2007 Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit:
“Portraits of Alumni Achievement”

Juanita C. Vela ‘72

Juanita C. Vela ‘72, BSEED
Executive Director of Special Education
United Independent School District

As executive director for special education at United Independent School District, Juanita C. Vela spends her days ensuring the program provides services that her students really need.

For most of her professional career, Vela has been involved with the special education program. Although her first five years as a teacher were spent in a traditional classroom, she soon felt an affinity for the district’s special education students. In 1977, she became an educational diagnostician and was later promoted to special education supervisor.

Vela was first a housewife and mother of two before she decided to enroll in college, a decision she wishes she had made earlier. Her biggest joy is knowing that she and one of her former classroom students have received the TAMIU Alumni Achievement Award.