By Ty Johnson | The Brownsville Herald
There are more than 60 high schools in Texas’ 34th Congressional District and U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela has his eyes on visiting each campus this fall to encourage students to prepare for college.
The tour has already seen Vela visit Porter and Rivera high schools in Brownsville to share a message about college preparation and many more are planned through November.
Vela said he feels reaching out to high school students and encouraging them to consider college is part of his congressional duty to serve the public.
It also allows him to walk in the footsteps of his father, who the congressman said always worked to inspire kids to go to college during his time as a federal judge.
“I like to think I’m carrying that legacy on,” Vela said.
But times have changed since the Brownsville representative attended Georgetown University, followed by law school at the University of Texas at Austin, so he presents jointly with a member of his staff, Pedro Juarez, who recently graduated from UT.
A native of San Juan, Juarez said he’s seen firsthand the struggles of students in the Rio Grande Valley, many of whom aim to be the first generation from their family to earn a post-secondary degree.
Juarez, a first generation college graduate himself, said being a Valley native himself gives him a special connection to students, many of whom don’t know the path to college if they haven’t had parents, siblings or close friends who have attended college themselves.
Demystifying the college application process, as well as the culture of undergraduate studies itself, dominates a large portion of Vela’s presentation, although there is a special emphasis placed on projections showing increased earning potential for people who attend college.
The tour most recently has focused on encouraging students interested in attending the nation’s military academies to contact Vela’s office.
The deadline to receive the congressman’s nomination to attend any of the nation’s service academies is Friday.
Vela’s office is accepting applications from students at least 17 years old but not older than 23 on July 1, 2014. Application materials are available online.
Vela may nominate students who wish to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy.
For more information about the application process, visit vela.house.gov or call Vela’s Washington office at (202) 225-9901.
