Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, TEXAS – Hundreds of students gathered at South Texas College’s Pecan Campus for the 14th annual Information Technology (IT) Expo, designed to connect aspiring tech professionals with regional industry leaders and career opportunities in one of the nation’s fastest-growing fields.
Hosted by STC’s IT program, the Expo brought together representatives from local businesses, school districts, hospitals, municipalities and financial institutions, offering students a chance to network, explore careers and gain insight into the skills needed to succeed in a modern technology-driven workforce.
The Expo serves as a valuable feedback loop between education and industry according to Ali Esmaeili, Ed.D., dean of Math, Science, Information Technology and Bachelor’s Programs. By engaging directly with employers, faculty can better understand workforce demands and align curriculum, he said.
“Our goal is to introduce students to cutting-edge technology that they may have never seen before,” he said. “By interacting with these companies and learning from them, they expand their horizons and help us shape the curriculum to meet future demands.”
Employment in Computer and Information Technology occupations is projected to grow much faster than average over the next decade with approximately 317,700 openings each year and a median annual wage of more than $105,000, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Angelita Teniente, STC Information Technology department chair, said the Expo has evolved significantly to meet this demand since its launch in 2012. What began as a small networking effort has grown into a highly anticipated annual event that draws strong support from the region’s technology community.
“Anybody interested in IT, whether they are looking for a career, an internship or just learning about the field should take advantage of learning from our local professionals,” Teniente said. “You don’t have to travel to Austin or Silicon Valley. There are so many opportunities right here because technology touches every industry. I hope students leave this event with new knowledge and a new sense of how important IT is in our everyday lives.”
For faculty like Nicholas Hinojosa, assistant professor of Computer Science at STC, the Expo serves as a critical bridge between classroom learning and career readiness.
“It’s really important to be able to network with IT industry leaders from our region,” said Hinojosa, who also serves as principal investigator for the college’s Cybersecurity Clinic.
Hinojosa had Cybersecurity Clinic students conducting presentations for attendees that focused on emerging cybersecurity threats and led workshops introducing attendees to ethical hacking and red-team security testing.
“Everyone is gathered here today, so it’s good for students to be here and learn who the innovators are in our industry,” Hinojosa said. “By having major events like this Expo, students will know exactly who to reach out to once they graduate because many of our guests here may be their future employers.”
STC alumnus Jonathan Mungia said the Expo represented a professional milestone as well as homecoming. A 2023 graduate now working with TRiNet International, a managed IT and cloud services firm in McAllen, Mungia returned to campus to encourage students to take advantage of similar opportunities.
“All I can tell students is to take every opportunity you can,” Mungia said. “You never know when you will meet someone who opens the door to your next opportunity. One connection can lead to many others.”
