UTeach Master Teachers
Get to know the UTeach RGV master teachers.
Omar R. Elizondo - Science
Omar Elizondo has over 5 years of teaching for PSJA ISD where he taught Dual Credit Biology 1406 and 1407 at Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School and Sonia Sotomayor Early College High School. He has a passion for science education. He hopes to connect science education in the classroom and online using technology, but also proven pedagogical practices.
Elizabeth Goldberg - Science
Elizabeth Goldberg is a graduate of the UTeach bachelors and masters programs from the University of Texas at Austin. After over 8 years experience teaching high school biology, chemistry, physics, and AP Physics I in both Austin and McAllen, Texas, she was thrilled to become a Master Science Teacher at UTeach UTRGV . It is her goal to train the next generation of UTeach graduates to become innovators in inquiry-based education.
Anna Gonzalez - Mathematics
Anna Gonzalez is on a mission to increase the number of qualified math and science teachers in the secondary schools. UTeach focuses exclusively on STEM teaching and emphasizes inquiry and project-based instruction. There is a significant population of talented undergraduate STEM majors who do not yet know that they want to become teachers. Because of their love for math and science, they have the potential to be great teachers. UTeach is designed to help them discover and then realize that potential.
Pamela Groves - Science
Pamela Groves has experience teaching nearly every science subject from 6th through 12th grade. Her goal is to instill a passion for teaching science in her students while focusing on sound pedagogy. Mrs. Groves has over 10 years experience in education at Harlingen CISD – Secondary Alternative Center, Coakley Middle School, Dr. Abraham P. Cano 9th Grade Academy
Patricia Mendiola - Mathematics
An educator that has served in south Texas as a mathematics teacher, campus administrator, and central office administrator for many years. She strongly believes that the role of an effective teacher is to guide students to discover mathematics concepts for themselves and to help students see how the concepts can be applied to their lives. The knowledge and skills learned over a lifetime are being used to help prepare the next generation of mathematics teachers through the UTeach program.
Tim Sears - Science
Tim Sears is a founding faculty member of the UTeach RGV Program and has taught or supported UTeach Step 1, Step 2, Knowing and Learning, Classroom Interactions, Project-Based Instruction, and Apprentice Teaching courses. He moved to the Rio Grande Valley as a Teach For America corps member and worked in the nearby Weslaco Independent School District as a high school science teacher and then as a district-level administrator for secondary science and Advanced Placement® programs. He was campus Teacher of the Year and collaborated district-wide to improve science programs, obtain grants, form local partnerships, and develop a student research program that led to awards at state and international science fair competitions. Mr. Sears believes that UTeach graduates should have a deep understanding of the content they teach, apply inquiry approaches to engage students, and use a range of strategies to assess and improve their students' learning.
Stacy Solis - Science
I taught in the Edinburg school district for 14 years. After resigning from the district, I worked as a science education consultant throughout the Rio Grande Valley. As a consultant, I wrote science curriculum, conducted science workshops, and worked with schools and districts to improve their science program and instruction. As a UTeach Master Teacher, my goal is to assist future teachers to become skilled at creating and delivering inquiry-based lessons.
Liliana Trevino - Mathematics
Liliana Trevino holds a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics and a Masters Degree in Mathematics with an Emphasis in Education. She taught High School math at San Benito CISD for 7 years. Some of the course she taught are: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Dual College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus. As a Master Teacher of the UTRGV UTeach Program she has helped, guided and supported math majors to pursue the dream of becoming Mathematics Educators. One of her areas of expertise is the implementation of the TI-Navigator in the mathematics classroom as a tool to implement inquiry-based lessons and student engagement.
Gustavo Valencia - Mathematics
As a Master Teacher of the UTeach RGV Program from its inception, Gustavo Valencia has mentored many pre-service teachers and assisted in its formation. He has 16 years of math secondary teaching experience, 5 years as a Master Teacher, and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mathematics. Mr. Valencia has over 16 years teaching experience in Harlingen ISD teaching Algebra I and II, Geometry, College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus.