Dept. of Education: Title V Part B Grants

ELITE at TAMUCC

I know such programs are essential in raising the bar of academic and professional success for students much like myself. I am proud to be a member of the TAMUCC community and I am forever grateful for the support of ELITE. I know such programs make the pathway to success possible for all.

I returned to school after teaching in the public school system in the Coastal Bend area of south Texas. With support of my professors, colleagues, friends, and family I have completed my doctoral degree and now I am supporting the teacher education program and the general biology program with TAMUCC as an adjunct faculty while I seek a more permanent position with another higher learning institution.

ELITE Support

The ELITE Graduate Program made this possible, and I am so grateful for the support of highly qualified tudors and staff members that helped to facilitate this transition.

When I arrived at Texas A&M University in January of 2013 to work toward my Ph.D. in Coastal and Marine System Science, I still needed to wrap up details of my Master's Degree. The ELITE Graduate Program made this possible, and I am so grateful for the support of highly qualified tudors and staff members that helped to facilitate this transition. Thank you!

The Impact of a Grant

If it weren't for grant funded programs, people, like myself, who come from underprivileged and disenfranchised walks of life would never be able to afford opportunities to further their careers.

It was 20 degrees in the middle of March in downtown Cincinnati. I drove a rental car through the rolling green hills of Kentucky to reach my hotel downtown. When you step outside the cold air hits you hard in the face like dry sharp razor. The sky top buildings and shinning lights were the stars you saw in the sky. I gathered my peacoat tight around my chest, wrapped my face with my scarf, and shoveled my belongings inside. My room was on the 10th floor and gave me the view of shuffling cars zooming along late that night through a White Castle. For a young girl from the west coast, on her first adventure in the heartland, the wonder and fascination of the micro-facets of life were exhilarating. I had only been there two hours and could barely imagine what laid ahead of me.

My time with ELITE

And that's when I found ELITE, the program at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi that had been granted the money (HEA Title V - Part B) to assist graduate students. Being the first in my family to attend a graduate program, finding ELITE really helped ease my mind from all of the tensions and problems I had.

When I first started in the English graduate program at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, I was honestly scared about everything that was to come. I was scared about the classes I was about to take, I was scared about the readings I would have to do, and I was scared about being the first in my family to even think about getting a Masters degree, which coming from a Hispanic background is a big thing. I had the weight of my family's pride resting on my shoulders, and I was unsure if I was going to be able to make them proud in the end, while also keeping myself mentally stable from the workload.

Benefits of ELITE

The value of being a Hispanic - Serving Institution (HSI) is unmeasurable. As a cultured Hispanic woman odds were against me completing any higher education. It was an experienced that helped me feel valued, important and motivated me to incorporate myself with the community.

I received the ELITE grant while I was in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master's Program. The grant provided an IPad and funding to help me get through the program. I was able to have access to my work everywhere I went with the help of the grant.

Cascading opportunities

My experience with the travel funding available through the Title V grant known as ELITE at TAMUCC eliminated many of these concerns for the years the program was active.

For students, conferences are where you learn to network and establish connections that allow you to create diverse and impactful research. They are where you learn to communicate and to speak confidently to peers in your field. And they are where you bond with your adviser and your labmates outside the lab. But student travel funding is often limited and, in many cases, advisers have to be selective about who they chose to take.

ELITE Program at TAMUCC

I was a Master's student at TAMUCC from January 2011 - December 2012. I graduated with a 4.0 with my MS in Counseling. I was in the ELITE Program my entire time during my graduate career. The ELITE Program helped me with networking, finding friends and mentors within my program, allowed me to print for free, and helped me receive scholarships during my Master's. If it was not for the ELITE Program, I would have had to spend more time worrying about paying for my education and other education-related expenses (e.g. printing); I probably would not have been able to have graduated with a 4.0 as well.