Engaging Our Community by the Thousands
When it comes to exposing students in the Rio Grande Valley to career pathways through the avenue of education, the Office of Community Relations works tirelessly to coordinate programs that leave students feeling empowered to pursue their dreams. Under the direction of Assistant Vice President for Community Programs and Operations, Velinda Reyes, the department works with local and national partners to facilitate programs that positively impact the lives of thousands of students.
HESTEC (Hispanic Engineering, Science & Technology) Program, Oct. 4-10, 2015
This weeklong conference focused on the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields has earned national attention. Every year, we work in collaboration with HESTEC co-founder, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. In 2015, HESTEC attracted over 50,000 students, educators, guest speakers, entertainers, partnering agency representatives and community members to UTRGV. Over 30 news outlets covered the week and nearly 90,000 individuals engaged via social media. With more than 45 corporate and federal partners, the program became a “Bright Spot in Hispanic Education” under the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and won a Silver Award for “Institution-Wide Branding Program” from CASE Southwest District IV.
Latino in America, Oct. 5, 2015
A national tour that showcases panels focused on pertinent issues facing Latinos in the U.S., this one night event at UTRGV featured journalist Soledad O’Brien, brought approximately 1,000 students and community members to campus and engaged 500 viewers online.
2016 Regional Science Bowl, Feb. 6, 2016
Hosted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, this game-show-style quiz competition invited 20 middle school teams and 20 high school teams from throughout South Texas, reaching as far as Corpus Christi and Brownsville. A total of 200 students, 100 volunteers, 23 UTRGV faculty members, and numerous UTRGV students participated in the competition.
2016 RGV Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Feb. 12-13, 2016
Competitors were invited from across the RGV, including 66 schools from 13 school districts. With approximately 200 volunteers and NASA experts who assisted with judging, 1,451 high school seniors and 1,485 middle school students presented their projects to vie for the chance to advance to state and national competitions.
UTRGV Charreada, Feb. 25, 2016
To honor a nearly 80-year-old Brownsville tradition known as Charro Days, UTRGV celebrated its first-ever Charreada, recognizing the long-standing friendship between border cities, Brownsville and Matamoros. UTRGV welcomed Charro Days honoree, “Mr. Amigo” Itatí Cantoral to the Brownsville campus and celebrated with hundreds of community members.
FESTIBA (Festival of International Books and Arts), Feb. 29 – March 6, 2016
The weeklong program that promotes literacy and the arts hosted 85 events, welcoming over 11,000 students, educators, partners and community members to campus. Over 3,500 engaged in FESTIBA via social media as well.
TIES (Together in Educational Success) Apr. 8, 2016
With a new educational focus each year, TIES 2016 bought 300 male students and their fathers from 20 RGV high schools to UTRGV’s Edinburg campus for an afternoon of male empowerment and informative interactive panels focused on career pathways in criminal justice.
Don’t miss out on the Texas Main Street Program 2016 First Lady’s Tour featuring Cecilia Abbott. Hosted by the City of Brownsville and the Texas Historical Commission, the event is scheduled for May 6, 2016. For more information, call our office at 956/665-3361.
The Office of Community Relations always welcomes volunteers and supporters for its year-round programs! For volunteer opportunities, contact Program Coordinator Karen Dorado at Karen.Dorado@UTRGV.edu. Or if you are interested in supporting any of our programs through sponsorships, contact AVP Velinda Reyes at Velinda.Reyes@UTRGV.edu.