I am currently employed by Northside ISD in San Antonio as a Reading Specialist.

I am a 1966 graduate of Pan American University. I graduated with honors and was nominated for both a Fulbright Scholarship and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. I am Major, USAF, retired. I went on to earn an MA at the University of Tulsa. You can find a Bio in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.

It would be good to make contact again with some of the other graduates of Pan American University.

I graduated from UTPA in December 2006 with a degree in Communications Broadcast/Journalism. I had great professors and mentors who I know I can count on still today.

My career guide since day 1 at Pan Am was Dr. Greg Selber. He was there on orientation day and helped me decide my major. He gave me a number to call to get my first internship which led to my first job in the field (Telemundo 40). After gaining great experience on the job and continuing my classes at Pan Am, I felt I was well equipped to be successful in my new career. Along the way I was encouraged by several professors such as Fred Mann, Donna Pazdera, Jack Stanley, and Salma Ghanem.

After graduation I moved to Miami, FL. to continue my studies in Hispanic Media because I had been constantly reminded by my professors that this would be the area of growth in media. Today, I am writing the message from my office at the Telemundo Network. I work for the digital media department, definitely the future of media as we know it. I am proud to be part of the NBC Universal family and work for such a great company that is G.E. Thanks to Pan Am for giving me the initial tools to succeed in my career!

Thank You!!!....It was a great gift for me and my family that the ceremony was transmitted live through the internet. My parents live in Mexico City and are unable to travel to Edinburg because they both are sick, but they could share this important moment with me on-line. Right after the ceremony they called me to cheer me up, and I felt they were hugging me too.We all were SO excited. Thank you so much...

Hello, my name is Elky Almaraz, and I graduated from UTPA in 2003 with a B.S. in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Sociology. I am very grateful to UTPA's supportive faculty and community for changing my life. During my second year of undergraduate courses at UTPA, I was inspired by my first organic chemistry class (taught by Prof. Bhat), which opened my eyes to a whole new way of viewing the world (on a molecular level), and challenged my intellect in a way of which I had never imagined. This course convinced me to switch my degree major to chemistry. After participating in the inorganic chemistry course, I was asked by the only inorganic chemistry professor at the time, Prof. Mondal, to be his research assistant. I eagerly accepted, not knowing how that opportunity would change my life. Prof. Mondal, a true mentor in every sense of the term, guided me through scientific theory, technique, and problem-solving. Under his direction, I experienced my first successes in the research laboratory and published a communication article on the molybdenum compounds that I synthesized and characterized under his guidance. He introduced me to the world of scientific research, the notion of graduate school, and made me realize that I had the potential to not only enter into that world, but work alongside cutting edge researchers and make my own lasting contributions. With his support and the support of several UTPA chemistry professors, I applied and was accepted into an inorganic chemistry program that ranked top five in the country (Texas A&M University). During my graduate studies, I synthesized and studied bio-inspired inorganic compounds, served as a teaching assistant for over 5 years in a variety of chemistry courses and labs, published various articles in scholarly chemistry journals, and participated in multiple outreach activities to promote the sciences. I recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M Univ. in May of 2009, and I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Baylor University. I appreciate those who have helped me shape my career thus far, especially the family of chemistry professors at UTPA, and Prof. Jalal Mondal, who saw such potential in me. Thank you!!

My experience was at the Brownsville Branch of Pan American. It was a great opportunity to continue my education. I recieved my masters as a Reading Specialist in 1987. I continued to teach with the Brownsville ISD at both the elementary and secondary levels. Half of my career was as an elementary teacher and the second half was at the high school level teaching learning disabled students. Pan American was a wonderful experience. My husband, David, recieved both his B.A. and M.A.I.S. from PAU-B. We are both retired now, but have fond memories of PAU-B.

I graduated from Pan American College in 1970 and remember the walks between the old campus and the new. It was hot and sweaty during the summer, and wet and cold during the winter. Nonetheless, the walks gave me time to reflect on my education at Pan Am and what I wanted to do after graduation.

Dr. L . Sorensen, the Biology Department Head, had recommended me to the USDA plant in Mission as a biologist. But I felt a need to serve my country and joined the Air Force as a navigator. Wherever I went on my world travels, I always looked at that country's flora and fauna. The Air Force also gave me an opportunity to earn two Masters - Systems Management from USC, and Counseling from Boston University. After serving 20 years, I was hired by American Airlines as a ground school instructor and work there presently. Throughout my world travels, including Southeast Asia, I always tried to wear a shirt depicting Pan Am. I have always been proud to be a Pan American graduate.

Hello, my name is Severino Rodriguez. I graduated in December of 2008 in English and History. The last year was a very tough time with finances and a new baby on the way. To be honest I never thought my degree would be worth a hill of beans in the real world. All I ever kept hearing from everyone was why would you major in English and History? All you will ever be able to do is teach--and for awhile I convinced myself that teaching was what I wanted to do. To be honest what really interested me was the business world. I had been applying for what seemed like an eternity till I came across AstraZeneca. If you do not know who they are do not worry--neither did I. After months of waiting and a bunch of interviews over the phone and one in person? I was accepted! All that to say is that I am an ENGLISH AND HISTORY major! And I am working in the pharmaceutical industry! I would encourage EVERYBODY to keep going for what interests you. This Fall I am going back to UTPA for my Business Administration Certificate with the hope of getting an MBA. Now when someone says you cannot do this--I say watch me.

UTPA made it affordable for me to go to college. My parents did not have money to send me to school. So I relied on the engineering scholarships offered at UTPA. The low tuition and affordable classes allowed me to go to school fulltime without having to work. I was also able to live at home while attending school because of the convenient location. The engineering program was awesome because of the low student to teacher ratio. All professors knew me by name and were readily available to help during their office hours. Thanks to UTPA, my husband and I were able to receive the education we needed to live the comfortable life we are living now. We are able to provide for our daughters even in these tough economic times. Thank God for UTPA!

I am a proud, grateful and fortunate graduate of UTPA. I received my bachelors in December 1991 and my Masters in December 1995 in Communication Disorders. I have been a Speech-Language Pathologist ever since and have never had to worry about finding a job. I continuously receive more employment offers than I know what to do with. I have worked in a variety of settings: Rehabilitation clinics, schools, early childhood intervention centers and school districts. I love what I do! Helping people communicate efficiently gives me great satisfaction and I love getting paid for that. Currently, I am in a position where I supervise assistant speech pathologists and I evaluate preschool children with suspected speech and language disorders for Katy ISD. UTPA definetely changed my life! Letty