2007 Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit:
“Portraits of Alumni Achievement”

Calixto Seca, Jr. ‘88

“Education is the best inheritance a parent can give a child.”

Calixto Seca, Jr. ‘88, BAAS
Binational Coordinator for Public Health
Department of State and Health Services

For Calixto Seca, Jr., moving across the border from Nuevo Laredo to Laredo after completing ninth grade proved to be a humbling experience. Because he had only been educated in Spanish, the educational system placed him in third grade so he could gain a basic mastery of the English language for a semester before allowing him to go to high school. With the encouragement and support of many teachers, Seca graduated from high school as a member of National Honor Society.

After a few personal setbacks, Seca was determined to earn his degree at TAMIU and paid for his tuition by working at the hotel run by his family in Nuevo Laredo. After graduation in 1988, he continued to work in the family business until the Mexican economic crisis in 1991. He then started his public health career, which has led him to his current position as Binational Coordinator for Public Health.