Tech Prep Students Get Real World Experience
Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Joanna Dragustinovis intends to become a chef, and Tech Prep RGV is helping her reach that goal. The Santa Maria High School junior spent a morning working in the kitchen at Magnolia Grill under the supervision of sous-chef Joe Flores, during Tech Prep's job shadowing program. Hours spent slicing carrots and zucchinis and dicing fruits only whetted Joanna's appetite for learning more.

“I like seeing the variety of work they do here. I like cutting vegetables. I just like being here,” said Dragustinovis, with a big smile. She had never been in a professional kitchen before, although she has been cooking since she was nine. She loves preparing meals at home and typically cooks two turkeys with all the trimmings every Thanksgiving.

Chef Flores started Joanna on the basics of sanitation: donning a hair net and scrubbing with soap to the elbows before handling food. During her senior year in Santa Maria, her courses will include a Tech Prep class in computers as well as Homemaking. Joanna hopes to attend the Art Institute of Houston's four year Culinary Arts Program.

Joanna Dragustinovis found additional motivation toward her goal of becoming a chef while participating in Tech Prep's Job Shadowing program at the Magnolia Grill

Cristina Gomez spent her Tech Prep job shadowing time in the pharmacy of Su Clinica Familiar. It was the first time she had been in the working area of a pharmacy, and her hours working with the pharmacist and pharmacy technicians reinforced her interest in the field.

“They have been telling me about the medications and what they do,” Cristina said. The Santa Maria High School junior is very interested in becoming a pharmacy tech and eventually a pharmacist. Her Tech Prep classes such as Chemistry, IPC Biology and Physics have laid the foundation for the young woman to continue her education in the field. She is eager to return to the pharmacy as a volunteer and be immersed in the world she hopes to work in.

Monica Solis, Su Clinica Familiar's Volunteer Coordinator, extended an invitation to the seven Tech Prep job shadowing students at the clinic to volunteer during the summer. She mentioned that colleges like to see students who are going into healthcare professions accumulate at least 100 volunteer hours.




La Feria High School student Priscilla Perez shadowed Su Clinica phlebotomist and lab tech Maggie Hernandez. As Hernandez drew blood from a patient, she described each step she was taking to the Tech Prep student, beginning with identifying the patient by name and date of birth. Priscilla watched intently as Hernandez described how to find a vein which differs depends on the patient's age and health. Blood and needles didn't faze Priscilla Perez one bit. “It just seems right, helping people,” she explained. She will be taking additional science classes to be prepared to attend phlebotomy school after she graduates.


Tech Prep student Priscilla Perez, who intends to become a phlebotomist, observes and assists Su Clinica Familiar phlebotomist Maggie Hernandez as she draws blood from a patient. Perez and six other Tech Prep students spent a morning job shadowing healthcare professionals at Su Clinica in Harlingen


Other Tech Prep students had their motivation boosted by their time “on the job.” Valerie Barrientos, intent on becoming a pediatrician, said her time spent in Su Clinica's pediatric department was exciting. At United Launch Alliance and KGBT TV-4, Tech Prep job shadowing introduced students to their future, the future they can have if they continue their education. Technical fields generally offer well-paying jobs with a high demand for trained employees. Currently over 16,000 Valley students are in Tech Prep programs.

For more information on Tech Prep call 956-364-4548.

Mentoring Program Training Offered on 8/9/07
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Does your organization want to begin a mentoring program or make an existing program even better? If your answer is “Yes,” then this workshop is for YOU! Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley has an AmeriCorps planning grant from the Texas OneStar Foundation and is working to enhance its own mentoring programs. We invite you to join us there!!


WORKSHOP TITLE: Elements of Effective Practice

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
 This workshop designed to teach each participant how to start or strengthen a mentoring program.
 The workshop utilizes curriculum based on the National Mentoring Partnership's How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice Toolkit.
 Each participant will receive a personal copy of the National Mentoring Partnership toolkit.

