As the saying goes, if you get a great team together, you will be successful. No words could ring more accurately than this year’s Academic Leadership Alliance (A-L-A) Virtual Teacher Summer Externship program. Educators were privileged to listen to a variety of well-spoken professionals from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Doctors Hospital at Renaissance was well represented as pharmacists Daniela Bazan, Jonathan Cantu, and Rene Verduzco spoke about their career journeys and the roles they play at the hospital.

Dr. Efraim Vela, Associate Program Director and Assistant Professor of the newly formed UTRGV School of Medicine, and Chief of Women’s Services at Women’s Hospital at DHR Health, stressed the importance of teaching students how to communicate effectively. He mentioned that students have become so accustomed to writing in the same method in which the text that communication sometimes falls short. This concern needs to be addressed in high school so students understand that it isn’t a professional way to communicate.

Among other guest speakers were: Speech Pathologist Belinda Anaya; Dr. Nydia Darby, Physical Therapist and Yoga instructor for Nydia’s Yoga Therapy Studio; Mario Lizcano, DHR; Christian J. Lopez, State Farm owner/agent; Haziel Lopez, Baylor College of Medicine at Texas Medical Center; Aida Martinez, DHR; Jonathan Medina, Best Motivational Speaker; Hiten Patel, Nerdvana owner/founder; Nao-mi Perales, Texas Gas Service, and RGV LEAD Board Vice-President; Dr. Erica Perez, Psychologist and owner of Bluebonnet Counseling Center; Lizzy de la Garza Putegnat, Titan Fuel and RGV LEAD Board President; Joe Quiroga, Texas National Bank President; Cynthia Sakulen-ski, RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO; and Noelia Tijeri-na, Fresenius Kidney Care Nutritionist.

RGV LEAD would like to thank all A-L-A employer partners, participants Eliza Groff, Janie Johnston Lopez, and Dr. Norma Salaiz, who helped organize this year’s externship event.

Stay tuned for the face-to-face teacher externship coming up in July. It will be exciting to see teachers participating in hands-on activities. They, like the June cohort, are bound to develop great lesson plans from the summer externship experiences to take back to the classroom. Our students are in for some great teachable moments!