KINGSVILLE (April 2, 2024) — The Texas A&M University-Kingsville Office of Career Engagement and the College of Education and Human Performance partnered together to welcome independent school districts (ISDs) from all over the State of Texas to the 2024 Javelina Education Expo on Tuesday, April 2, at the Memorial Student Union Building Ballrooms.
Where traditional career expos bring employers to one location, the Javelina Education Expo brought together current Texas A&M-Kingsville student-teachers and representatives from more than 40 school districts from Frisco to the Rio Grande to discuss what pursuing a career in education would look like.
“We’ve invited current student teachers who are currently student teaching and will be ready by graduation to obtain their career in teaching,” Assistant Director of Career Engagement Tammy Romo-Alcala said. “This is an opportunity for all students to come out and learn things about ISDs like what they are paying and what their areas of need are.”
While there was a focus on student-teachers, Romo-Alcala said there is opportunity for any students studying in many fields.
“We encourage all students to come out,” she said. “If you want to be a teacher, yes, but ISD’s also need people for roles in accounting and computer science. If you think about an ISD, it is every single person and every single college that we have here on campus.”
The event saw more than 50 students check into the expo and visit with school districts to obtain contacts, marketing materials and information unique to their situation.
Senior biology science major and Mercedes native Carolina Herrera said student-teaching at Santa Gertrudis Academy opened her eyes to what she wanted for her teaching career, which helped her take advantage of what the expo had to offer.
“Student-teaching helped me realize what I’m looking for in a school,” Herrera said. “It showed me that I would prefer a smaller district to start with and that I should look at how curriculums were set up. There are a lot of schools here since they included places from North Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, but I was looking for the booths in this area because I probably won’t be leaving right after graduation.”
-TAMUK-