WORKSHOP DETAILS:
DATE: Tuesday, August 7, 2007
TIME: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Harlingen Public Library, 410 ’76 Drive, Harlingen, Texas*
HOST: Texas OneStar Foundation, Austin, Texas
COST: No registration fee; however, PLEASE PREREGISTER!

TO REGISTER:

1. Email Eliza Groff at Tech Prep RGV’s offices to let her know you’ll be there: eliza.groff@techpreprgv.com; or call the Tech Prep RGV offices.

2. Then complete the registration form at this link:
http://www.onestarfoundation.org/Elements_Training_2007 ... be sure to select the Harlingen session!

QUESTIONS? Call the Tech Prep RGV offices at 956.364.4509 or 1.800.852.8784 ext. 4509

Getting a Head Start on a Career in Health Care
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

“If it weren’t for Tech Prep, I wouldn’t be working here,” says Carely Soto, outside the patient education room at Rio Grande State Center. “It’s hard to get hired for a job like this without experience.”

The 2007 graduate of Santa Maria High School is a Tech Prep summer intern at the health clinic where she is getting a hands-on look at healthcare...and her future. “I’ve learned a lot of new things. I know I want to pursue a nursing career. I really enjoy working here.”

Carely has learned to take a patient’s weight and blood pressure, enter data into medical records and assist the diabetes educator. She particularly enjoys her work with the diabetes educator who teaches patients how to follow the proper steps in checking insulin levels and staying healthy, and how to hygienically inject insulin. Carely listens in on the sessions and assembles health products for each patient’s training.

Carely Soto is headed to the University of Texas Pan Am in August where she first will meet the prerequisites for acceptance into the B.S. in Nursing (R.N.) program. She is aiming to land a healthcare position through the UTPA work study program. That away, by the time she graduates, she will have considerable experience in healthcare. It will all come on top of her Tech Prep internship which gave Carely her first real-world opportunity to explore her life’s work.

Carely Soto finds it particularly helpful to work with a patient's diabetes training

Bertha Sauceda Loves Environment at the Rio Grande State Center
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Bertha Sauceda drew blood from a patient at Rio Grande State Center using a recently-learned skill. “I love this environment,” says the Tech Prep summer intern who is a recent graduate of Santa Rosa High School. She plans to become an R.N., taking her basics this fall at TSTC.


Bertha’s work at RGSC has definitely reinforced her excitement about becoming a nurse, thanks in part to the continuous support she receives from the staff. They even let her practice drawing blood from them. “Every person answers my questions. They are all friendly and helpful. I love the fact I’m meeting new people every day,” Bertha says.

When she was assigned to work with medical technologist/phlebotomist Elizama Villarreal, Bertha thought she wouldn’t like taking blood. She surprised herself and credits Villarreal for teaching her so well and being a very good mentor. “I’ve told them if they need someone to work here, I’ll come back.”

Bertha’s job experience as a Tech Prep intern opened the door for her to be hired for an entry-level healthcare position at Valley Baptist Medical Center. “They gave me the job because I’ve been working here.”

Bertha Sauceda practices drawing blood

San Benito Graduate Gets Taste of Psychology Career
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Since Laura Adame plans to become a psychologist, her Tech Prep summer internship working with mental health patients has been stimulating experience. The 2007 San Benito High School graduate is spending two months interning at Rio Grande State Center, assisting staff with mentally ill patients.

“So far, I like it. I like starting to understand how minds work differently,” Laura says. The Rio Grande State Center staff allows Laura to sit in on patient interviews and have her assist them during sessions on grooming and arts and crafts. She has learned much, she says, by observing how the staff deals with patients through verbal reinforcement.

“This is a nice opportunity working at Rio Grande State Center.” Laura says. “I would like to establish my own psychology practice someday,” acknowledging that dream would require a Ph.D. “I would be able to work here, at Rio Grande State Center with a Masters.’

Laura Adame will be entering the University of Texas-Brownsville this year to major in psychology. That’s a change from her earlier plans. But one year in San Benito High School’s Certified Nurse’s Aid program, with clinicals at Valley Baptist Medical Center, helped convince Laura that she did not want to go into nursing. She realizes it was better–and less expensive-- to learn that fact in the Tech Prep program high school rather than to begin college courses aiming for a nursing career. The knowledge she gained in Tech Prep healthcare courses will serve as a foundation for future health classes.

