
Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, the Rio South Texas Education and Community Development Foundation (RSTEF) held its second Annual Awards Ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in McAllen, Texas. The evening, hosted by Adam Gonzalez, CEO of RSTEF and COSTEP (Council for South Texas Economic Progress), brought educators, nonprofit partners, board members, and community leaders together to recognize and celebrate initiatives advancing education and workforce development across the Rio South Texas region.
Adam Gonzalez opened the event by reflecting on the legacy and expanding mission of the foundation. “It’s a great honor to serve this organization,” he said. He shared how the foundation, which began in 1974 as a secondary student loan market, made a lasting impact by offering interest rate reductions of up to 3% and supporting more than 45% of higher education students in the region at one time. “The foundation has always given back to the community,” Gonzalez affirmed.

A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of a $250,000 grant to the Texas A&M International Alumni Association in support of the Banking Academy Endowment. Gonzalez enthusiastically introduced the honoree and highlighted the program’s potential to uplift students and strengthen the region’s financial sector.
Dr. Luis Antonio Perez, Dean of the Sanchez School of Business at Texas A&M International University, accepted the award and delivered heartfelt remarks.
“South Texas Community Development Foundation, board members, fellow awardees, all friends. I am Luis Antonio Perez, Dean of the Sanchez School of Business at Texas A&M International University—TAMIU. I am delighted to be here with you this evening, receiving the support of this magnificent Rio South Texas community,” he began.
Perez described the Banking Academy as a visionary program that took shape over the past few years with the aim of integrating real-world banking experience into the academic curriculum. “The Banking Academy Dream started a few years ago. They started to find ways to integrate this dream into the curriculum,” he said. “I have been here 43 weeks and love it, in the Laredo area. I have gotten to know many of our region’s top bankers, and many of them are present here. I can attest firsthand how they are committed to our community.”
He continued with passion about the program’s future impact: “It is really remarkable to see how that commitment will go with our students to really give them meaningful opportunities for meaningful careers. In this case, the Banking Academy—many of them will go on, thanks to this support, to be leading commercial bankers, investment bankers… who knows? The opportunities are there.”
Perez emphasized that the Academy was modeled after programs at flagship universities, balancing academic rigor with real-world application. “We pride ourselves not only on the curricular aspect of our program, but also the co-curricular aspect—that is, through simulations, through inviting top bankers into the pool to give mentoring opportunities to our students, where we meet academia with industry, where the action happens. So that is our goal.”
He closed by recognizing those who helped bring the vision to life. “This also could not have happened without the support of our leaders. On the first day on the job, the provost told me this is assignment number one—and I’m very happy to see that this was a success. Thank you for that vision and the support of all my colleagues. Once again, thank you very much for your attention. Thank you very much. Our staff—without you, this is not possible. Thank you.”
In addition to the Banking Academy Endowment, Gonzalez accentuated the reach of RSTEF’s investments. Since 2019, the foundation has awarded $9.4 million in grants across its seven-county service area, generating $18.8 million in total investment when accounting for matching funds. A total of 26 initiatives have been supported, many of them multi-year programs.
These initiatives span a wide range of focus areas, including Advanced Industrial Robotics, Credit Recovery for At-Risk High School Students, Biomedical Equipment Access, Healthcare Career Pathways, STEM Tutoring, Healthcare Apprenticeships, Teacher Training Programs, Registered Nurse Certifications, CTE (Career and Technical Education) Pipeline Development, and Scholarships and Endowments in fields such as Computer Engineering, Construction Science, and Banking.
The 2025 RSTEF Annual Awards Ceremony celebrated accomplishments and reaffirmed the region’s commitment to building a stronger future. Through visionary leadership, strategic investment, and collaboration, RSTEF continues to empower the next generation of Rio South Texas leaders.
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