Dr. Alejos Salazar Jr., superintendent of Lasara Independent School District and a proud graduate of Texas Southmost College (TSC), took a non-traditional path to educational leadership.
Salazar, a 1989 graduate of La Villa High School, was already a husband and father when he began taking evening classes at TSC in the mid-1990s. During this period, he worked as a teacher’s aide and bus driver for the South Texas Independent School District, carefully balancing his professional responsibilities, education, and family life.
“Being 24 years old and already having children, I wanted to be able to provide more for them,” Salazar said. “To be able to give them the life I thought they deserved—and that my wife and I deserved. As tired as I was, there was always the motivation to continue to move forward.”
Many of Salazar’s classmates in his evening classes also worked during the day
“I didn’t feel out of place at all,” he said. “When you have a certain level of comfort, it allows you to work that much better. That made a huge difference. I tell people, UTB/TSC (University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College) was the place for me.”
Salazar graduated from UTB/TSC in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in government and political science. He recalls that some of his most meaningful learning experiences took place outside the classroom. As a student, he was invited to dinners hosted by political science professor Dr. Norman Binder, where he had the opportunity to interact with local politicians.
“I don’t know if I would have been able to do that at 18 or 19,” said Salazar. “At 25 to 28, it was easy for him to entrust me with a lot of things and to learn how to mingle and communicate. That was an education. I don’t think I would have that experience anywhere else if not for Texas Southmost College.”
After graduating from UTB/TSC, Salazar was accepted into several law schools. At the time, he was the father of three children and chose to forgo law school to remain close to home and help raise his family. Instead, he took a position as a permanent substitute teacher. In 1999, he secured his first full teaching role with the Santa Maria Independent School District.
“My dad was a school administrator,” Salazar said. “He had always instilled in my sisters and me that if you’re going to do something, try to be the best or rise to the top in whatever you’re doing.”
Motivated by his father’s philosophy, Salazar continued advancing his education while building his career. He earned a master’s degree and moved into administrative roles across several school districts in the Rio Grande Valley. Committed to lifelong learning, he later enrolled in the Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas, ultimately earning his doctoral degree in 2019.
“To be able to go to what at one point is the number one program in the nation, I’m very proud of that,” Salazar said emotionally. “It makes my heart happy.”
The Lasara ISD superintendent takes pride in providing students with the opportunity to earn a college degree.
“What happens when you’re doing physical labor and your body can no longer do that?” said Salazar. “It’s of utmost importance that our kids have the educational background and cognitive ability to say, at that point, ‘I’m transitioning to management or the executive office. I’ve done the work, but I’m also capable of leading the work.’”
Salazar also emphasizes the need to advocate for his students beyond the classroom. In 2025, he spoke to policymakers at the Capitol, highlighting urgent concerns about school funding and how it affects educational equity across communities.
“That’s important to me,” Salazar said. “Whether you agree or disagree with school vouchers, the fact is: Are you willing to make the effort and go to speak on behalf of those who you represent? Are you willing to go and defend, or be the voice, for those who do not have a voice?”
Salazar remembers how his time as a student at TSC helped prepare him to become an educational leader.
“I found that voice at TSC,” he said. “Dr. Binder and Dr. John Robey allowed us to go to meet with all those politicians and people, and for them to sit and value what we had to say. To this day, I use that experience to be able to advocate for my kids and my community.”
