![\"Vanessa](\"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/TSTC-ChancellorsAward-VanessaVasquez-5x7.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cTheir caring and dedicated efforts embolden us all to make a difference in the success of our teams and the lives of our students,\u201d said Reeser. \u201cThese teammates were nominated by their peers, recommended by their provosts and vice chancellors, and chosen as faculty and staff who model excellence in our college every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez, who is also a first-generation college graduate, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Teaching-Early Childhood Education in 2007 and a master\u2019s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2012, both from the University of Texas at Brownsville, which is now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n
It was at UTB where Vasquez first discovered her passion for higher education as a work-study student in the Admissions and Records department.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first job became what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cThe experience of working with students from the time they enter our college\u2019s doors to the time they walk across the stage in a cap and gown is invaluable to me. It makes me believe that what I do matters and changes lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Vasquez\u2019s four-year stint in work-study, she went to work for six years as a transcript evaluator and later as a recruiter at UTB. She then worked as the admissions and records coordinator for Texas Southmost College for another three years before moving to TSTC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was immediately interested in checking out TSTC. I knew it wasn\u2019t an ordinary college, and I wanted to be a part of that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Vasquez said it was the hands-on training and one-on-one teaching offered to TSTC students that drew her to the college as the advisement and testing center coordinator.<\/p>\n
\u201cTSTC has exceeded all of my expectations,\u201d she added. \u201cThey have opened my eyes to the opportunities they provide and have been a game changer for even my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
After only one year with TSTC, Vasquez received her promotion as executive director and made the move to TSTC\u2019s Fort Bend County campus, where she now resides. But she didn\u2019t leave by herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cA four-year college wasn\u2019t for my youngest brother, and he had given up on the dream of a college degree,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when I introduced him to TSTC and invited him to come with me, he agreed and is now a college graduate with a certificate in welding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez added that this, along with the rest of her siblings having become college graduates, is a huge success for a family that lost their father at a young age and grew up in a single-parent home.<\/p>\n
Christine Stuart-Carruthers, TSTC\u2019s vice president of student development and senior enrollment services officer, said that the greatest assets Vasquez brings to the team are her passion for helping students and her leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is motivated to help students achieve their dream of completing a college education, and her passion is contagious. She is always motivating those around her and lending a helping hand,\u201d said Carruthers. \u201cVanessa has been instrumental in helping launch the Fort Bend County campus and in molding the culture so that staff are ready to take on whatever comes their way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carruthers added that she is excited for Vasquez\u2019s recognition and that her peers also recognize the hard work she puts into helping students and being a resource for others.<\/p>\n
Vasquez said she hopes to continue growing with the college, working hard on her No. 1 goal of helping students succeed and continuing to making those who nominated her proud. She added that she doesn\u2019t want to let them down.<\/p>\n
Vasquez and the other TSTC Chancellor\u2019s Award recipients will come together in May for the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development awards dinner and celebration in Austin.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(HARLINGEN\/FORT BEND) – It will be three years in May since Vanessa Vasquez became part of the Texas State Technical College family to share the passion she has for student recruitment. It is this same passion and dedication she exhibits daily that has earned her the honor of being a 2018 TSTC Chancellor\u2019s Excellence Award […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fort-bend","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2783,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781\/revisions\/2783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}