TAMIU’s Dr. Aaron Olivas Named One of 12 Laredo Chamber of Commerce School Bell Award Winners
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) associate professor of History Dr. Aaron Olivas has been named one of this year’s 12 Laredo Chamber of Commerce School Bell Award winners.
The distinction is presented annually to educators selected by their peers for their performance in and out of the classroom. The Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee selected outstanding educators from a pool of applicants representative of the primary grades through the university level. Dr. Olivas was selected under the category of Post-Secondary Education.
Michael González, the Chamber’s States Committee Chairman, said the task of selection of one application over another was not easy.
“Truly, each of the applicants is well-deserving of recognition for their dedication and commitment to the profession,” González said, “I applaud each of the applicants and all the other hundreds of teachers that day in and day out dedicate their time and resources to prepare future leaders and workforce for our community and beyond. On behalf of the committee, I congratulate each and every one of them.”
Olivas said he is honored to receive the recognition.
“I appreciate the Laredo Chamber of Commerce’s continued encouragement for education—especially higher education—in these uncertain times,” he said, “I’m happy to be able to give back to South Texans with my teaching by raising awareness of our shared Hispanic/Latinx history. The Chamber’s support of my work as a historian reminds me why I went into this profession in the first place: to serve our broader community and impact lives well beyond the classroom.”
School Bell Award recipients will also receive a special award from Family Chevrolet and Killam Development, Ltd., the Chamber said.
Laredo College (LC) will host the School Bell Award ceremony where the awards will be presented. Both LC and TAMIU’s College of Education form part of the Chamber’s Education Committee and are strong contributors to its annual programs.
The School Bell Award is the brainchild of two former Laredo Chamber of Commerce Education Committee members --Candy Hein, former TAMIU vice president for Institutional Advancement, and Elia González, a telecommunications executive. In 1992, Hein and González decided that the Laredo Chamber should find a way to recognize local exemplary teachers. With the full support of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, the two organized a plan to raise funds and to institute the first awards program.
Olivas joined TAMIU’s faculty in 2014 and offers courses on the history of the Hispanic World, Spain and Latin America. He received the TAMIU College of Arts and Sciences, department of Humanities’ 2017 Scholar of the Year Award.
Olivas holds his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He earned two master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and UCLA respectively. His bachelor’s degree is from the University of San Francisco. A former Fulbright Fellow and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA, he is also a UCLA Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies Postdoctoral Fellow.
In addition to Olivas, this year’s Award recipients included educators Nidia Raquel Heard, Sylvia Martínez, Vanessa Rodríguez, Isabel G. Ruiz, Imelda Mendiola, María Magdalena Gutiérrez, Frank J. Pérez, Sonya Sánchez, Cristina Flores, America Paez-Miranda, and Leslie Solís.
About the Laredo Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1915, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce is Laredo’s and Webb County’s longest running business organization. It represents approximately 600 businesses of the local community. It is accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with five stars.
Aside from its annual recognition event for teachers, the Laredo Chamber Education Committee supports and actively participates in school-related activities, fostering leadership skills training for young adults through programs such as the Youth Leadership Laredo.
For more information, contact TAMIU’s Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, click on tamiu.edu or follow the University’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
