Dr. Cigarroa Spring Commencement Speaker at A&M International

Dr. Ricardo G. Cigarroa, a Laredo cardiologist and member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, will serve as Spring 2001 Commencement Speaker for graduation exercises scheduled Saturday, May 12 at Texas A&M International University's Kinesiology/Convocation Building.

Ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m.

Approximately 225 students are candidates for undergraduate or graduate degrees.

A native Laredoan and graduate of J. W. Nixon High School, Dr. Cigarroa earned his undergraduate degree in biology at Princeton University where he was named a National Hispanic Scholar and recipient of the Sigma XI Fellowship. His M.D. was earned at the Harvard Medical School.

Cigarroa completed his internship and residency at The Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

He holds Board Certifications in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease and is Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Mercy Health Center and Chairman of the hospital's Committee on Development of Cardiac Program.

Former president of the Laredo Medical Group, he is a Fellow of the Council on Clinical Cardiology and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Intervention and a Member the Tri-County Medical Society and the Texas Medical Association and its committees on Cardiology and Cardiovascular Diseases. He is also an Affiliate of the American College of Cardiology.

He continues to conduct important research into cardiovascular illnesses and is the author or coauthor of more than 15 publications and was a contributor to the text The Guide to Cardiology. His research has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation.

He is married to Melissa M. Cigarroa and they are the parents of 15 year-old Ricardo G. Cigarroa Jr. and 12-year-old Alyssa Christine Cigarroa.

The commencement ceremonies will also recognize Dr. Eduardo Hinojosa as Professor Emeritus for the College of Education, and Altagracia Azios-Garcia as recipient of an A&M International Honorary Doctorate.

Dr. Hinojosa has been a part of campus life at the former Laredo State University and now A&M International for more than 29 years.

Born in Encinal, Texas, he earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in education from the then-Texas A&I University at Kingsville. He earned his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin.

He became a full professor in 1987, helped hundreds of young Laredoans learn to read at the University's reading clinic, and has been a lead educator for many of the area's top teaching professionals.

Azios-Garcia recently retired after 43 years as director and owner of Altagracia Azios-Garcia Dance Studio and has been involved in virtually every local dance effort in Laredo since the mid-1950s.

From organizing the city's first Ballet Infantil Mexicano and Laredo Civic Spanish Ballet to helping to initiate BorderFest, she has long been a recognized force in local dance education and appreciation for the arts.

For further information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at 326-2180. University office hours are 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu