Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
Kicking off 2025 and its 25th Anniversary, the South Texas College Dual Credit Programs recently hosted its third annual Superintendent and Board Member Reception, bringing together leadership from its 21 partnering school districts for an evening of networking and comradery.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome our partners on campus for a night of celebration, as we not only commemorate our 25th anniversary, but also the opportunities, that together, we provide for dual credit students and the long-lasting impact our program has on their lives,” said Associate Vice President of Dual Credit Programs and School District Partnerships Rebecca De Leon, Ed.D. “As a former dual credit student, this program has shaped who I am and what I’ve been able to do, and I’m grateful that you entrust us with your students. We are all here for one thing, and that is – student success.”
The night of celebration included food catered by Santa Fe Steakhouse, dessert provided by STC’s Culinary Arts students, live music by STC Music students and additional remarks from STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. and STC Board Chair Alejo Salinas.
“This was a remarkable celebration of one of the most unique, innovative and transformative programs that leads in the nation in creating a college-going culture, and this year, we are celebrating 25 years of excellence,” said Solis. “Our dual credit program has been a phenomenal asset, not only to our college, but also our communities. With this program, we have saved students and families millions of dollars and I’m thankful to our partners for their continued support… we all understand that education is the key and the center of delivering and responding to the needs of our communities.”
STC’s Dual Credit Programs, to date, has served more than 145,000 students and has saved students and their families more $425 million in tuition.
Salinas said this information is only a snapshot of how transformative the dual credit program has been over the last 25 years.
“We are thankful and encourage all our partners to continue their work with us, so that we can continue to foster students’ interests in higher education,” said Salinas. “We are proud of what we do and what we can accomplish by working together with our partners. These are exciting times and when we highlight the number of people our program has impacted, we can see the growth, development and return it has on our communities. There is no other organization in the RGV that can compare to how much we are saving our families.”
Inspired by the regional impact STC’s Dual Credit Programs has displayed, IDEA San Juan College Preparatory has recently joined the dual credit family, making it the very first IDEA Public School in the Rio Grande Valley to participate in the program.
Priscilla Salazar-Trejo, regional director for IDEA Public Schools, said her team had been looking for college programs based on the interests and recommendations from their students, who wanted a chance at dual credit opportunities.
“When we hear directly from our students that this is what they want, we need to listen,” said Salazar-Trejo. “We looked at many institutions, but STC stood out because of the many pathways that are available to our students through the college. Not only can they get an associate degree in something like Interdisciplinary Studies, but the numerous dual credit program pathways offered aligns with our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming, especially computer science, and that is a win-win.”
IDEA San Juan College Preparatory currently has 25 students enrolled in STC’s Dual Credit Programs, and although the group just completed their first week, Salazar-Trejo said that she looks forward to working with STC in building a college identity for each of their students.
“IDEA does a great job at creating a college culture. Our kids start talking about college in kindergarten, but building an identity is important,” she said. “Together, with STC, our students will understand college terminology, registration and financial aid processes…by the end of this, they will be college-ready and will have a head start in their education and careers.”
De Leon said she hopes to continue building a partnership with IDEA Public Schools, in hopes that more of its students can be included in the college’s dual credit opportunities, and in celebrating 25 years, she also looks forward to fostering all established partnerships to continue in growth and transformation.
“As we look back at how far we have come, we can’t help but recognize the partners who have helped us get here,” said De Leon. “This year and every year, we celebrate our partners and what we have achieved together. It is because of their trust, their amazing leadership in education and remarkable students that STC’s Dual Credit Programs now leads as one of the top programs in the nation, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration and success.”
For more information on STC’s Dual Credit Programs, visit southtexascollege.edu/dualcredit.
