Vignettes from the Hill: Deep Roots

By Southwest Texas Junior College at Eagle Pass

The Eagle Pass Campus of Southwest Texas Junior College sits upon the plateau that overlooks the city and maintains a sentinel’s eye over all that betides below. The sprawling landscape carries as far as the eye can see, or at least as far as the larger than life “Bandera de Mexico” that waves just beyond the Rio Grande, and reveals a colorful mixing and mingling of cultures, lives, and stories that demand to be explored, understood, and shared. Viñetas del Cerro:Raíces Profundasare the stories of real lives that have been nurtured and shaped by the persuasive hands of culture and the powerful impressions of experience, and told, not by professional writers, but by students who will become the next generation of storytellers. Collectively, Viñetas del Cerro:Raíces, is their story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9780359043910

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Vignettes from the Hill: Deep Roots

Viñetas del Cerro: Raíces Profundas

Vignettes from the Hill: Deep Roots

Southwest Texas Junior College Eagle Pass English Department

Copyright © 2018 by Southwest Texas Junior College

Eagle Pass English Department

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned,

or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.

First Edition: August 2018

Cover © www.gograph.com / cienpies

ISBN: 978-0-359-04391-0

For

Gilbert Bermea Sr. whose vision has become his legacy.

Where there is no vision, the people perish…—Pro. 29:18

Foreword

In the early 70's, 1973 to be exact, there existed no higher education in Eagle Pass. In that year Southwest Texas Junior College hired a man to begin the process of establishing higher education opportunities in Eagle Pass, Texas. The startup was slow because there were no facilities available. The newly hired Director had taught in the Eagle Pass Independent School District at the elementary and junior high school level, and in this experience, he witnessed, not only a great ability in his students, but a willingness to learn. Along with this wonderful positive, there were, however, inescapable needs in the community and the lives of his students. Many bright students suffered from limited opportunity due to economic limitations which forestalled their access to education beyond high school. This was an evident and nagging problem for the Director because he had recognized the potential of these students.

With limited resources, he sought out a location to rent and establish college classes, both academic and vocational. Classes were initially held in a rented facility and at the Eagle Pass Library. Hardship ensued, and the building being used for classes was virtually sold out from underneath him. He persisted in his search for a suitable facility and, at one point, found himself located at the Eagle Pass Housing Project, but he was undaunted in his mission to establish higher education opportunities for those bright students and to establish it in a permanent home. Eventually, a college-owned facility was built in Eagle Pass as a result of his tireless efforts. His mission was to provide college opportunities for the community because he had experienced firsthand what an education could do. In 1982 the first location was built, and along with leased classroom space from the Eagle Pass Independent School District, classes began in their permanent home. The Director devoted many hours and late nights laboring to make this new opportunity a successful reality for students and one that would meet their need for convenience in scheduling.

He served in every capacity in those days; he was the director, he taught classes, registered students, took payment, and was the maintenance staff. Eventually, he did receive the reinforcements that were needed such as a secretary and a part-time counselor. But, despite the hardships and struggles and the late nights and early mornings that made for extremely long and tiresome days, he persevered. From those humble beginnings, a facility soon rose from the dust and in 1994 construction began with the first of two buildings. The increase in enrollment, as well as interest and demand for education, grew to require a more robust facility and in 1998, 2000, 2005, and 2016 the institution added to its capacities. Building projects can be and in most cases are impressive and exciting and are monuments to what is possible with the vision of the architect, but for the Director it was never about the buildings. His commitment never wavered, and his number one priority was the students and what he needed for them to succeed. He actively worked his vision for thirty-seven years with late nights and infrequent vacations. He persisted and endured because of his love for education and what his efforts meant to the populace. The Director, and later Dean, is my father, Gilbert C. Bermea, who continues his interest in the Eagle Pass college campus today. His vision and dedication to providing educational opportunities that provoke intellectual and personal growth has continued to fan the fire of success in Eagle Pass students.

As the campus grew in numbers, both student and staff, more core curriculum courses were taught and along with the courses came an increase in student interests. Clubs began to form, and student activities became more and more frequent and commonplace, the campus had evolved to the next level. In 2002 Phi Theta Kappa was organized and established on the campus, and this group of students began to engage in service to the college and their community. Through PTK's outreach efforts the community has been served with a variety of beneficial projects that have built relationships and fostered learning. The projects include the current free educational summer camp that introduces elementary and middle school students to the writing and research processes. PTK's efforts reached into the needs of the community with its Honors in Action project by remodeling an elementary school library that was in desperate need of updating, both aesthetically and in technology.  Although Phi Theta Kappa was the first, time and interest have shown that it will not be the last. National and student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math have resulted in a STEM club that inspires the next generation of problem solvers. STEM also has sailed into the community and is offering opportunities for school-age children to be motivated and inspired. Of late, the Eagle Pass campus clubs and student organizations have grown to include groups interested in gaming, drama, chess, and the Arts and Humanities. Most remarkable of the newer clubs is the achievement of the Humanities Club. The Humanities Club is a dedicated group of students with their advisors that are interested in the preservation of forgotten or overlooked people groups in the region. The Humanities Club, in effect, is serving as the model and foundation for institutional research in the Humanities on the campus and their initial work was presented and abstract published in Chicago during the spring of 2017. No one could have predicted the impact of Dean Bermea’s vision for higher education in Eagle Pass or that his vision would become the loom that would produce the fabric of student success that it has. If there is anything for certain, through his vision, he has inspired students and staff to be visionary as well and to work their vision.

