Texas A&M Engineering Academy at South Texas College

Vanessa Ortiz, who is set to begin her first semester in the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at South Texas College, says the opportunity brings her one step closer to her dream of studying mechanical engineering and working at SpaceX.

Born and raised primarily in Villahermosa in Southeast Mexico until she was 16, Ortiz said her mother worked for more than 20 years in the factories there, and through hard work eventually earned a supervisory role in a facility producing bathroom countertops and cabinets.

Growing up, Ortiz said some of her fondest memories would be when the factories would open for family members, and she could see the plant operations and equipment. It would inspire her choice to study manufacturing and STC was her first choice, she said.

When she arrived in the United States, Ortiz, now 19, said her family chose to reside in Progreso. Seeking to get involved in the community, she began participating in the Together for a Better Tomorrow Youth Citizen Scientist program, a two-year study on water quality in Valley communities organized by Texas A&M Health and Methodist Healthcare Ministries in 2022.

Her experience in that program introduced her to the “Aggie spirit,” she said, and enabled her to visit the university in College Station on several occasions and would heavily influence her decision to enter the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at STC.

“I want to be like my mom,” Ortiz said. “I think participating in the engineering academy with Texas A&M and STC is great because I grew up in manufacturing, which is something I have known all my life, but I want to do it even better. That’s why I am studying engineering.”

Ortiz is among the 36 students that will comprise the second cohort of the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at South Texas College, which begins in the fall. Students attended a New Student Conference and ‘Howdy Day’ event at Pecan Campus, which was held to introduce students and their parents to the resources available to them and create some excitement as they begin the academic year as both STC and Texas A&M students.

At the conference, students were able to meet with STC and Texas A&M advisors while being introduced to the ins and outs of the program as well as the agenda for the coming year.

Coinciding with their college course load, students with the academy will travel to Texas A&M-College Station twice this fall, including a trip for orientation in September and to attend a football game and tailgate in November.

“Today is a celebration of their admission into the academy, but this is only the beginning. We have a whole journey that we will navigate and enjoy together,” said Maricruz Hinojosa, project manager with the Texas A&M Engineering Academies program. “We intend to make sure that the students explore all of their options, including connecting with those in industry not only in the Rio Grande Valley, but across the state. That’s what their time in the Academy is all about; learning what majors are available and seeing what is the best fit for them.”

Offered in partnership with Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering, the Engineering Academy offers students an opportunity to pursue one of 22 majors within the College of Engineering at Texas A&M while co-enrolled at Texas A&M and STC.

Students are then able to transition, with automatic acceptance into Texas A&M’s highly competitive engineering program either at Texas A&M College Station, Galveston or the Higher Education Center at McAllen to complete their bachelor’s degree.

“I am very excited about this program, all of these students are going to be pioneers in their fields,” said parent Lisa Loera, whose son Jorge will begin studying Computer Science in the academy. “I appreciated that this orientation helped to prepare the students not only for the academy but college in general to give them the best shot to succeed. Just to be a part of the STC and Texas A&M communities is the best experience I could have hoped for.”