Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, TEXAS – South Texas College recently recognized 10 students from the Culinary Arts program at a special awards ceremony, where they each received a $500 scholarship from the Santa Fe Foundation, propelling them toward their future careers.
Students were joined by the STC trustees, Foundation Board of Directors and STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D., along with staff and faculty to honor the students’ achievements.
“We are very proud of what we do here at South Texas College,” said Solis. “This exemplifies our mission to be constantly innovative, be it through technology or working with our industry partners and listening to the needs of the community, as we prepare our future professionals who are entering this career. With the help of the STC Foundation, we are going to continue expanding this program.”
Last spring, the Santa Fe Foundation donated a grand total of $25,000 in scholarships for culinary students, which STC then divided into an initial $5,000 for the fall semester.
Scholarship funds are created to assist students in various ways including additional tuition assistance, as well as the purchase of class equipment according to STC faculty.
“Santa Fe is a huge supporter of our program along with a very big contributor to the success of our students and mentoring them as they help get our students ready for the industry,” said Sara Lozano, Ed.D., dean of STC’s Business, Public Safety and Technology division. “We value all of their support, and we are so excited to see the continued collaboration between them and our own STC Foundation.”
The Texas foodservice industry is the largest private sector employer in the state of Texas recently crossing a $100 billion sales threshold for the first time in state history, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As of 2023, the industry employed 1,461,800 Texans, representing 11% of the state’s total employment, most of those employed within the state’s 56,739 restaurant locations.
“It’s a privilege and our God-given ability to give back to the community and we have chosen to continue to support our industry,” said Albert Rego, founder of the Sante Fe Foundation and owner of Sante Fe Steakhouse. “It’s also our privilege to know that you have embraced our industry because it is challenging but so rewarding. Our industry has so many facets to learn and you as students need to continue your education because it can only help you in your future success.”
Culinary Arts student Daniela Gonzalez-Garcia, who was among the students to receive a scholarship, said she initially completed a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the former University of Texas-Pan American in 2012 and immediately enrolled in STC’s Culinary Arts program afterwards seeking to grow her catering business.
Now in her first semester back after 12 years, Gonzalez said she is pursuing her Culinary Arts Associate of Applied Science Degree and hopes to further network with those in the industry and further develop her business with the additional skills learned through the college.
“I initially started in 2012, but I quit the program after one semester because I needed to work. Over the years when I started seeing the growth of the program, I knew it was time to come back and finish what I started,” Gonzalez said. “I am honored to have received this scholarship because earlier in my career, I would have never seen myself receiving anything like this. We didn’t have these types of opportunities before, but now that we do, we need to spread the word to other students so they can apply and have that opportunity.”