From 1973 through the major construction projects of the 90s and 2000s the college has grown in ways far more powerful than in infrastructure; as the buildings have matured, so has the character and personality of the Eagle Pass campus. In the early years, the campus demographic did not include the primacy of day students and schedules were designed around the need for convenience of a working community, but since the establishment of a permanent home that sits prominently overlooking the city, a vibrant change has occurred in our campus population. Younger day students have brought with them new interests and a more mature academic and intellectual standing as well as an enthusiasm to invest in their personal and academic growth. These same students have established clubs and student organizations that maintain charters and goals that are concrete and measurable, and their efforts have the propensity to reproduce successes each academic year. The willingness of students to engage in new and challenging experiences has, indeed, allowed SWTJC Eagle Pass to climb to another plateau, but without the efforts and commitment by a few progressive members of the faculty, this may not have been so quickly achievable. The faculty that has been willing to engage students outside of the classroom have found themselves to be more than teachers; they are mentors and the modelers that help to create and foster a vision in each student’s life. They have also become the catalyst for the dreams that inspire the student to see beyond themselves into the immense possibilities that lie beyond the pragmatism of their past and present. Each generation of student and faculty have become the keepers and the movers of the vision.

Herein, you will find some of the work of students enrolled at the Eagle Pass Campus that Dean Bermea worked so hard for. The collection of student work in this short book is also a reflection of the students that he cared so much for and many of the independent works are a demonstration of the cultural, social, and economic factors that have influenced the character and personality of the Eagle Pass campus and prompted a sincere vision. Most impressive of this short collaborative project is not its perfection of writing, but rather its heart. Many of our students have never traveled far from their beginnings, but all have been encouraged to read to go to those unknown places in a world that they have yet to experience. Encouraging the student to write and share personal experiences and unique culture allows them to participate in the dreams that influence others as they have been influenced. In finding the absolute heart of this work, the student writer has discovered that they too can cast vision.

—Gilbert S. Bermea Jr.

Preface

Viñetas del Cerro: Raíces Profundas is a brief look into a new generation of storytellers’ lives with rich cultural vignettes – a true glimpse into our sleepy border town. With their short narratives, our aspiring scholars share their struggles, triumphs, heartbreaks, familial legacy, and culture to a world beyond Eagle Pass, Texas.

The primary focus of the book was to prove to our students that their words, stories, thoughts, emotions, and history matter. They and we (SWTJC - Eagle Pass English Department) were inspired by the writing of Sandra Cisneros and her collection of cultural vignettes, The House on Mango Street, that were some of the first stories to portray the people that embody us, our students, their relatives, neighbors, and friends. One of our goals was to awaken the joy of storytelling and writing within our students. Stories are more than just assigned readings; they are what help us make meaningful connections to a place, time period, or culture.

This awakening can happen only by experiencing the pleasure and excitement of reading and writing, which they did when working on their vignettes. At the same time, our students have had to work to overcome personal and educational barriers to be able to rise to the challenge of sharing their narratives.

Viñetas del Cerro: Raíces Profundas presents a collection of stories collected during the 2017-2018 school year, at Southwest Texas Junior College, in Eagle Pass, Texas. The English Department, which is comprised of instructors: Dennie Johnson, Erica Lara, and myself, Valerie A. Ruiz, encouraged our students to share their truths in narrative form. This book heralds a milestone in our small junior college’s history. For the first time, our students’ works are being published in book form. Much has changed since the SWTJC – Eagle Pass Campus was opened, and although this book reflects these changes, the book remains, in essence, true to our initial cohort of students – a comprehensive but brief insight into life in our hamlet.

—Valerie Acuña Ruiz

Introduction

There has been much discussion and criticism of late concerning the inadequacies of undergraduate students in their capacities to write. English courses play an integral part in the development of a student's ability to communicate well on many levels. The argument that appears to present itself is that educators or the employed curriculum are not adequately preparing students to meet the basic demands for writing at the university level or in the workforce. This is a rather substantial burden of conscience for educators that are responsible for facilitating core curriculum in courses that emphasize communication through writing. Over the last several years much energy has been committed to the incorporation of High Impact Practices (HIPs) into the core curriculum that is intended, and proven in most cases, to increase student success as the student continues in higher education or enters the workforce. One particular area of interest in the context of this commentary is a HIP that emphasizes writing intensive courses as a strategy for student success. A writing intensive course is, in effect, designed to make writing a significant and prominent component of the course. For writing to hold its prominent place in the course, instruction in composition must be a chief goal of the instructor and the writing processes must be a cardinal and fundamental element of instruction. If, in fact, HIPs such as writing intensive courses are proven to be successful, why do the complaints about student shortcomings in their writing remain? The answer is rather simple.

First and foremost, placing word counts, page counts, or numbers of required essays that create considerable demands on the instructor are not a solution. Reasonable amounts of feedback, extra instruction, and the allowance of student revision and resubmission become a plundering thief of the instructor's time and energy. There can be no argument that to become proficient in writing it takes practice and a considerable quantity of it. Unfortunately, many times the idea of great amount overtakes the so-called writing intensive course and overwhelms the