Rodeo team kicks off season in Carthage, TX

Members of the Southwest Texas Junior College rodeo team includes (front row, left to right) Kathrine Whitaker, Rozlyn Reeves, (second row) Chance Lopez, Joe Reeves, Dalton Brown, Wyatt Duncan, (third row) Courtney Myers, Crystal Wetz, Shelbi Haynes, Suade Furr, (back) Cameron Loveday, Kody Tredway, Cody Hines, Dextar Udall, Luis Santos III and Sterling Furr.

The Southwest Texas Junior College rodeo team will kick-off the 2014-2015 rodeo season by competing at the first Southern region rodeo in Carthage, TX hosted by Panola College on Sept. 26-27.



SWTJC will host the second National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) rodeo of the season on Oct. 2-4 at the Uvalde County Fair Plex Rodeo Arena. Evening performances will start at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.



Over 350 collegiate athletes, representing some 15 colleges and universities in the Southern Region are expected to compete in Uvalde. Nationally renowned rodeo stock contractor Terry Walls will once again provide stock for this year's event.



Palomino Fest draws record crowd in Uvalde

Organizers say upwards of 20,000 people attended the 2014 Palomino Fest Labor Day Weekend Celebration held Aug. 28 – Aug 31 at the Uvalde County Fairplex.

"Our final number stands at approximately 20,000, which is an increase for last year's attendance," festival coordinator Wade Carpenter said. "This was our 18th annual event and it keeps getting bigger every year."

Carpenter expressed his gratitude to all the volunteers who helped with this year's festival. "Our volunteers are a major reason for the success we have had through out the years," Carpenter said. "I especially want to thank all the volunteers from SWTJC who put in long, hot hours at this year's event."

History professors retire after a combined 96 years of service

Barbara Blair                   Harry Lawrence, Jr.

Southwest Texas Junior College says goodbye to professors of history, Harry Lawrence, Jr. and Barbara Blair, who retired this summer.

Lawrence retired in May, ending a 53-year career at SWTJC, while Blair continued through the summer, giving SWTJC 43 years of service.

Blair, a Carrizo Springs native, earned her Associates of Arts from SWTJC in 1967 and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in history from Southwest Texas State University.

She began her career at SWTJC in 1970, and in 1976 she became the advisor of Eta Beta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, where she remained until her retirement.

“That’s what I’ve enjoyed so much, working with the honor students at SWTJC,” Blair said. “It has never been boring, it has always been a challenge.”

Blair has been highly involved with Phi Theta Kappa for over 30 years, winning numerous awards, but none more distinguished than the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Service to the Texas Region, which she was awarded earlier this year.

Enrollment continues to climb for fall semester

A total of 4,265 students have enrolled for fall 2014 classes going into the last few days of registration.

According to SWTJC Registrar Luis Fernandez, the last day to register for classes will be Wednesday, Aug. 20, with late registration scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Aug. 21-22.

“We expect our counselors to be busy these last few days as registration winds down,” Fernandez said.

The deadline for first time students to apply for admission is Wednesday, Aug. 20. “Unless a new student has already completed a financial aid application or can show means of payment, any applications after Aug. 20 will not be considered until the spring 2015 semester,” Fernandez said.

FAN scholarships total $18,000 to graduating seniors across the area

The Friends and Alumni Network (FAN) at Southwest Texas Junior College has announced the awarding of $18,000 in scholarships to 25 recent high school graduates from across the region.



Individual scholarships for the 2014-15 school year were awarded to students from CC Winn, Crystal City, D'Hanis, Del Rio, Nueces Canyon, Pleasanton, Sabinal, Shoemaker, Utopia and Uvalde high schools.



“We are extremely pleased to be able to help these deserving students as they pursue their higher education at SWTJC,” said FAN treasurer Wade Carpenter.


Class of 2014 Uvalde High School recipients of $1,000 FAN scholarships include Cristian Perez, Diego Ruiz and Illiana Silva.



Area recipients of $1,000 FAN scholarships include Neuces Canyon High School graduate Danielle Irwin, Daniel Dickson of D'Hanis High School and Sabinal High School graduates Katherine Alejandro and Korlee Allen.



Also receiving $1,000 scholarships were Utopia High School graduates Tyler Cox and Maria Selene Vega Muñoz.



FAN scholarships were also awarded to graduates of Del Rio High School, with Selena Torres and Daniela Velazco each receiving a $1,000 scholarship.



Crystal City High School 2014 graduates Roel Mata, David Puente, Sarah Sanchez and Rocio Santos each received $1,000 scholarships.



Class of 2014 graduates Brayden Bauer of Pleasanton High School and Lorenzo Fraga of Shoemaker High School received a $1,000 scholarship.



CC Winn recipient of a $1,000 FAN scholarship was Karla Garcia.

Law enforcement academy recognizes spring 2014 graduates

(Bottom row L-R) Jonathan Saldana, Izanel De La Cruz, Gilberto Ibarra, Jose Pargas Sr., Daniel Harris, Victoria Lopez, Jesse D. Casillas, Yaneth Rivera, Johnny Hernandez. (Second Row L-R) Coordinator Mike Leavene, Academy Secretary Teresa H. Zamarripa, Rodolfo Ramirez, Leonardo Sada, Roberto Gutierrez, Jose Armando Reyes, Jesus Vasquez, Jesus Alejandro, Jeremy Ruiz, Richard C. Moore, Romaldo Ramirez, academy instructor Kara A. Lands. (Top Row L-R) Jose Gomez, Carlos Espinoza, Beco Diaz, Daniel Villarreal, Antonio Rios, Reyes Leal, Albert Salazar,
David Castillo, Francisco Balvantin Jr.

A total of 27 cadets received certificates of completion during spring graduation ceremonies for the Middle Rio Grande Law Enforcement Academy at SWTJC.

The ceremonies were held Friday, May 30, in the Matthew’s Student Center Ballroom on the SWTJC Uvalde campus.

Alpha Class graduates include Jesus R. Alejandro, Francisco Balvantin, Jr., Jesse D. Casillas, David Castillo, III, Izanel De La Cruz, and Beco M. Diaz, Carlos M. Espinoza, Jose M. Gomez, Roberto R. Gutierrez, Jr., Daniel O. Harris, Juan J. Hernandez, Gilberto F. Ibarra, Reyes Leal, III, Victoria Ann Lopez and Richard C. Moore.

Non-traditional student overcomes slew of obstacles to earn degree

Imagine coming to this country from Mexico with a 4-year-old child, no education and unable to speak a lick of English. Throw in the emotional distress of having recently separated from your spouse of 12 years and you get some sense of what Maria del Rosario Torres faced when she arrived in the U.S. over two decades ago.

In 1993, after her 12-year marriage ended, Torres made the difficult choice of uprooting herself and young daughter Celia Guadalupe Aboytia, from her hometown of Navojoa, Sonora, MX, to make the long journey to the United States.

“I went to Perry, Florida to live with my sister because I felt I needed to lean on family while going through such a rough time in my life,” Torres said. “My time there was short, a little over a month to be exact. I never felt comfortable there, so I decided to move to Dilley to live with my other sister.”