Engineering as a family

By Karen Villarreal

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JULY 8, 2026 – A UTRGV civil engineering summer camp has become a true family affair for one Brownsville educator.

Julietta Garcia Ramirez, an architecture design and civil engineering teacher at Brownsville ISD’s Hanna Early College High School, was a guest speaker at the Summer Transportation Camp, a two-and-a-half-week program hosted by UTRGV in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The camp focuses on inspiring future civil engineering professionals by connecting local students with industry experts.

Ramirez spoke to students about cultivating a scientific mindset driven by curiosity, and she taught campers how to use AutoCAD, an industry-standard computer-aided design software. Campers then put those skills to work, using the program to design a functional street intersection.

Dr. Thuy Vu, associate chair of the UTRGV Department of Civil Engineering, invited Brownsville high school educator Julietta Garcia Ramirez to the first Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s Summer Transportation Camp in 2025. Ramirez, an architecture design and civil engineering teacher, encouraged her son to attend last year, and when she returned in 2026, her daughter participated as a camper. (UTRGV Photo by Karen Villarreal)

“Engineers are here to serve, so hopefully, the students take what TxDOT and UTRGV have given them with these programs and later give back to the community,” Ramirez said. “I'm also very grateful for this opportunity to grow as a professional. I'm networking and learning about all the new innovations that are out there, which I can take back to my high school students.”

Ramirez first became involved with the camp in 2025 after her oldest son enrolled. She was invited to return this year as a speaker by camp organizer Dr. Thuy Vu, associate chair of the UTRGV Department of Civil Engineering, while her 14-year-old daughter Katia participated as a camper.

Approximately 24 students from nine regional school districts learned about safety, construction, logistics and supply chains related to roadways, bridges, airports and seaports. Hands-on activities included building model rollercoasters, constructing rail cars propelled by mousetraps and coding self-driving vehicles to explore artificial intelligence applications in transportation.

Ramirez taught campers how to use AutoCAD, an industry-standard computer-aided design drafting software, and supervised other hands-on activities, like building a model rollercoaster and rail cars propelled by mousetraps. (UTRGV Photo by Karen Villarreal)

“It’s a great opportunity for students in the Rio Grande Valley to prepare to be future successful civil engineers,” Vu said. “Students get to work in the best labs in the College of Engineering, and we take them on field trips to the Port of Brownsville, SpaceX, the McAllen Airport and the TxDOT office in Pharr.” 

ENGINEERS IN THE FAMILY

Last summer, Ramirez encouraged her oldest son, David, then an incoming junior at the UTRGV Math and Science Academy, to register for the camp.

“His dad's a civil engineer and I'm in the architecture field, so I suggested he explore all those areas,” Ramirez said. “That is the whole purpose of this program — to see if engineering is in their future.”

Katia Ramirez said the camp presented a new way to combine two of her interests: engineering and oceanology. (UTRGV Photo by Karen Villarreal)

David said the camp’s hands-on projects and site visits reinforced his interest in machinery. Though he ultimately chose to pursue mechanical engineering at UTRGV, the summer experience was so impactful that his younger sister, Katia, jumped at the chance to sign up for the 2026 camp.

Katia said the camp presented a new way to combine her interests in engineering and oceanology.

“They’re very different, but there were presentations that opened my eyes to how I could work in environmental studies with ocean engineers to build bridges and other underwater structures,” she said. “I feel more secure in my career direction because of this camp.”

The engineering pipeline doesn’t stop there. David and Katia's 12-year-old brother has already asked to attend the camp as soon as he is old enough.

All three siblings attended the closing ceremony, where families celebrated the students as they received certificates of completion. 

“I am marketing engineering pretty well in my family,” Ramirez said.

To learn more about summer camps at UTRGV, visit www.utrgv.edu/youthprograms.