Diane Delgado, Volunteer Coordinator at Rio Grande State Center, takes a moment with Tech Prep Intern Laura Adame of San Benito

Amy Ochoa Interns at Rio Grande Pharmacy
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Working at Rio Grande Pharmacy is not Amy Ochoa’s first job. But as a Tech Prep intern at the pharmacy, she is excited about working in a field she enjoys. “The difference is doing what interests me,” Amy said. “I want to be here doing this. It’s not just a job. You learn new things every day.”

Amy attended Keys Academy and will start at TSTC in the fall semester taking basic courses with the goal of becoming a pharmacy technician. She is in the Tech Prep First Generation Program and plans to go on to UTB, greatly influenced by her internship and her co-workers at the pharmacy.

“They are always teaching. They let me be very hands-on and not just doing the same thing. I want a career that keeps me active not just sitting down.” Amy said that having a career in a field that interests you makes you more productive and happier. “Everything is better.”

Amy is excited about working in a field she loves.

Enrique Casas Will Major in Electrical Engineering at UTSA
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Enrique Casas is headed to University of Texas San Antonio this fall to major in Electrical Engineering. Before then, he’s getting hands-on experience as a Tech Prep summer intern working in the Information Management (computers) department of Su Clinica Familiar.

That means he works with the professional staff fixing computer hardware and software problems, going with them on calls to trouble shoot why printers don’t work and solve compatibility issues of new software.

“I was expecting this: a lot of work,” said the San Benito High School graduate, at work in the public health clinic’s pharmacy. What did surprise him is how chaotic and immediate the work place is. “People need to get their work done,” he said, so the computer experts can’t delay solving problems. “You really meet a lot of different people here and see different set-ups.”

Enrique took two years of Computer Assisted Drafting, Tech Prep courses, at San Benito.

Enrique is trouble shooting with the Information Management Department of Su Clinica

Kate Alvarez Interns at Su Clinica Familiar
Friday, July 13, 2007

Kate Alvarez planned to become an R.N., but during her Tech Prep summer internship at Su Clinica Familiar she fell in love with the field of nutrition. “Now I get up in the the morning excited about coming to work,” said the Rio Hondo High School senior.

Kate began her internship in early June, rotating through the Clinica’s internal medicine and pediatrics departments helping with clerical tasks. When she got to the patient education division, she prepared and read nutrition information packets and also sat in on patient nutrition counseling sessions.

Suddenly her future changed direction. “It opened my eyes a whole lot,” she noted, seeing nutrition staff working with diabetic, pediatric and pregnant patients. Although Kate had taken a food science class in school, nutrition didn’t snare her interest until she saw the real world application of the knowledge.

“There’s a lot of different job opportunities for a dietician,” Kate explained. She is impressed by the Su Clinca nurses who are mentoring her and talking with her about career paths.

When Kate graduates from Rio Hondo H.S. next spring, she expects to have earned 18 college credit hours as a Tech Prep student. Those hours will save her and her family a semester’s worth of tuition fees and time when she enrolls in UT Pan Am.

Through rotations, Kate found the field of nutrition of special interest to her.

Manufacturing Students Visit Tri-Pak
Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Not your Parents’ Summer Camp: Tech Prep Offers Real World Exposure

When 17 Valley high school students in Tech Prep’s Manufacturing Summer Camp signed up for the month-long camp, they didn’t expect to learn that a bowling ball is a good substitute for a watermelon.

The summer camp, designed to increase students’ interest and motivation for pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), combines classroom and lab experiences with trips to Valley manufacturing plants. It was on a tour of Tri-Pak, a Harlingen fabricator of produce-packaging equipment, that the company’s co-owner James Fitzgerald hefted a bowling bowl and told them to think of it as a watermelon. The students and their instructors were standing at a conveyor line the company was making that would electronically weigh, size, count and sort watermelons to a customer’s specifications. Instead of keeping a supply of watermelons on hand while working the bugs out of the system, Tri-Pak uses a bowling ball.

