Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – Even after earning a bachelor’s degree, Natalia Cardenas thought she had already found her creative path, but when South Texas College launched its new Architecture program in 2024, she knew it was time to pursue a dream she had been holding onto since childhood.
Cardenas said it was her parents who fostered her early love for architecture through their influence in history and art growing up, and it was her family’s emphasis on education that continues to motivate her as she pursues her professional goals.
Her parents, she added, were her earliest inspirations.
“My mom was the first in her family to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in History, so I was always exposed to historical buildings and art. Growing up, I learned what architecture was in high school and that opened my perspective. That’s what led me to it,” Cardenas said. “My dad, who came here from Mexico, actually built our first house by designing it first in AutoCAD back in the 90s. He built it himself. Being around him and construction really influenced me.”
AutoCAD is a computer-aided design software used by professionals to create 2D and 3D renderings and blueprints.
Now, in her second semester at STC, Cardenas said her journey in the architecture field began at Edinburg High School, where she graduated in 2018. At the time, no architecture programs existed in the Rio Grande Valley, and the closest option was at Texas A&M University.
Looking for a degree that could utilize her creative talents, Cardenas opted to complete her degree in Graphic Design from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Fast-forward, today, Cardenas said her previous background in graphic design has become an asset in the architecture program at STC.
“I’ve always wanted to study architecture, but since I decided to stay home for college and there wasn’t really an architecture program in the region at the time, I took a different route at UTRGV,” Cardenas said. “My bachelor’s degree has helped me tremendously in this new degree I am pursuing. We all know that architecture is more than just the building – it’s about communicating your ideas, so I think in that way it helped.”
STC’s Architecture Program – the first and only one of its kind in the region – offers students a pathway to becoming licensed architects. Designed to work alongside STC’s established Architecture Engineering Design Technology (AEDT) program, it emphasizes design, project management and the critical thinking skills that prepare students to transfer to four-year universities.
Once she completes her associate degree, Cardenas plans to pursue a master’s degree in architecture with hopes of studying at the University of Texas at Austin or San Antonio. STC’s Architecture program is enabling her to grow her creativity as she merges her background in design with her passion for the industry, Cardenas said.
“The thought of being a licensed architect is a dream of mine,” she said. “STC is giving me that creative freedom to get there. I have grown up with a great appreciation for architecture and its history, and I think my background and STC’s influence is helping me see things differently – it’s helping me see the spaces in between and showing me how I can put my own unique spin into their design.”
For Cardenas, the opportunity to study architecture close to home has been life-changing, and to students considering the same path, offers advice grounded in experience.
“It’s going to be hard work, but if your heart is really in it, it will flow more naturally. You will be inclined to do good work,” she said. “I really have an appreciation for architecture and I’m very happy this program is so accessible. I’m finally getting to do what I want to do.”
For more information on STC’s Architecture program visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/architecture/.
