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.

The tree lighting ceremony at TSC is an annual tradition that brings the community together to kick off the holiday season.

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.

TSC hosts the Binational Literary Conference every year and it includes panels and discussions with well-known local, state and national authors.

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.

The Texas Southmost College Men’s Soccer Club qualified for the NIRSA Region IV Super Regional Soccer Championships for the second consecutive season. The Scorpions will compete in the tournament Oct. 28-31 in Lubbock, Texas.

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.

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.

TSC was founded in 1926 and sits on the historic land of Fort Brown and this year, TSC is celebrating its 95th anniversary.