Problem solving is a necessary talent for manufacturing, the students from Harlingen and Edinburg learned at Tri-Pak. Beginning in the engineering and design department, Fitzgerald said Tri-Pak has to determine what problem the customer needs solved and how to do it. The Tech Prep students understood what Computer Assisted Design (CAD) programs do, having practiced using them during the first week of camp.

But the opportunity to be on the manufacturing floor was the experience the teens had looked forward to. For Migdalia Banda, a senior at Harlingen High South, the summer camp trip to Tri-Pak was her fist exposure to manufacturing, and she liked it. “I like working with my hands,” she said, and wondered if summer camp’s exposure to manufacturing might deflect her interests away from civil engineering.

Fitzgerald introduced the students to a ShopBot, a compact robot which completes in two hours a task that formerly took a full day on a drill press. “This is pretty incredible, more than I thought it would be,” said Daniel Macias, Edinburg Career Center senior, after his brief immersion in the real world of manufacturing. With other students he watched a machine that was probably twice his age shave a shaft down to specifications. Fitzgerald said mechanical equipment in the sheet metal shop may be very old, but it is both accurate and affordable. Technological components have been piggy-backed onto several pieces of equipment to improve their efficiency.

“It’s really awesome,” says Eric Martinez, who hopes to become either an engineer or a game designer, as he watched slivers of metal being milled off a shaft. Summer camp has enabled him to practice programming a mill.”

“I’ll find my calling in engineering. It’s in my blood,” says summer camper Austin Fitzgerald, whose family owns Tri-Pak.” I like the hands-on side. In engineering things are always changing.”

“It’s exciting for us to have kids from the classroom, ”James Fitzgerald said. “There are not a lot of young people coming into the industry.” That’s why the Tech Prep partnership includes local businesses. They report on their high-skilled, well paid jobs that will need to be filled by young employees. That influences the Tech Prep courses and the career paths recommended for students, giving them a goal to work for. When young adults land good jobs in the region, that impacts the Valley’s economy.

In fact, manufacturers are creating goods, while Tech Prep is helping skilled young adults create satisfying futures.

Students from the Manufacturing Summer Camp visit Tri-Pak of Harlingen

Student Interns Acquire Skills Through First Generation Project
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Maybe Eusebio Gonzalez will become an architect. His summer internship at Draft Tech Design through Tech Prep’s First Generation Project is going to provide an immersion in drafting and will influence his career choice.

During Eusebio’s first week he began learning the basics of the computer program AutoCad and practicing how to design building foundations. Draft Tech owner Javier Martinez, a certified designer, said he wanted to familiarize Eusebio with designing foundations and electrical plans in hopes the Santa Rosa High School senior will go into the business.

“We need the help and we need employees,” Martinez said. “If he’s interested he can take a class in drafting in his senior year. Then we can get him back here when he graduates.” Martinez said classes and experience in drafting can give the Tech Prep student employment in the Valley or can be used as a stepping stone to other jobs or further education.

So far, Eusebio is interested. He grew up with a carpenter uncle who carried rolled-up building plans which Eusebio couldn’t figure out. During the internship, he is figuring them out and practicing a skill. And something else. “It’s fun,” Eusebio
said.

Eusebio Gonzalez interns with Draft Tech Design at TSTC





On her third day as receptionist at Century 21-Johnston Company, Elma Olivarez was on her own, handling a steady stream of phone calls and visitors with professional calm. The 2007 graduate of Santa Rosa High School is a summer intern through Tech Prep’s First Generation Project.

Elma is gaining valuable work experience as she gets ready to enter TSTC to major in business administration and perhaps prepare for a career in accounting. “Accounting seems really interesting and really hard, too,” Elma says between incoming phone calls to the busy real estate office.

Although Elma has no desire to go into real estate, she is learning a lot about the business and about working in a complex industry. “I told her if she could handle all the details and different personalities here, she could work anywhere,” said Century 21 manager Debbie del Bosque. Elma’s confidence and her professional phone manner, which she acquired as a telemarketer at West in Harlingen, convinced Century 21 that Elma would be the right person for the front desk.

