A&M-Victoria, Yoakum partner to launch transformational rural education initiative
Texas A&M University-Victoria is proud to partner with the Yoakum community to launch a collaborative educational initiative that will invest in the future of Yoakum through workforce development and more educational opportunities.
The Texas Rural Education Collaborative, or TREC, was announced Monday during the Yoakum Independent School District’s convocation event. TREC is a collaboration between the university, Yoakum ISD, the City of Yoakum, the Yoakum Economic Development Corporation and the Yoakum Area Chamber of Commerce. The program was created in conjunction with LevelUp Texas, a program created by the Texas A&M University Office for Youth Engagement. Through the program, students and parents will connect with educators, employers and community leaders in an effort to set up the next generation of Texas and community leaders for success.
“Our region is rich with bright young people who have so much potential,” A&M-Victoria President Christian Hardigree said. “We’re pleased to partner with the Yoakum community to launch these programs and help students see the amazing array of opportunities available to them. Every student should feel like they can reach for their dreams. We want to be part of that journey. This program will help them see how they can move forward, in spite of any invisible barriers they may face.”
The TREC program and LevelUp Texas focus on students from Kindergarten to eighth grade in an effort to promote their awareness of postsecondary education. By partnering with the school district and community economic leaders, the program will show students the opportunities and goals they can achieve if they pursue education beyond high school.
As part of the partnership, A&M-Victoria and Yoakum leaders will examine some essential questions that can make a difference to the future success of students. In particular, they will consider what roles different groups, such as parents, employers or local organizations, can play in creating solutions to circumstances that might prevent students from pursuing a degree, trade or certification.
“I’ve watched a lot of Yoakum kids cross that graduation stage and wonder what comes next,” said Yoakum Mayor Carl O'Neill. “Too many of them figured college wasn’t for people like us, or wasn’t for a town this size. That’s what this partnership changes. Our kids can see a real path to college and a career, and know they can build a life here when they’re done.”
LevelUp Texas focuses on five pillars of college access: academic success, college knowledge, personal skill development, financial literacy and identity formation. Each of these are important factors that can help students succeed, and the program will focus on how to promote these pillars in partnership with the Yoakum community.
Yoakum joins Dallas, Houston, Commerce, Texarkana and the Brazos Valley as a LevelUp Texas community. Through in-school and community-based programming, the initiative helps students explore college and career pathways and better understand the steps that can help them reach their goals.
For more information about LevelUp Texas, go to tx.ag/levelup. More information about the Yoakum partnership will be announced as the program progresses.
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.