 95th anniversary throughout the year.

The Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to lower the tax rate by 4.7% for property owners in the TSC taxing district during their regular meeting on Aug. 26.

“The TSC Board is committed to being responsible financial stewards of taxpayers’ dollars,” said TSC Board Chair Ruben Herrera. “We have lowered tuition by 40% since 2013, making college more affordable for families; we are the only institution of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley that did not lay off or furlough a single employee during the pandemic; and we are now able to also lower the tax rate, providing savings for our taxpayers.”

The new tax rate for 2021 is set at $0.154636 per $100,000 of valuation for property owners in the Texas Southmost College District. For example, the rate lowers property taxes for owners of a $100,000 home from $162.41 to $154.64 per year.

“We work very hard to ensure TSC provides a good return on investment for the communities we serve,” said TSC President Jesús Roberto Rodríguez, Ph.D. “Over the past several years the TSC Board has lowered tuition, making Texas Southmost College the most affordable institution of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley. At the same time, we have fostered a culture of innovation to provide students, faculty, staff, and administration with resources they need to enhance teaching and learning while increasing efficiencies. Now the board members have voted to lower the tax rate—all while producing a balanced budget.”

Rodríguez noted the board’s most recent action ushers in the yearlong celebration of TSC’s 95th anniversary. Texas Southmost College is the oldest institution of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley and was the first accredited community college in Texas. Rodríguez said the college’s fiscal health, enrollment growth, and increased rates of student success are the results of the Scorpion family’s dedication to the communities they have served for 95 years.

The nursing shortage in the Rio Grande Valley is prevalent, and with COVID-19, the demand has also exponentially increased around the state, but the Texas Southmost College Associate Degree in Nursing program is gearing up to welcome its third registered nursing cohort to meet this demand.

“Nurses are and always will be needed,” said Beth Kasprisin, TSC Associate Degree in Nursing program director. “Health care is one field where you know you will always be able to find a job. TSC is training the nurses of tomorrow and preparing them to fill the gap in our communities.”

Students in the accredited, two-year nursing program receive training in basic nursing foundations to critical care, in addition to extensive hands-on training in a state-of-the-art lab that resembles a hospital setting and includes lifelike simulation mannequins that represent real-world nursing scenarios.

The goal of the program is to produce well-rounded, highly skilled and compassionate nurses that will make patient care a top priority.

“Our students’ training goes from the classroom and the lab to a hospital setting. The experience they receive before graduating exposes them to the field before they even accept their first job,” said Kasprisin. “This allows them to train in a controlled, safe environment and gain the confidence they need in themselves and their skills.”

TSC ADN student Erika Cantu expects to graduate in December and said when she entered the program, nursing was brand new to her, but now because of her training, she is ready for life as a nurse.

“TSC’s nursing program has given me all of the tools and resources I need to learn the profession,” said Cantu. “The bar is set high for us, but with the support and knowledge from all of instructors and the hands-on training opportunities available to us, I have been able to push through no matter how demanding or challenging it has been.”

Cantu added that she knew from the start that she would find success in this program because of the program’s achievements. In fact, she has already received several job offers.

TSC’s ADN program holds a 90% board exam pass rate and a 100% job placement rate.

“The program’s success rate is one of the main reasons why I chose this particular nursing program,” she said. “The likelihood that I was going to succeed was high, and I was right. All of my dreams of becoming a nurse are now coming true.”

The average starting wage in the Rio Grande Valley for a nurse is $25 an hour, but can increase due to the nursing demand and could include stipends or sign-on bonuses.

Kasprisin said she expects to see enrollment in the nursing program increase and the goal remains steadfast – support the local nursing system by filling in workforce gaps with trained, well-rounded nurses who are passionate and dedicated to improving the health care of the Rio Grande Valley community.

To learn more about the application process, prerequisites and entrance exam, or to apply, call 956-295-3576.

Emanuel Rendon was traveling across the state working at different construction sites, but when he came across the Commercial Roofing Pre-Apprentice program at Texas Southmost College on Facebook, he realized this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

“This was my chance to train for a specific trade,” said the 28-year-old. “I’m now working toward a secure, long-term career. This is exactly what I needed.”

TSC’s Commercial Roofing Pre-Apprentice program was designed and implemented in collaboration with Schwickert’s Tecta America, a leading Midwest roofing and mechanical systems contractor with locations in Minnesota and Kansas, that hires 100% of the program’s graduates.

