Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
Sharon O’Leary was hired at South Texas College in 1999 to start the college’s music program. Now, 26 years later, the program is going strong, and she has been named Faculty of the Year for largely contributing to its growth.
“I cried when saw I had been named Faculty of the Year,” said O’Leary. “Since 2008, my Department Chair Daniel Cather has been nominating me and this year, I told him would be the last year he does. I don’t like too much attention.”
O’Leary said year-after-year she saw other deserving faculty members get named, but Cather never lost his faith. He said he knew one day she would also become a Faculty of the Year award recipient.
“Sharon O’Leary represents the very best of what makes education at STC so special. She embodies the compassion, warmth and empathy that our caring college is known for,” said Chair and Assistant Professor of Music Daniel Cather, DME. “She has shown incredible determination as the department’s founding member and has ensured that it has grown and thrived in all circumstances.”
He added that when he was hired in 2008, the department became a team of two, and O’Leary has been the best mentor, colleague and dear friend he could have hoped for.
“Through her work, we have expanded exponentially to a team of 10 full-time faculty, plus thriving dual credit, adjunct and lecture instructors,” he said. “Years of witnessing her humor and commitment to holistic education – one that cares for knowledge and the emotional well-being of her students – has motivated me to nominate her every year since 2021 with the firm conviction that longevity of teaching excellence of the highest caliber deserves to be honored and celebrated.”
O’Leary said Cather has been a great leader for the Music department and she is grateful for his nomination.
“He’s been my confidant. He’s one of the best leaders I know,” she said. “Thank you for this recognition and for being the guiding hand needed to help me continue loving my students and helping them stay the course. Teaching at STC has been a gift.”
Helping students stay the course has always been O’Leary’s goal since becoming an educator and entering STC before the turn of the millennium.
O’Leary has entered her 33rd year as a college-level faculty member and has taught music in various capacities for more than 40 years.
With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance, she began teaching in a small southeast Kansas school, where she stayed for six years as a one-person music department.
“My dad was always the musician in the family. He had a beautiful voice,” she said. “He practiced music ministry, and I got involved at a young age. I’ve always had a passion for music – growing my voice and clarinet skills over the years.”
With musical performances, choir and clarinet experience under her belt, O’Leary began to wonder what she could find outside of Kansas, and that’s when she found STC.
With an atlas in hand in the late 90’s, she found McAllen, Texas, a city she had never heard of, and embarked on the journey that would change her life.
“The moment I completed my phone interview with STC, I knew it was the place for me,” she said. “Everyone was so nice, and it sounded like the kind of challenge I needed for growth personally and professionally. I packed up and here I am now.”
In fact, it was at STC where O’Leary found the “love of her life,” in her husband of 20 years, STC Art faculty member Eduardo Garcia.
“Funny story, he was actually on my search committee when I got hired. He was the first person at STC I ever talked to,” she remembers. “He remained a steadfast friend in my life as I adapted to south Texas after moving from the Midwest, and three years later we started dating.”
With no reason to leave STC or the Rio Grande Valley, O’Leary made it home and says the music program at the college is now everything she dreamed it would be.
“I’ve seen the college grow tenfold. We are now national leaders in so much and we know that we are making the RGV a better place for many,” she said. “I remember when we were at the Pecan Plaza or even a small building in downtown to now seeing the construction of our Cooper Center expansion – it’s a proud moment to know I’ve played a small role in this growth.”
The humble faculty member has taught nearly every class from music theory and sight singing to ear training and applied voice – one-on-one voice lessons, even leading STC’s Choir Ensemble, that has an upcoming performance December 5.
“My role as a teacher isn’t only to teach music, but help students gain confidence in themselves and their abilities,” said O’Leary. “Education is the way out of poverty, whether students decide to pursue music or not, I want my classes to encourage continued education and an associate degree and beyond. We have real talent in the RGV, in many career areas, and I want to continue nurturing that.”
With no sight of retirement on the horizon, O’Leary is excited to teach in the new Cooper Center expansion, which includes new classrooms, music rooms and rehearsal rooms, and to continue seeing STC’s Music program grow with its established ensembles such as choir and wind ensemble, where she also performs as a clarinet player and its newest – Mariachi ensemble.
For more information on STC’s Music department, visit southtexascollege.edu.