After two days of training, the future accountant realized a major difference between her telemarketing job and being a receptionist. “At West, I have a script to follow during phone calls." At Century 21, she makes decisions.

The First Generation Summer Internship project is funded by a grant of Workforce Investment Act funds provided to Tech Prep by Cameron Works, Inc., the workforce board serving Cameron County.





Elma Olivarez interns at Century 21-Johnston Company

Justine Saldana Receives Scholarship to TSTC
Friday, June 15, 2007

Justine Saldana is the recipient of this year’s $4,000 Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarship. She graduated from Weslaco High School in May 2007 as a Tech Prep Texas Scholar. She plans to further her education at Texas State Technical College, by earning an Associates Degree in Dental Hygiene.

Justine observed first-hand the job skills and duties of the dental hygienist during her adolescence. The X-rays, moldings and special equipment used by the hygienist during her treatment begin to fascinate her. By her senior year she had settled on the Dental Hygienist curriculum and was pleased to be staying close to home.

In about two years Justine should be working somewhere in the Rio Grande Valley. She is excited about working in a profession that is expected to grow much faster than average through 2012.

Justine Saldania is the recipient of a $4,000 Scholarship

San Perlita Student Wins $3,000 Scholarship
Friday, June 15, 2007

Jose Manuel Rivas, San Perlita High School Class of 2007, has been awarded a Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarship. He will use the $3,000 scholarship to study Criminal Justice at the University of Texas Brownsville/Texas Southmost College.

In the Tech Prep Program, Rivas took courses such as digital imaging and accounting which will be applied to college credits. At San Perlita, he has excelled in athletics: baseball, cross-country, and basketball. On the academic side, he was named to the National Honor Society and participated in UIL, the Chess Club and the Science Club.

“Jose Rivas stands out among his peers in appearance, in expression of integrity, and in demonstration of hard work,... balancing family responsibilities with his educational endeavors,” according to one San Perlita teacher.

“I want to make a change in the world and help the streets be safer for future generations,” Rivas said, explaining his choice of a Criminal Justice major. He also wanted to be in a field where he could combine his athleticism and the digital skills acquired in Tech Prep courses. Tech Prep enables students to make the transition from high school to two- and four-year colleges through directed courses of study called career pathways and through dual credit enrollment. This program lets them takes college courses in high school without tuition charges. Rivas' career options include law enforcement, intelligence, and much more.

Jose Rivas wins scholarship from Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley

Thought-Provoking Video "Did You Know"
Friday, June 1, 2007

Karl Fisch, a teacher at Arapahoe High School in Centenial, Colorado, has developed a thought-provoking video about the world that today's students are entering. He developed it for a staff presentation to "get them to really think about ....students will need to be successful in the 21st century." The video called Did You Know is often cited by speakers who also want to get their audience thinking about our changing world. To view the video click here Karl Fisch's blog where he also lists his sources can be accessed at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know

Hanna High School Student Wins Tech Prep Scholarship
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Eduardo Cepeda, Jr., has been awarded a Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarship, specifically the United Launch Alliance (Lockheed Martin) scholarship which is given to a Tech Prep Scholar planning to major in aerospace engineering. Cepeda, a NASA High School Aerospace Scholar, expects to attend Texas A&M-College Station which he chose because of its close ties to NASA and the reputation of its engineering school. He would like to work at NASA

At Hanna, Cepeda pursued the Tech Prep Engineering and Technology Pathway by taking courses such as architectural graphics and computer-aided design. Involved in Technology Students Association, Class Government, and SkillsUSA, Cepeda is also active with St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Tech Prep enables students to make the transition from high school to two- and four-year colleges through directed courses of study called career pathways and through dual credit enrollment. This program lets students them takes college courses in high school without college tuition fees, saving themselves and their parents money and time.

Eduardo Cepeda, Jr., receives scholarship from Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley

Two Edinburg High Students Awarded Scholarships
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Two Edinburg high school students have been awarded Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarships to continue their educations. The two Tech Prep Scholars have followed approved plans of study that include career and technology courses and at least one college level Tech Prep They competed against 66 other students for the five Cavazos Scholarships.

