Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
New and long-standing partnerships are one of the vital ingredients to success for South Texas College and its students, and this year, STC’s Information Technology (IT) program received the CISCO Academy 25 Years of Service award from the CISCO Networking Academy.
CISCO is a multinational technology company that develops and sells networking hardware, software and services, and in 1997 launched the CISCO Networking Academy to transform lives through the power of education.
For more than two decades, STC has been offering the benefits of the academy and preparing students for certification to ensure they remain marketable with these industry-recognized credentials.
“Our job is to prepare our students for the workforce and being able to offer them an opportunity like this, is invaluable,” said Angelita Elizondo Teniente, STC IT program chair. “As we expand on the additional certifications we offer, we help students set a solid foundation and we give them the skills they need to become leaders in their industry.”
The CISCO Networking Academy offers credentials in subject areas such as cybersecurity, networking, artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, programming, digital literacy, sustainability and information technology.
The curriculum of these subjects is embedded into STC’s information technology courses, allowing students to prepare for their CISCO academy certification while pursuing their associate degree.
Students are responsible for scheduling and completing their certifications once they graduate from the program.
STC Computer and Information Technology alumna and Technology Sports Specialist for the city of San Juan Daira Natividad, not only earned her bachelor’s degree, but also received two certifications under the CISCO Networking Academy – Computer and Network Specialist and Computer and Information Technology Specialist.
She said that the lessons and skills she learned at STC and through the academy, fully prepared her for the workforce.
“My job consists of networking and technology implementation, so this academy prepared me to better understand troubleshooting, configuration and improve my knowledge, in general, in this field,” she said. “Opportunities like this are rare, and we need more of this in the Rio Grande Valley. The network field is continuously growing and it’s complex. This academy, through STC, teaches the fundamentals of everything networking is, similarly this helps us better market ourselves as job seekers, advance in the field, implement what we know and improve our communities.”
Maby Rosenbaum, STC IT program faculty member, who has 10 years of CISCO teaching experience, said students like Natividad can expect to learn CISCO Academy material from faculty who have undergone extensive training to be eligible to teach their curriculum.
“We have four faculty members who are fully trained and credentialed to teach CISCO Academy networking courses, ensuring that we follow the rigor that CISCO establishes within its courses and that we provide a quality education on this subject matter,” said Rosenbaum. “Every year, our instructors attend a CISCO instructor conference and numerous workshops to continue expanding on what we teach and establishing solid foundations in this area for our students.”
Teniente added that with two new associate degree and certificate programs, respectively, on the horizon – Network Security Infrastructure and Network Security, her department can continue to offer these distinguished certifications that open doors of opportunity for her students.
“Here’s to another 25 years,” said Teniente. “We are so excited to be one of the few in our area to offer these credentials to our students. It’s setting them apart in an industry where their skills are in demand and locally, we are a leader in providing skilled graduates, thanks to our amazing faculty and the CISCO Networking Academy.”
For more information on STC’s Information Technology and Networking programs, visit southtexascollege.edu.
