Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – South Texas College Architecture Engineering Design Technology (AEDT) faculty member Jesus “Leo” Amaya has been named a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award recipient, placing him among the world’s best in higher education.
STC is among those institutions across the nation that take part in the annual effort to recognize staff and faculty like Amaya who are making a difference for students and their communities through NISOD. The award honors those who are at the heart of student success, and who are achieving extraordinary work on college campuses.
Now beginning his ninth year at STC, Amaya said the national recognition is an honor, but it also reflects a philosophy he has carried into the classroom since his first day at the college: Teaching is about the students.
“I am so appreciative of this amazing honor, even though we don’t enter teaching for any type of recognition. It’s not part of the job or why we do what we do,” Amaya said. “I want to make sure a student succeeds despite their challenges. That’s what we as faculty signed up for.”
The commitment is a deeply personal one for Amaya, who said his approach to students has been shaped by his own educational journey.
Growing up, Amaya said he watched his mother mentor others during a lengthy career in banking, while his father devoted 52 years to education as an educator, football coach and administrator.
Amaya, however, remembers being the student who often struggled in school.
Throughout his education, he was considered a student with disabilities and later learned he had dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He earned average grades in high school and said there was a time when earning a college degree seemed unlikely.
Fast-forward to the present, Amaya has now earned two associate degrees and a bachelor’s degree from Texas State University in San Marcos.
Those experiences have helped Amaya relate to students who may enter his classroom doubting their own abilities.
“I tell my students my story and I remind them that I don’t see it as a disability. I just learn things differently and they can too,” he said. “I do not have an issue repeating certain aspects of a lecture or project for example. I look forward to showing students how something can be achieved in different ways.”
Amaya’s own path was anything but direct.
After earning his first associate degree in computer-aided design drafting, he served in the Army and later built a career in structural engineering, architectural design, surveying, restaurant design and steel manufacturing.
When the opportunity to teach at STC arrived, Amaya said he accepted a 50% pay cut to pursue the career he long envisioned.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about the students,” he said. “I want to make sure they are ready for the working world because I wasn’t ready when I started college.”
Business, Public Safety and Technology Interim Dean Joe Vela said Amaya’s technical expertise, industry connections and dedication to STC make him an invaluable part of the AEDT program.
“He (Amaya) brings extensive industry experience in drafting and design to the AEDT program, along with expertise that extends into surveying and geospatial technologies,” Vela said. “What really sets him apart is his willingness to go above and beyond. Whether he is supporting our students, working with industry partners, collaborating with local architects and engineers, or creating something unique for a College initiative, he is always willing to step up and contribute.”
Now, nearly a decade since beginning at STC, Amaya said seeing students graduate and then continue into bachelor’s degree programs to eventually build careers remains one his greatest achievements
“I was a C student through high school. I was considered a special education student,” Amaya said. “Now I am among the first here at STC to show the students that there is this huge opportunity waiting for them here, and if I can do it, they can do it too.”
