Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
South Texas College Art faculty member Leila Hernandez harnesses college events for real-world connections and learning experiences for her students, an initiative that has earned her a Distinguished Teaching and Learning Award for academic year 2025-2026.
Teaching Digital Media, Photography, Drawing and Design, Hernandez calls herself a collaborator, working closely with the Art department, Theatre and Dance, Music and many others to provide hands-on training for her students.
“My entire career is invested in students having the best learning experience at STC,”
said Hernandez, who has been at STC since 2003. “I like getting the students out of the classroom to garner inspiration from the world around them. The work they produce from these collaborations and adventures all end up being portfolio-ready, and each student workforce-ready.”
Most recently her design students worked closely with the Theatre department to produce posters and programs for the recent production of the “Odyssey.”
“My students have done everything from design to photography work for special events such as Cosmetology’s fashion shows and Nursing pinning ceremonies,” she said. “I’ve even taken students to downtown McAllen so they can capture a culture and community. Everyone and everything has a story. I teach our students how to capture that in their work. This helps them become better artists.”
Luis Corpus said the work Hernandez does with her students is noticeable and commended.
“Leila seeks opportunities for her students to engage in assignments that extend beyond the classroom,” Corpus said. “This type of collaborative work requires a great deal of commitment, time and planning, but is the sort of thing that will bridge classroom learning with real-world experience. The best part is the joy of accomplishment when her students can view their collaborative work on display, and they are met with gratitude from the receiving departments. She really does work hard for her students.”
After a visit to Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, thanks to STC’s continual encouragement of professional development, Hernandez learned and reviewed new techniques that she could use in her classroom.
From lessons in Joss paper, a traditional Asian papercraft, to new painting and design techniques, Hernandez created an exhibit at STC that embedded this training with family, tradition and lessons for her students.
The exhibit, titled “The Lessons of The Empress,” was inspired by her late mother, who passed in 2023. The exhibit reflected her mother’s life as a socialite, wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend. It celebrated the matriarchy and meditation. All art pieces from photography, origami, paintings and embroidery, symbolized a moment in her mother’s life and followed a lineage of birth to death.
“I am who I am because of my mother. She always said I’d be a famous artist…while I’m not famous, I am an artist and I’m teaching the next generation,” she said. “The entire exhibit was a life lesson of compassion and patience. A message I want to convey to my students as artists.”
As an interactive exhibit for her students, Hernandez embedded lessons and questions her students followed and completed to better understand art through this exhibit.
Yulianna Lopez, a Digital Media Design student at STC, has enjoyed having Hernandez as an instructor, calling her an excellent teacher who goes above and beyond for her students.
“She has taken us downtown and to other parts of our community to capture our culture and life in our art,” said the 20-year-old Peñitas native. “She always works to inspire us. She’s kind, modest, hardworking and overall, a great instructor who deserves this award. She always ensures that as students, we are well taken care of and ready for the real world.”
Hernandez said although she is honored to have received a Distinguished Teaching and Learning Award, true success for her comes from seeing her students, like Lopez, fulfill their passions and succeed.
“Art and teaching – that’s who I am,” she said. “While I’m grateful for this award and for everything it means, thank you to those who nominated me, I don’t do the work to get recognized. I do the work so that we create a better future for our students. I do the work so students can make their dreams come true. To me, that’s success and the most rewarding part of my career.”
For more information on STC’s Art program, visit southtexascollege.edu.
