Alumni Spotlight
TAMIU Announces New Alumni Relations Director
Hi! I’m Veronica Gonzalez and I’m so honored to return to TAMIU and to work with the Alumni Association. Many of you know me as Ronnie from Enrollment Management & School Relations where I helped enroll students from 1995 through 2004.
I look forward to working with the TAMIU Alumni Association, cultivating new relationships, and re-establishing former ones. And while the phenomenal growth of our university in terms of student enrollment and infrastructure is impressive, it is essential that alumni engagement grow as well.
And, just a little bit of background: I’m a native Laredoan who graduated from Nixon High School (1989) and Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas (1993). I’ve also taken classes at TAMIU. My husband Hector Chapa is a Nixon High School Graduate (1989) and a TAMIU Alumnus (1997). We enjoy spending time with our family and our crazy dog, Sadie. I love foreign films, bad TV, reading fiction and music.
Come visit me on campus at the Killam Library Building 262A or let me know what you’ve been up to E-mail ronnie@tamiu.edu
New Student Relations Director
Teresa Chapa-Cantu, Director of Student Relations, will be providing students with individual and group career counseling, assistance with resumes, cover letters, job searches and interviews. She will also manage the annual Graduate and Professional School Fair. Previously, Terry practiced as a personal counselor for 7 years, with her M.Ed. in Community Counseling from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently completing her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. Terry can be reached at 326-2262 or tchapa-cantu@tamiu.edu
New Employer Relations Director
Andres Jaime will manage career fairs, recruitment activities and other related events to maxamize opportunities for students to connect with employers. Previously, Andres served more than 2 years at HACU and received his B.S. in Communications from the University of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA). Andres plans to pursue a Masters' degree from TAMIU in the Spring. Andres can be reached at 326-2264 or ajaimes@tamiu.edu
Elizabeth Martinez is a 1997 graduate of Texas A&M International University with a Bachelor of Arts degree-major in English and a minor in Mathematics. After graduation from TAMIU, Elizabeth attended and graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law. After gaining over six years of experience as an attorney in state government, Elizabeth opened up her own law practice in April 2007. She has a general law practice that is located at 1220 San Agustin in Laredo, Texas. To learn more about Elizabeth Martinez' dedication to her community, feel free to visit her profile at elizabethmlaw.com
Congratulations to Alumnus Gabriel Tijerina ’96 and Hector Chapa ’97!
Gaby, Hector and Danny (R-L) are members of Cresset Guild, a distinguished achievement awarded only to the top 10% producers in the Country.The three work for Takeda Pharmaceuticals of North America.
Dr. Jovannelly Zaragoza was born in California, but raised in Laredo, received her Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from the UTHSCSA. She also holds credentials that allow her to administer oral sedation or nitrous oxide sedation.
Dr. Zaragoza enjoys all phases of general dentistry which includes oral surgery, esthetic restorations, root canal treatment, porcelain crowns and porcelain bridges, dentures, children's dentistry and the restoration of dental implants. She is employed at Gentle Family Dentistry.
She is a graduate of United South High School and received her bachelor degree (Summa Cum Laude) from TAMIU in 2000 where she double majored in Biology and Mathematics. During her spare time, Dr. Zaragoza enjoys photography as a hobby.
Faculty Spotlight
If you’re interested in a good biography filled with untold facts about a very difficult man, you will want to check out Dr. Jerry Thompson’s latest biography, Cortina: Defending the Mexican Name in Texas. The biography, over 20 years in the making, was released late this summer.
It was just awarded the 2007 Cleotilde P. Garcia Tejano Book Prize, which will be presented at the 2007 Texas State Hispanic Genealogical Conference, “Celebrating Tejano Heritage,” on Sept. 15 in Austin, Texas.
According to Dr. Thompson, Regents Professor of History at Texas A&M International University, this book was one of the most complicated to write and was meticulously researched.
In the spring, Thompson will be one of the speakers for the 2007/2008 A.R. Sánchez Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series. He will be discussing the life of Cortina.
For full article, please click link.
http://www.tamiu.edu/newsinfo/9-06-07/article9.shtml
For further information, please contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 326-2180, e-mail prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268. --This story by intern Rebecca N. Martinez.
