From Back Burner to Degree Earner

Jesus Elizondo never thought he would return to the Valley, let alone to college. Busy with his Border Patrol career and raising three kids, he says the online courses at South Texas College finally made it possible to finish what he started more than 15 years ago.

“I have a full schedule, day in and day out. And I’m able to work around it, to use the online courses to be flexible,” says the dedicated dad. “That is a huge help for somebody who has a full-time job and a family.”

Elizondo started taking college classes in 2004 as a dual credit student, back when STC was still STCC. He even took a couple of courses after high school. But when the Border Patrol called, Elizondo signed up, becoming the first in his family to leave the Rio Grande Valley.

“When I got in my car and saw the Valley in my rearview mirror, there was a feeling of, ‘Man, I’m actually doing this,’” he recalls. “It has definitely been an adventure — I’ve been all over the place.”

From New Mexico to Virginia, Elizondo’s work took him all over the country for seven long years. He met his wife, had two children, and then … got a little homesick. Before long, he was reflecting on the world he’d left in the rearview.

“We got back in 2013, and we’ve been here ever since,” says Elizondo, whose third child was born back in McAllen.

Though he was finally home, it would take another six years for him to return to his original goal: “I really didn’t think about coming back to school up until I started maturing a bit, I started having my kids, and I saw my kids going to school.”

A lucky email finally took college off the “back burner.” Through work, he learned that STC would exchange 17 college credits — the equivalent of six classes — for his Border Patrol Academy training. This meant he was already well on his way to an associate degree in law enforcement before he ever stepped back on campus.

“This opportunity came,” said Elizondo. “So I took advantage of it.”

The never-too-late learner cites three major reasons for returning to school despite his busy schedule. First, he wants to become a role model like his wife, who has her bachelor’s degree.

“That’s something we want to instill in our three boys that it’s very important for them to go to school,” Elizondo reflects.

Just as important, Elizondo said he wants to be able to say that he accomplished his goal – even if it meant taking the “scenic route.” Today, he is only a year away from graduating college and setting the foundation to achieve his third goal: advancing his career.

“I’m very happy in my current position, but I want to continue moving on up,” says the busy Border Patrol agent. Earning a degree “will help me move along the line and promote down the road.”

His hard work has already begun to pay off.

In just his second semester at STC, Elizondo was promoted to headquarters. For the past year and a half, he’s worked as the special operations supervisor at the Rio Grande Valley Sector Intelligence Unit, where he oversees several programs and enforcement teams.

Soon, with a full degree under his belt, he says nothing will be able to stop him.

“I want to move up to a position where I can make a bigger impact with our workforce,” says the supervisor. He aims to develop new programs to support employees and make their jobs easier.

Elizondo’s career is demanding, so he’s thankful his class schedule is flexible. He starts his day at 4:30 in the morning, works from six a.m. to four in the afternoon, and by 4:30 p.m., he’s picking up his children at the bus stop.

Finally, after he helps with dinner and the kids’ homework, “I can open the laptop and start working on my classes,” says the intrepid student. “It helps me a lot because I’m able to do it at my own pace.”

Slow but steady wins the race, and Elizondo is living proof. And though the part-time student has been taking one to two classes a semester for about two years, he insists that getting started was lightning fast. Because he had taken courses at STC in 2005, his information was already in the system.

“I jumped right into it,” recalls Elizondo. “Signing up and getting enrolled was hassle-free, and it was really simple to get things going.”

He credits STC Coordinator of College Connections Maricruz Hinojosa for making the difference.

“She’s been a huge, huge help making this transition to going back to school easier on me,” says Elizondo. From signing up for classes to keeping up with deadlines, he says the coordinator has helped him stay on top of his game every step of the way: “She’s been one of the biggest supporters.”

Hinojosa helps local first responders and Border Patrol agents enroll and excel in school. From her first encounter with Elizondo, the coordinator recalls that he was a “go-getter.”

“He’s very determined,” says Hinojosa, who is honored to help students like Elizondo succeed from the first day of school to the very last. “I can’t wait to see them walk across the stage [at graduation]. They’ve put in the effort, and it’s a real accomplishment for the entire family.”

As far as Elizondo’s favorite course? Surprisingly, it’s not a law enforcement class at all, but English Composition I.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was hesitant to take that class,” confides Elizondo. “Growing up, I shied away from English … That was never my strong suit.”

Nevertheless, he wanted to tackle the challenge to improve at his job. As a supervisor, Elizondo says he’s constantly writing emails, reports and papers. His English class was a tremendous boost to his professional communication skills, and he says it’s all thanks to South Texas College’s Jessica Schnee.

“She’s one of the best professors I’ve had so far,” beams Elizondo. He says Schnee took special care to explain lessons, answer questions in and out of class, and go over assignments. Even though the course was online, Elizondo says she was always available for help on the Pronto messaging app.

“It was basically like having her being present in class,” says Elizondo. “I was able to pick up a lot because of the time she took to make sure the course was on point.”

According to Schnee, an online English instructor of 20 years, Jesus “was the kind of student every teacher wishes to have in class … He was willing to step outside of what might seem comfortable or familiar, and as a result, he grew his skills beyond what he thought might be possible.”

Though he’s set to graduate next year, Elizondo isn’t going to stop there. He plans to stay at STC and go further.

“Since I’m trying to promote my career in the Border Patrol, I think a bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership … will help me gain the experience and knowledge to become a better leader,” he explains.

Elizondo knows it’s never too late to follow a higher calling, and his advice is to go for it.

“I hope that anybody who is on the fence about coming back to school gets inspired and takes that leap of faith, knowing that somebody with a full schedule can come back to school and get it done,” says the proud student.

“Just jump right into it … It’s very doable.”