EDINBURG, RGV – The most recent efforts to create a college-going culture in the Rio Grande Valley came under the spotlight at the 10th Annual South Texas College Summit on College and Career Readiness.
The event took place at the Region One Educational Service Center on Monday, February 23.
“The Summit provides an opportunity for higher education, public school districts, the business community, and community leaders to align the strengths of their respective organizations to work collaboratively on improving the college readiness of all high school graduates as well as prepare them for their successful journey towards college completion and meaningful careers,” said South Texas College President Shirley Reed.
Sarita E. Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, was due to give a speech entitled “What Works for Latino Students, Works for Texas and for America.” However, Brown was unable to attend due to inclement weather forcing the cancellation of airline flights. Deputizing for Brown was Chris Coxon, chief program officer for Educate Texas.
“If we, in the Rio Grande Valley and the entire State of Texas, are going to meet the completion challenge, we must continue to strengthen our educational pathways,” Reed wrote, in an introductory letter. “It is important that our students experience a seamless transition from one segment of education to another. By working together, we can positively impact the lives of families in our communities by transforming our region into a college-going culture whereby attending and completing higher education is expected for all.”
Reed said that accepting this “fundamental initiative” means higher education, public school districts, and the business community must make a commitment to “work together to tackle the challenges before us in ways we have never done before.”
Editor’s Note: The Rio Grande Guardian will be featuring interviews with Dr. Shirley Reed, John Fitzpatrick, executive director of Educate Texas, and Luzelma Canales, executive director of RGV FOCUS in future editions.
