Most college student’s goal upon graduation is to get a job related to their area of study. The sad reality, however, is that once these students obtain their degree, they are neither guaranteed a job in that field, nor a spot to continue their education.
My sister, Marisol Sanchez Cortez, is a perfect example.
Marisol graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley spring 2018 with a degree in mathematics.
She was a math major and a member of the UTRGV UTeach program, which is the secondary level teacher preparation program for science and mathematics majors. Its purpose is to “prepare highly qualified science and mathematics teachers,” according to the UTeach model developed at UT Austin.
In 2016, new standards were introduced for students who wanted to be a part of UTRGV’s College of Education. The requirements included having a GPA of 2.75 or above, as well as passing the SAT, ACT, TSI or THEA. There was an additional requirement for international students — passing the Test Of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL with at least a 26 in the speaking section.
With a 3.8 GPA in her undergraduate studies, Marisol felt she needn’t worry.
A year before her undergraduate graduation, she decided it was time to apply for admission into the UTRGV College of Education.
Getting accepted, however, proved not as easy as she initially thought.
She took the test time and time again. First, she received a 20 in the speaking section. Then a 22. And a 24. But never the 26 she ultimately needed. Finally, someone recommended Marisol take the TOEFL in Mexico.
She decided to give it a shot.
We traveled four hours to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, for Marisol’s sixth attempt at the test. She passed. Whether it was because it was graded in Mexico, or that the stars aligned, we will never be sure.
In any case, she got her 26.
This grade meant that Marisol met the requirements to enter the UTRGV College of Education. She had already taken the courses for the education program through UTeach and had completed 30 hours of apprentice teaching a year prior — two of the requirements every education student must fulfill.
All that stood between Marisol and obtaining her teacher certification was completing her student teaching and passing the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities and Pre-Admission Content tests, both of which would come after being approved by the UTRGV College of Education.
She was still not admitted.
The deadline for the college had passed a week before her TOEFL results arrived. She would have to wait until July to apply again.
A few professors tried to help because they knew her well and had observed improvements in her teaching. Despite their willingness to help, nothing could be done about her situation.
She would just have to wait.
Although Marisol didn’t graduate with a teacher certification as she originally planned, her dream is still alive. After graduating magna cum laude in spring 2018, she applied and was admitted into the UTRGV College of Education.