Ana K. Rodriguzez of Economedes High School received the $2,500 Tech Prep scholarship, which she will use to attend St. Edwards University and major in accounting before attending law school.

Rodriguez, who has worked as a migrant laborer, said her long-term goal is to expand her father's trucking business into a major corporation. Already, the courses she took as part of the College Tech Prep Information Technology Program have made it easier for her to manage data in her job with the family business. A member of the Spanish National Honor Society and Math UIL, Rodriguez has shown the determination and character that will help her make the world a better place, according to the Scholarship committee.

Ana K. Rodriguez is granted a $2,500 scholarship by Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley




Linda I. Figueroa, who is the Valedictorian of Edinburg High School's Class of 2007,
was awarded the $3,000 Tech Prep Scholarship to the University of Texas-Pan American.

In high school, Figueroa enrolled in the College Tech Prep Health Information Technology program and took courses in Health Sciences Technology, Medical Terminology and Pharmacy Tech. Intent on pursuing a medical career, Figueroa credits her enrollment in these courses and the related participation in clinical rotations at Edinburg Regional Medical Center with giving her a strong foundation for her future. She is scheduled to receive the Pharmacy Technician Certification.

The Dr. Lauro Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarship will aid Figueroa who is prepared to enter UTPA's Premedical Honors College Program, designed for students pursuing a medical career. Figueroa intends to go on to medical school, possible at Baylor College of Medicine, and eventually specialize in plastic surgery. “I am fascinated by plastic surgery because of the innovational procedures which change people in ways we never thought were possible, ” she explains. “Upon obtaining my M.D. and completing my residency and specialty training, I plan to open my own private practice serving the community by performing plastic surgery.”




Linda Figueroa is granted a $3,000 scholarship by Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley


At graduation ceremonies, Rodriguez, Figueroa and other Tech Prep RGV Scholars will be distinguishable by the Tech Prep Honor Cord on their caps.

2007 ATC Training Scheduled for August 14-16 in Weslaco
Monday, May 21, 2007

Tech Prep RGV will provide its annual Advanced Technical Credit (ATC) training on August 14-16, 2007. This year’s ATC training will be hosted by South Texas College at its Weslaco campus. Advance registration is required; there will be no late or onsite registration. The deadline for registration and payment is August 6, 2007. A registration form for the August session can be accessed in the Downloads section of this website. (www.techprep.RGV.com)

Teachers who do not have valid ATC certificates or whose certificates are expiring are required to participate in training in order to teach ATC courses. The August session is the only opportunity Tech Prep RGV will provide this year. No makeup sessions will be offered. Teachers who need training and are not able to participate in the August training have the opportunity to receive training at other state sessions (see www.atctexas.org).

To learn about eligibility requirements for high school faculty teaching ATC statewide articulated courses, visit the state Advanced Technical Credit website (www.atctexas.org).

For additional information, contact Belinda Torres at 956.364.4516 or by e-mail at belinda.torres@harlingen.tstc.edu.

Education & Career Expo 2007 Set for Sept 20 in Harlingen
Thursday, May 3, 2007

SAVE THE DATE! The 2007 Education & Career Expo will be held in Harlingen on Thursday, September 20, 2007. The Education and Career EXPO is a community-wide effort by a consortium of private and public leaders whose goal is to bring awareness of available educational and employment options right here in the Rio Grande Valley to our students to encourage them to stay in school, get a good education, and compete successfully for careers that pay well enough to improve their quality of life. It is everybody’s civic duty to help the future workforce chart a career course by providing relevant and accurate information on how to achieve that goal. Make plans now to become involved! To learn more, view the video of Expo 2006 at this link: http://dit.harlingen.tstc.edu/expo2007

Tech Prep Showcase Students to Compete in National Event
Thursday, April 19, 2007

A project that earned three San Benito High School girls the Gold Medal in the Law and Protective Services segment of Tech Prep Showcase at the Texas SkillsUSA competition also informed the public of potential danger. Brianna Ybarra, Hillarie Rodriguez and Rosie Gutierrez identified known sexual predators living within one mile of Harlingen schools by a search of law enforcement databases for felons' addresses which they meshed with a map of Harlingen showing the schools.

