For Knowledge and Wisdom
Student of the Week: Alicia Valladares
"You get by working job to job (but) you need to get that education.You have to do it for yourself, for knowledge and wisdom, and really just to be a better person."
For those who are struggling to get by or who are tired of bouncing from job to job, entering South Texas College is the most important thing you can do to get out of that cycle, according to Alicia Valladares.
You have to do it for yourself, for knowledge and wisdom and with the goal to be a better person, she said.
First entering college after graduating high school in 2008, Alicia said she instead decided to concentrate on work and raising a family. She stopped coming to college soon after, and it wasn’t until 2019 and then the start of the current COVID pandemic, that changed her outlook on education.
“I changed dramatically,” Alicia said. “I began work as a substitute and I realized how much I wanted to teach history. That's where it really opened my eyes. I just love learning different cultures civilizations our past and that was just my biggest dream, to teach others.”
Looking to graduate likely in 2023, Alicia says she plans to complete her associate degree in history before transferring to the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley to complete her bachelor degree.
The Associates of Arts degree with a field of study in History is designated for students planning to transfer to a baccalaureate degree in History or Liberal Arts at four-year institutions.
The curriculum includes general academic courses and electives that enable students who intend to major in History to transfer to four-year institutions. Completing a History program can expand opportunities in teaching, law school, journalism and other related areas.
Instruction in History will promote critical thinking and writing, as well as develop an awareness of how the past has shaped the present.
STC faculty say Alicia is one of the brightest and most hard-working students they have had and commend her not only for exemplary work but for ways to improve and to learn more about her future profession (history).
“School is the most important thing. Education and learning are the most important things in this world because without it you really struggle,” Alicia said. “You get by working job to job (but) you need to get that education. You have to do it for yourself, for knowledge and wisdom and really just to be a better person.
“To my family who read this, I would like to tell them to never give up and to never stop dreaming,” Alicia said. “I have been through a lot in my life and through a lot of traumatic experiences but if I can do this, anybody can do it.”