Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
MCALLEN, Texas – Carlos David Mendiola said he was a student at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores in Reynosa when he began to ask about connecting with South Texas College to attend school as an international student this fall.
Originally planning to follow in his father’s footsteps and enter medical school, Mendiola said a fondness for chemistry and mathematics drew him to pursue his own path as an engineer, and now he is part of the first ever group of students entering the STC Texas A&M Engineering Academy from an international high school partnership between the college and schools in Reynosa, Mexico.
“I researched and then I realized that chemical engineering is about pharmaceuticals, metals, materials, food and petroleum so there are tons of jobs and opportunities,” Mendiola said. “I decided to go for it.”
Mendiola said he chose STC over universities in Monterrey and others across Mexico because of the proximity to home. Now looking to enter a career in chemical engineering, Mendiola has become one of the 50 students, known as “Jaggies” comprising the third cohort of the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at STC.
“I’m really grateful for STC and its collaboration with Texas A&M, which is the university I knew I wanted to go to even before I knew this collaboration existed,” Mendiola said. “My plan was to transfer, but now with this program the process is easier, and admission is guaranteed so you don’t have to compete. I am very grateful for this opportunity.”
Students like Mendiola, recently attended a New Student Conference and “Howdy Day” event at STC’s Pecan Campus, which was held to introduce students and their parents to the resources available to them and create positive vibes as they begin the academic year as both STC jaguars and Texas A&M aggies.
At the conference, students were able to meet with STC and Texas A&M advisors while being introduced to the program and the agenda for the coming year.
“This is our largest class to date so you can be sure we’re ready to try some new things when it comes to having our students collaborate and communicate with each other inside and outside of the class,” said Leonel Alvarado, associate professor of practice for the Texas A&M Engineering Academy. “This is what engineering is. It’s about working with others and getting to understand how communications factors into this career choice.”
Offered in partnership with Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering, the Academy offers students an opportunity to pursue one of 22 engineering majors while being co-enrolled at the university and STC.
From the academy, students transition with automatic acceptance into Texas A&M’s highly competitive engineering program either at Texas A&M College Station, Galveston or Higher Education Center in McAllen to complete their bachelor’s degree.
“At STC, we are very proud of all the students who have been accepted into this elite engineering program. I challenge all students to not only find their passion, but to focus on what engineer does, which is solve problems and innovate,” said Brett Millan, Ph.D., associate vice president for Academic Success and Advancement at STC, who addressed students at the conference. “This is the core of any engineering field (and) with those tools and a solid foundation from this program, they can change the world.”
One parent, Marifina Gonzalez, said she has encouraged her son David Solis by reminding him to stay true to himself especially as he begins to take on the challenges of the program.
Solis plans to study biomedical engineering or chemical engineering, but Gonzalez said the way the Academy is set up enables him to immerse himself in all facets of the profession as he considers his future career.
“The beauty of the Academy is that he will get to really see what he wants to do or maybe grow into other sectors of Engineering. We are prepared for the ups and downs, and we tell him it’s going to be ok if he doesn’t get everything at 100% right away. That’s life,” Gonzalez said. “Above all we know this program at STC is amazing, and it helps to know that my son is in good hands as he begins to mature in college and tackle this challenging program.”
For more information on the STC, Texas A&M Engineering Academy, please visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/partners/tamu-engineering/index.html
