RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Wendy Martinez Guevara and Jacqueline Garza are products of the UTeach program at UTRGV and have accepted teaching positions as future teachers in Texas.
This week Garza starts as an eighth-grade math teacher at Jubilee Academy in Brownsville, and Guevara Martinez starts at the Austin Independent School District in January as a bilingual elementary teacher.
Dr. Julie Mustard, UTRGV associate professor of Biology, said she is excited for her students’ next steps as future STEM educators.
“They are enthusiastic, and they are excited about what they’re doing. They’re excited about moving forward with their teaching careers. I would be happy to have them teaching my kids,” Mustard said. “I hope they see the enthusiasm in their own students and try to foster the excitement science can bring.”
Both graduates shared this message with future Vaqueros: Do. Not. Stop.
“College is not a race,” Martinez Guevara said. “You don’t need to focus on what someone else is doing. You need to focus on what you’re doing. I always tell this to my students. ‘Whatever you’re going to study is what you will be doing for the rest of your life, so make sure that is something that you love.’”
Garza agreed that no matter how long it takes, never give up on your degree.
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. As long as you put your mind to it and work hard, it’s going to pay off,” she said.
Martinez Guevara and Garza will walk the stage at the Brownsville commencement ceremony on Saturday, on the UTRGV Brownsville Campus.