And much to Rendon’s surprise, who was ready to make the investment in his future, he was awarded a full scholarship for the program by the TSC Foundation.

“I could not believe the kind of investment TSC is making in giving students like me full scholarships,” said Rendon. “This has saved me hundreds of dollars and allowed me to come in strong to do what I have to do to succeed.”

Commercial roofing is an 80-hour, two-week program that gives students like Rendon hands-on experience that prepares them for entry-level roofer positions with Schwickert’s Tecta America.

Students learn skills in building, maintaining and repairing roofs by using a variety of industry-standard tools and materials.

For commercial roofing student Mercedes Ramirez, she is familiar with multiple tools and skills it takes to be a roofer because of her time in TSC’s Industrial Scaffolding program.

Also, from Los Fresnos, the 26-year-old graduated from the scaffolding class in 2020 and went on to work as a scaffolder, but in looking at what skills she could add to her tool belt, she found TSC’s Commercial Roofing Pre-Apprentice program.

“I want to learn as much as I can and have skills that make me marketable out in the industry,” said Ramirez. “TSC’s training can get you to the next level because they don’t only provide programs that lead to jobs, but they lead to careers.”

Like Rendon, Ramirez was also awarded a full scholarship and said she is grateful to TSC for investing in her future.

“I appreciate TSC giving me the money to do something I enjoy,” she said. “And it’s hard to believe that once these two weeks are over, I’ll be on my way to a new career.”

Both Rendon and Ramirez are looking forward to their career opportunity with Schwickert’s Tecta America and plan on working in other states to begin their roofing careers.

“I’m going to be leaving my boy behind. It’ll be hard, but this opportunity is to give him a better life,” said Rendon. “I can’t wait to see where this all leads.”

As for Ramirez, “I’m ready to move on to bigger and better things,” she said. “And while leaving my family is always hard, I know that my success is their success, and this will help them lead better lives too.”

Once hired by Schwickert’s Tecta America, Rendon, Ramirez and their peers can expect a pay range between $18-20 an hour, a full benefits package and relocation assistance.

Both Rendon and Ramirez have the goal of growing with the roofing company, eventually completing the three-year apprentice program and working toward leadership positions.

For more information about TSC’s Commercial Roofing Pre-Apprentice program or to register for the next class in April 2022, visit TSC’s Workforce and Continuing Education or call (956) 295-3724.

Denise Garza is celebrating an achievement that was only a dream for as long as she can remember, and it all became reality during the Texas Southmost College Vocational Nursing pinning ceremony recently hosted on campus.

The 44-year-old said she has grown up loving everything about health and wellness and many in her class were surprised to learn that she is already a licensed medical doctor in Mexico pursuing a second career.

“This is something I have been wanting to do for a while, but I always put it off knowing the demand of a nursing program,” said Garza. “But COVID closed down my clinic in Matamoros temporarily and I found myself with more time, so I went for it.”

At only 17, Garza said her dream of becoming a doctor in the United States was redirected by her father, who didn’t want her to move away for medical school, so she graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas and for 19 years has practiced medical aesthetics and weight management.

With the goal of sitting for her medical board exams to practice medicine in the United States, she felt this was the right time to pursue a nursing degree.

“There is a big difference between medicine in Mexico and the United States, so this was a solid steppingstone for me,” she said. “This year has challenged me in new ways, but it was also an exciting time, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Between COVID-19, a closed clinic in Mexico and a newborn baby, the vocational nursing program was much more demanding for the Brownsville native.

But she explains how this moment in life has defined her future.

“I know that challenges are difficult, but they are not impossible,” said Garza. “If I was able to get through this one year, then I can get through anything.”

So, upon receiving her certification and nursing pin as an official welcome into the profession, she plans on passing her National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) later this year and working in a Rio Grande Valley hospital.

And although her ultimate goal is to complete a medical residency to become a medical doctor in this country, she always has her “Plan B”- becoming a nurse practitioner.

“TSC has given me a new outlook and a newfound confidence,” she said. “TSC’s nursing program has given me every resource I needed to successfully finish, and I’ve been exposed to a lot of new training. I’m thankful for everyone who has crossed my path during this journey and I’m thankful to the instructors who got me through it.”

Garza is one of seven students who completed the Vocational Nursing program this August and were officially welcomed into the profession and honored for their dedication to learning and nursing.

Visit TSC’s Vocational Nursing program for more information.