By Maria Gonzalez

EDINBURG, TEXAS – MAY 14, 2025 — Brenda and Luis Bocanegra have done nearly everything together:  building a life, raising their three children and now earning their doctoral degrees from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

On Friday, May 16, the married couple from Sullivan City and Palmview will cross the stage together to receive their Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of Education and P-16 Integration, marking the end of a five-year journey they began side by side.

“We started together, and we said we were going to finish together,” Luis said.

Their story began long before their doctoral studies. Both earned their bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UTRGV’s legacy institution, The University of Texas-Pan American. Now, with their doctoral degrees complete, they hope to inspire their children and the community they serve.

“For us, it was never a question of whether one of us would do it. We knew from the start that this was something we wanted to accomplish together,” Brenda said.

As educators in the Rio Grande Valley, Luis serves as the principal at Jimmy Carter Early College High School at La Joya ISD, while Brenda works as a bilingual/ESL strategist for Mission CISD. Balancing their full-time jobs, parenting their three children – Aidan, Leila and Lilian – and managing coursework, they often sat side by side at the park while their children played, each focused on their chapters and research. 

Brenda and Luis Bocanegra at their 2013 master’s graduation in Educational Leadership from UTRGV's legacy institution – The University of Texas-Pan American. (Courtesy photo)

Their journey wasn’t without challenges. They faced personal loss, including the passing of Brenda’s father, Jesús Garza; her grandfather, Abundio Mendiola; and her grandmother, Rosalinda Mendiola, at pivotal points in the program. 

“There were moments when it felt like staying strong wasn’t an option,” Brenda said. “But we kept going. We did it because we had each other.” 

They began the program in 2020, amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Navigating remote learning, social distancing and the accompanying isolation added to the challenges of doctoral work. Brenda loss early in the program could have easily derailed their progress, but they leaned on each other and their shared commitment to finish. 

“We told ourselves from the start that time was going to pass anyway, so it mattered what we did with that time,” Luis said. “We chose to make that time count, even when it was hard.” 

Throughout their journey, they found strength not only in each other but in the example, they were setting for their children. They recalled late nights in their home office, with their son Aidan learning to tiptoe quietly and their twin daughters, Leila and Lilian, growing up witnessing their parents tackle every challenge together. 

The Bocanegra family celebrates their academic milestone together. From left to right: Luis Bocanegra with daughter Lilian, son Aidan, and Brenda Bocanegra with daughter Leila. (Photo by Jesús Alférez)

“We always told them, this is our time to study,” Luis said. “But it was also family time because we were doing it together, all of us.” 

Brenda’s dissertation, “Finished!: How Newcomer Students Leveraged Family, Culture and Community to Complete a University Degree,” explores how students use their cultural and familial strengths to succeed in higher education. Luis’s dissertation, “¿Puedo Decirlo en Español?: Teacher Views on Utilizing Translanguaging Pedagogies to Bridge the Language Gap in Secondary Classrooms,” focuses on language equity in the classroom.

Both emphasize that their work is rooted in their own lived experiences and their commitment to bilingual education in the Valley. Luis, a former migrant student and first-generation college graduate, credits his mother, Rosa Aurora Vela, for setting an early example.

“My mom showed me what hard work looks like,” he said. “She taught me to value every opportunity. Education is the one thing no one can take from you. With that power comes the responsibility to give back.”

As they look to the future, they hope to continue serving the community – individually and as a team – through advocacy, policy or future collaborations.

“We’ve talked about one day working together on projects to support bilingual educators and students,” Brenda said. “Even though we went through this program together, we each bring different strengths to the table.” 

Brenda and Luis Bocanegra proudly display their class rings, celebrating the achievement they reached together as husband and wife. (Photo by Jesús Alférez)

For the Bocanegras, walking the stage together isn’t just the end of a journey; it’s the continuation of a shared commitment to education, family and community.

“I did this because I had you,” Brenda told Luis, holding back tears. “I completed this because you’ve always seen something in me that I didn’t always see in myself.”

Their greatest hope is that their children – who watched their parents defend their dissertations and now prepare to graduate together – carry this lesson with them: that nothing is impossible when you have support, perseverance and the courage to keep going.

“We want our children to see that when you set your mind to something, and when you have the right partner by your side, anything is possible,” Luis said.