Close

Recent graduates create a brighter future for students with administrators and board members

Feature_Grad

Former Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District students joined forces with district administrators and members of the Board of Trustees to help students for years to come on Jan. 9.

Students from the Class of 2013 joined the district for its annual Recent Graduate Luncheon. The Luncheon provides recent graduates with the opportunity to meet with district officials and Board members to discuss past experiences at HCISD. Jacob Gonzales, current student at Texas A & M University and Harlingen High School South graduate, fondly reflected on his time at HCISD and the skills he was able to develop throughout the years.

“It gave me insight to what a college class would be like,” said Gonzales. “My experiences taught me to be competitive inside and outside the classroom. It made me want to be the best in everything and remain focused.”

From campus activities to lessons learned in the classrooms, all aspects of college and career readiness were discussed. With students coming from prestigious universities like Cornell, the University of Missouri, the University of Texas and Texas A & M University, they were able to bring their unique and recent college experiences to the table.

“Cornell is a competitive university,” said Francisca Aparo, current Cornell student and Harlingen High School graduate. “My time at HCISD made the ideal person to go on and conquer whatever comes my way and remain ambitious.”

Past students were present from each of the comprehensive high schools to provide their unique feedback regarding their campus experience, and how the lessons they learned at HCISD have helped them in their post graduate ventures. Current University of Texas Pan-American student and Early College High School graduate Ricardo Garcia shared his experience of gaining an early start on college credits while at ECHS that also assisted with his transition from high school to college.

“I feel like I was prepared very well for college, maybe even over prepared,” said Garcia. “I finished all my academic core classes at Early College High School, and now in college I’m getting to focus on being a music major. It was a lot of work, but it gave me the framework to be where I am today.”

While speaking, students also took the opportunity to share what they would tell current HCISD students about their upcoming graduations and venture into college or the workforce.

“Be prepared but don’t panic,” said Aparo. “Everyone goes into college with their own individual attributes. Everyone brings different experiences so try and make your experience the best you can.”

The luncheon is held every year to create a discussion panel to promote academic progression and transformation for the district.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *