I am honored to be the Chair of the South Texas Tech Prep Consortium, and to hold this office for the last three years has been a rewarding, enlightening, and pleasurable experience. This education scholarship program gives area high school students an opportunity to earn free college credit. In essence, tech prep motivates students to seek opportunities of higher education, giving them a head start in their educational endeavors. Programs such as tech prep must be preserved to ensure that our youth will continue to have my enduring support for any educational program such as Tech Prep that gives students a global competitive advantage.

Cynthia Mares
Webb County Risk Management Department, Risk Manager
South Texas Tech Prep, Chairperson

I have been very fortunate to have served in the South Texas Tech Prep's Board and Executive Committee for over six years. As Chairman of the Board for two terms I learned the importance of this program to students in our community and surrounding areas. Our young men and women are given an opportunity to advance while still attending high school. Even though I am now retired, I will continue to serve because I truly believe in the goals and mission statement of the program.

Oscar H. Garza, Jr.
U.S. Border Patrol (Retired)
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

Tech Prep has proved to be a valuable asset to the South Texas Region. Since its inception in the early 1990s, it has been very helpful to the region's students, their families, and employers. As a "multiple entry, multiple exit" conduit, it allows students to explore various occupation levels while also earning college credits as high school students. The latter option is priceless as time, effort, and money is saved by avoiding duplication of high school subjects while continuing with a college education and the tuition and fees expense by taking advantage of the articulated courses available among high schools and colleges. I support South Texas Tech Prep because I have observed its progress and benefits, having been involved with it directly and indirectly since around 1992.

Arturo N. Meraz
Independent Researcher (Retired)
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

Judith Martinez
Doctor's Hospital, Director of Business Development
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

It gives me great pleasure to be a member of the Board of Directors for South Texas Tech Prep. This fine organization facilitates the transition from high school to college for students interested in furthering their post-secondary education in a technical field. The Tech Prep articulation process saves students time and money and gives them a jump-start to their future.

Alicia Carrillo
United Independent School District,
Director of Career & Technology and UIL
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

Tech Prep is the program that helps students prepare for careers in technology. It is a consortium that serves Laredo Community College and the public school districts in our community. Teachers and administrators work together to help the students in high school begin their college career before they complete high school. It gives students an opportunity to earn college credit and to begin preparing for a career in technology by making college level courses available to them in high school. What better way is there to get a head start and to be ready to make a good living earlier in life? Congratulations to the Tech Prep Consortium and particularly to the students that participate in this program. Laredo Community College is proud to help Laredo work.

Dr. Ramon H. Dovalina
Laredo Community College, President

The South Texas Tech Prep program has dramatically impacted workforce education in our region. It has provided much needed resources to the public schools that have positively impacted the number of students preparing to be a part of a skilled and well qualified workforce. Through curriculum alignment projects and professional development projects, the public schools and the community college have established a mutually beneficial relationship that promotes professional growth and student success. I am very proud to be part of Tech Prep. It saves taxpayer money, saves parents money and reduces the time required for students to complete a workforce education degree.

Juan L. Maldonado, Ph.D.
Laredo Community College,
VP for Instruction & Student Development
Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

Tech Prep is a program that helps create an early start towards college and a career while still in high school. Tech Prep helps bring a student to college and allow them to continue expanding their education in the career field of their choice. In essence Tech Prep is a pathway to success.

Federico Solis Jr.
Laredo Community College, Dean of Workforce Education
South Texas Tech Prep, Sub-Committee Member

The South Texas Tech Prep has been the vehicle for my students to consider post-secondary education. It has encouraged them to look into setting their goals for their future. I have seen the inauguration of this program and seen it grow from a very small program to a program that has extended to surrounding school districts of Webb County. I know for a fact that the first courses that were articulated were all in the Business Education Department. This program has been very fruitful for students not necessarily focused on a bachelors degree, but a great starting point for their post-secondary education. I will always be a strong advocate for this program since it has helped so many students in our area.

Richard Rodriguez
Laredo Independent School District, CATE Teacher
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

As a public school educator, I welcome the opportunity to work with Tech Prep. Tech Prep is a process that allows our students to set educational goals while in high school and work toward postsecondary certificates or associate degrees. Students are motivated as they earn college credit while completing courses in high school.

Dolores L. Campos
Laredo Independent School District, Director of Career & Technology Education
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

The South Texas Tech Prep Program has been serving the career needs of the youth of South Texas for many years. The work of Tech Prep has been critical in allowing young men and women to explore career possibilities through curriculum based programs and real work experiences. The collaboration with all the school districts of South Texas and higer education institutions has been a model of leadership for many other Tech Prep programs in the state. As the work continues, Tech Prep will continue to synergize the education community that serves the needs of our South Texas youth.