The Tech Prep Showcase project of the student team revealed a significant number of registered sexual offenders residing near schools. The three Tech Prep students, who plan careers in law, law enforcement and social work, prepared brochures, a project board and learning tools for the state competition in Corpus Christi last month, according to Beto Pena, Criminal justice instructor at San Benito High School.

Ybarra, Rodriguez and Gutierrez will compete at the National SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City in June. Their project found that just as many offenders lived in affluent neighborhoods as in low-income neighborhoods.

“Because the competition category is Tech Prep, the judges expect the presenters to be very familiar with the subject matter delivered. There is a question-and-answer session with the judges, and the students are expected to be prepared to answer any questions about Tech Prep or the material presented for competition. I'm very proud of the accomplishments to date and look forward to the national competition,” Pena said.

Pictured: Hillarie Rodriguez (backl-r) Rosie Gutierrez,Brianna Ybarra

Three other San Benito High School students, these in the Media Technology program, also won top honors in the regional SkillsUSA Tech Prep Showcase, along with a trip to the national competition in two months.

Roy Espinosa, Amanda Medrano and Enrico Canas, all juniors, prepared a documentary-style video of the San Benito School District's fourth annual video competition. The Tech Prep students' video and PowerPoint presentation demonstrated the skills they had acquired with input from Valley anchors and from their training at the Student Network Affiliates in California in March.

Instructor Joel Rodriguez said Tech Prep's career technology program with its hands-on, practical elements has helped the three decide to stay in various parts of the broadcast and journalism industry.




Roy Espinosa, Amanda Medrano and Enrico Canas

Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Scholarship Recipients Named
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos Tech Prep Scholarships! A committee of Tech Prep RGV Board and committee members interviewed the finalists and named the winners on April 10, 2007. Scholarship recipients are as follows:

The $2,500 scholarship good for any college or university was awarded to Ana K. Rodriguez, Economedes High School, Edinburg CISD. Ana plans to obtain her Accounting degree at St. Edward's University, and to continue with law school.

The $400 United Launch Alliance (formerly Lockheed Martin) Engineering Scholarship was awarded to Eduardo J. Cepeda, Jr., Hanna High School, Brownsville ISD. Eduardo plans to attend Texas A&M University at College Station to pursue a Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. He also aspires to pursue advanced degrees in his field.

The $3,000 scholarship to the University of Texas-Pan American was awarded to Linda I. Figueroa, Edinburg High School, Edinburg CISD.
Linda plans to attend UTPA as a pre-med student, and become a doctor of plastic surgery.


The $3,000 scholarship to the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College was awarded to Jose Rivas, San Perlita High School, San Perlita ISD. Jose plans to attend UTB/TSC to major in Criminal Justice.

The $4,000 scholarship to Texas State Technical College was awarded to Justine L. Saldana, Weslaco High School, Weslaco ISD. Justine plans to attend TSTC to obtain her Associates Degree in Dental Hygiene.

Congratulations to all the scholarship finalists and recipients, and many thanks to the scholarship sponsors!

Dr. Janice Wiley to Address Counselors on April 26
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Dr. Janice Wiley, Deputy Director for Instructional Support, Region One Education Service Center, will address the group when the Lower Rio Grande Valley Counselors' Network meets in Harlingen, Texas, on April 26. The topic of discussion will be planning for successful implementation of the "4x4" graduation curriculum and 26-credit high school graduation plan. All counselors in secondary education, postsecondary education, and private practice are invited to participate.

Meeting information is as follows:

Thursday, April 26, 2007
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Texas State Technical College
Learning Resource Center (LRC), Orientation Room
1902 North Loop 499
Harlingen, Texas 78550

If YOU are planning to participate, please let us know so that we can plan appropriately. To RSVP, contact Eliza Groff at the Tech Prep RGV offices.