HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH


  Friday, September 16, 2022
  Awards and Recognitions

By Victoria Brito Morales

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – On Sept. 15, the eve of Hispanic Heritage Month, a large crowd gathered at UTRGV’s Brownsville Campus to celebrate the life and career of Dr. Juliet García, former longtime president of UT Brownsville and the first Hispanic woman to lead a university. 

García is a recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of 17 people awarded the honor in July by President Joe Biden, along with actor Denzel Washington and Olympians Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe.  

The reception event was held at the UTRGV PlainsCapital Bank El Gran Salón – a short walking distance from what had been García’s office as the president of UT Brownsville who helped create the new university called UTRGV.  

Dr. Juliet V. García received The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden on July 7 at the White House. She was presented the national honor for her accomplishments in higher education in South Texas and across the nation.
Dr. Juliet V. García received The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden on July 7 at the White House. She was presented the national honor for her accomplishments in higher education in South Texas and across the nation. (UTRGV Photo)

The evening was not only a celebration of García, but also a testament to her impact on thousands of lives in the Rio Grande Valley. 

UTRGV President Guy Bailey said he has attended many events, but never one as prestigious as celebrating a Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree.  

“Many of you worked for her for a long time,” he said. “I bet you never thought this would happen, but I’ll bet when you heard about it you thought, ‘If anyone deserves it, she does’ Did any of you think that?” 

The crowd unanimously applauded Bailey’s remark. 

Bailey said García has one undeniable legacy – decades of work, resilience and dedication she placed in the creation of the Brownsville Campus.  

“There are a lot of things I could say, but if you simply go to Brownsville and you walk the campus, you will understand who she is, what she is about, what she’s done,” he said. “The work you did is with us every day, and we appreciate that,” he said, addressing García directly. “You continue to inspire and support us, and we see your footprint here every day.” 

García, now a professor of Communication at UTRGV, was presented with a video message from friends, family and former and current colleges, including Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, who was chancellor of the UT System during the transition from UT Brownsville to UTRGV.  

“Every person in those films, and all of you here, and many others who are not here, have been part of the journey and it was that, and it continues to be every day at this university. It is in desarrollo (transition),” he said. 

UTRGV President Guy Bailey congratulates Dr. Juliet V. García before she takes the stage at the reception held in her honor on Thursday evening.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey congratulates Dr. Juliet V. García before she takes the stage at the reception held in her honor on Thursday evening. (UTRGV Photo by David Pike)

García further translated desarrollo as a strong Spanish word describing a young adolescent in that moment of uncertainty, of being unsure what they will be, but knowing they will be great. 

“We are in our desarrollo,” she agreed. “We dreamed of having UT here, we dreamed of having a medical school. Many of you here fought so hard for so long. And there were so many stopping points and pauses along the way, every one of them necessary to make the next one work.” 

If she had to do it all again, she said, she would. 

“Of course, a chance to impact your own home, for people who really care,” she said. “Everything we did was built because there were hundreds of people at any one time wanting to establish what we did and knowing it was important.” 

At the celebration, García also received state recognition from former Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., and a special gift from the Office of Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15). A representative from the office presented her with a U.S. flag that has flown over the U.S. Capitol. 

Dr. Juliet V. García was presented with tokens of appreciation from former Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. during a celebration in her honor on Thursday at the UTRGV Brownsville Campus.
Dr. Juliet V. García was presented with tokens of appreciation from former Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. during a celebration in her honor on Thursday at the UTRGV Brownsville Campus. (UTRGV Photo by David Pike)



ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.