Dr. Humberto Gonzalez
TAMIU, Dean of College of Education
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

Tech Prep is a program that provides a seamless transition between high school, career and post-secondary education. Students gain real-world employability skills and earn free college credit for classes taken in high school.

Nelda Guevarra
Zapata County Independent School District,
Director of Career & Technology
South Texas Tech Prep, Executive Board Member

Zapata County ISD has participated in the South Texas Tech Prep Programs since its inception. Since our school district is small, our students benefit from these programs two-fold. The students are able to obtain accrual college credit in their chosen career as well as obtain measures for the graduate Distinguished Achievement Program. The CATE teachers involved in the program are excited that our students have an opportunity to excel in their chosen programs. These programs allow our students to explore career options and to help better prepare them for the world of work.

Velma Moran
CATE Counselor
Tech Prep Sub-Committee, Zapata County ISD

Tech Prep is a program which provides students from all backgrounds the opportunity to believe that they can function in the academic world. By providing students with the ability to earn college credit while in high school, the transition from high school to college is started. For many students who have not had any family member with previous college experience, this is a major obstacle that Tech Prep helps them overcome.

Dolores Medrano
United Independent School District,
Ed. D., Director of Discipline Management
South Texas tech Prep, Executive Board Member

The Laredo Tech Prep Program exposes students to various technical fields of studies, while students are still in high school. Students who participate in this type of program have the ability to explore career options and earn college credit at the same time. Thus, students benefit educationally and financially by taking advantage of opportunities such as these. The Laredo Tech Program is a good vehicle of transition to a prosperous and enriching post-secondary education. I strongly encourage teachers and counselors to promote this program, and I strongly advise students to consider this program as an initial option for their skills development. Take a step ahead by joining Laredo's Tech Prep Program today!

Susan Carreon
Laredo Community College, Senior Staff Accountant
South Texas Tech Prep, Sub-Committee Member

“I am a huge supporter of workforce training and tech-ed programs. Tech Prep is a valuable resource that benefits business and industry, students, parents, educators, and taxpayers, not only in my district, but throughout the State of Texas. By embracing all students and by providing career and advanced skills training, Tech Prep provides our citizens with opportunities to succeed.”

Dianne White Delisi
State Rrepresentative, District 55

My priorities as a state senator include enhancing access to a higher education for deserving students and encouraging them to complete their studies timely. That is why I authored the "B-on-Time" program, which provides interest-free student loans that are forgiven for students who are graduated timely with at least a B average. This program enables us to help more students while motivating them to do more in the expected time frames for completing their respective degrees. Tech Prep works from the same premise by giving students a competitive advantage and placing them on a fast track toward earning their degrees. Completing degrees in the least time possible will help students and their families save money and enhance their future earning capacity. The result is that programs such as Tech Prep help students realize their dreams.

Judith Zaffirini
State Senator

"Tech-Prep ensures local students and citizens the best career opportunities by successfully to responding to an ever-increasing demand for a well-trained and educated workforce. The technical curriculum ensures a business-relevant and pertinent education - ensuring the necessary communication between educators, area businesses, and students. I am very enthusiastic about the success Tech Prep has had, and I look forward to their future work."

Henry Cuellar
U.S. Congressman District 28

I graduated from United High School. Now, as a freshman at Laredo Community College, I am pursuing a career in Criminal Justice. I have advanced in my credits with the help of Tech Prep. While in high school I took college credit courses and now that I am attending college I already collected credit hours.

Thank you Tech Prep, for helping me advances faster in college."

Edgar F. Garcia
Tech Prep Student

Elizabeth Martinez
Tech Prep Student

My name is Jessica Aguilar, a December (2004-2005) graduate from Dr. Leo G. Cigarroa High School in Laredo, Texas. Starting my freshmen year at Laredo Community College, I had the opportunity to start college with hours all thanks to Tech Prep. Now I have a head start towards my associates in applied accounting.

Jessica Aguilar
Tech Prep Student

Tech Prep helped me get ahead one whole semester of college courses by using my high school credits as college credits. I took the Cisco Networking Academy courses while in high school, and because I achieved good grades, these courses allowed me to start college with a high GPA. Tech Prep also saved me a great deal of time and money. Tech Prep gave me the opportunity to achieve my associates degree in Computer Networking, while taking other basic courses not required for the degree. With all my extra courses, I applied and was accepted to the University of Texas at Austin. To be honest, Tech Prep was the reason I decided to pursue my Computer Networking Degree. I thought to myself, since I'm already this far ahead in the degree plan. I might as well finish it. Every student should take advantage of this wonderful opportunity Tech Prep has to offer. I graduated from John B. Alexander High School in May 2002, received my Associates Degree in Computer Networking at Laredo Community College in May 2004, and now I am pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Sociology at the University of Texas in Austin.

Jerry Martinez
Tech Prep Student