Mrs. D. Benavidez's Yearbook and Photojournalism classes from Rivera Early College High School (RECHS) met with the staff from The Pan American, which is a publication of the University of Texas-Pan Am (UTPA). Both Yearbook and Photojournalism students prepared a series of questions to ask the UTPA staff which is composed of college students. RECHS students asked questions pertinent to Journalism and about attending college. RECHS students were surprised to find out that all of the staff of The Pan American were not pursuing degrees in Journalism and that they were indeed majoring in other fields. The closeness of the UTPA group was so evident that RECHS students asked about their business/personal relationships. Andrew Vera and Susan Gonzalez who are both Co-Editors-in-Chief said, "We are all like family". Each staff member stressed the importance of collaboration and teamwork. The UTPA staff also discussed the merging of UT-Brownsville and UTPA and how the union would be called UT-RGV. They emphasized the value in staying in the valley not just to be close to home but because the Rio Grande Valley offers a quality higher education at a reasonable cost, too. So, The Pan American staff's visit served not only to give RECHS students the experience of holding a mini, mock conference but also to motivate them into continuing their involvement in journalistic job opportunities while attending a university of their choice :-)
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