Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – Starr County student Angela Reyes woke up to water entering her house during the devastating storm that dropped nearly 20 inches of rain in the region. Towels could not soak up or stop the water that was devastating her family’s home, but thanks to South Texas College springing into action to assist faculty, staff and students, Reyes is slowly getting back on her feet.
Over the weekend, STC Board of Trustees, President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. and administration sent out a form via website and social media for students, faculty and staff to complete if they were facing hardships. These responses have helped the college extend aid ranging from transportation to classes, food, clothing, technology, emergency funds or supplies.
After losing everything, Reyes was recently among the students taking advantage of the assistance and food distribution at the Starr County Campus.
“I remember I was doing everything I could, I was even trying to mop all around or put towels under the doors with towels so water would not go in, but it still did. Everything was so ugly, so flooded and it was horrible. Our homes were not prepared for this,” Reyes said. “This help that STC has been providing to all students has been so amazing. I know I’m going to get help and I’m trying to tell other students who were affected to also seek help for themselves. We pray that we can get out of this bad situation.”
From food assistance, to the lending of technology like laptops and donations of basic items like toiletries and clothing, STC is stepping up in a big way to ensure that the college community receives the support in needs to recover from the disaster.
“We are hearing all of these different stories from students that have been affected, and in fact, I started calling them on Sunday after the storm. You can tell how devastating it has been,” said Larry Barroso, Ed.D., director of College Connections and Admissions for traditional students, who has been helping with the coordination of assistance efforts on behalf of the college. “I’m glad that we were able to contact students and help them, because the last thing we want is for students or their families to be worrying about their classes when they are already worried about their vehicles or food.”
Immediately after the flood, staff immediately began working to accommodate students’ needs. Sara Martinez, a librarian at the college’s Pecan Campus said she began assisting and coordinating lending student laptops, which were initially part of a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grant.
“This situation called for streamlining the process so students could receive these laptops immediately. Normally, it takes about a week to get a turnaround or to hear an answer about the status of their application, but we have had them coming in directly to the campus library to receive our support,” Martinez said. “It feels really amazing to do this and when they come into the office you can just see the gratitude and see the eagerness, then it really creates more of a personal experience.”
Yely Ortiz said she will be graduating in May with an Associate of Applied Science in Human Resources. When the flooding hit, Ortiz said her entire neighborhood in Las Milpas was submerged underwater forcing her and family to seek support in a shelter organized by the city of Pharr.
Ortiz, a disabled student who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an illness affecting the connective tissue of organs in the body, said the situation was made even more difficult because she recently underwent spinal surgery.
STC was able to offer its support by replacing her laptop through the loan program offered by Library Services.
“I was under extreme stress because even though I was in a shelter and I was safe, I began to start thinking what do I do about my assignments that I still need to complete since I’m so close to graduating. All my work and my books and everything else got wet,” Ortiz said. “Mentally, we’re still trying to process everything that happened, but I’m so thankful that STC was so helpful and worked very fast to get me back on my feet. It means so much that the college is working to help all of us because I know I’m not the only one in this situation.”
First-year student and U.S. Air Force veteran Oscar Fonseca said he and a friend were caught on the road when the flooding hit and were left stranded in rising waters. He said they made a choice to ditch the vehicle after water began pouring in through the windows.
In the process, Fonseca said he lost his laptop, an iPad and headphones and his friend lost his vehicle.
“We were stuck in the water and seeing floating cars passing by, so it was a traumatic experience for all of us,” said Fonseca who is pursuing an associate degree in Graphic Arts and was among those who appealed to the college for assistance. “Thankfully, we didn’t lose our lives and that’s just a blessing in and of itself. Then, of course, STC was there to help us pick up the pieces. I can really tell that the college is out there really trying to set up students for success and push them further. It’s a very beautiful thing.”For assistance or to learn more about STC efforts visit www.southtexascollege.edu/storm-help/index.html
