Alumni Spotlight

Inspiration Through Music... 

Derek Adam-I was born and raised in San Antonio with my family.  Around the age of fourteen my parents got divorced.  From that day on, I knew I could not count on a stable family to support me monetarily and decided I needed to go to college.  

Living in the small town of Poteet made me realize that unless you are going to be in the oil drilling business, farming, ranching, or retiring, there aren't a lot of other job opportunities.  With this in mind I headed to the closest community college which was approximately twenty miles one way and started my college career as an electrical engineer.  After about a year in, I decided to change my major to music because I definitely liked it and was mildly successful at it in High School...

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Alumni News & Announcements:

Congratulations, Class of 2011!

Congratulations to our newest alumni!  We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and thank you for allowing Palo Alto College to be your educational foundation for your future endeavors!

Over 300 students walked the stage at the Freeman Coliseum Thursday, May 12, 2011.  Education, Kinesiology, Healthcare, Business, Veterinary Technology, Horticulture, Criminal Justice and Aviation are just a few of the innovative programs in which students received their Associate Degrees.  Elizabeth Aguilar-Villarreal, Director of Enrollment Management at PAC and Palo Alto College's first student, provided the keynote address. Click Here to View Commencement Video! 

New Addition to PAC Alumni Featured For Graduation Accomplishments! 

KSAT12 News did a story about one of the newest PAC Alumni!

Steven Sanchez dropped out after middle school at the age of 15.  Although he had been a good student and on the honor roll, he faced bullying.  He even changed middle schools, but didn't feel like he fit in.

A friend told him about the Gateway to College program at Palo Alto College.  Originally funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gateway allows youth who have dropped out to complete their high school diploma and earn college hours.

Steven signed up in Spring 2009 when he was 17 and breezed through the high school requirements by using the computer-based PLATO system that allows students to learn at their own pace.  During that time he was taking some dual credit classes, where high school classes also qualify for college credit.

He decided to major in Communications, and has been a reporter for the campus' student newsletter, The Pulse.  He was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges.

Being in a college setting helped him, he said.  "I realize you can be friends with lots of people, and I finally feel like I fit in."

On May 12, he received his Associate of Arts degree in Communications from Palo Alto College President Ana M. Guzmán at Freeman Coliseum.  His high school diploma is from the Frank Tejeda Academy in Harlandale School District, through Palo Alto's Gateway to College program. 

His next stop?  The University of Northern Iowa! Sanchez received the Alamo Colleges - UNI Bridge Scholarship which provides Alamo Colleges students with a scholarship covering tuition, fees, and room, as the Iowa institution seeks to diversify the ethnicity of its campus.  The AC/UNI Bridge Program accepted over 150 transfer students since 1998.  

Click here for David Sear's Report.

PAC Alumni-Janie Martinez Gonzalez, President and CEO of Webhead, Celebrates a Great Achievement!

The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and Fortune Magazine released the 2011 Inner City 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city companies in the U.S., and San Antonio-based Webhead made this year's list.  Click here to view the full list!

 "We are delighted to celebrate businesses like Webhead that are playing a critical role in revitalizing America's urban communities.  Through their achievements, the Inner City 100 winning companies exemplify America's remarkable potential and the future of our urban centers," Mary Kay Leonard, ICIC president and CEO. "These extraordinary companies demonstrate the market possibilities that exist within our inner cities and the growth that is at the heart of all urban entrepreneurial successes."

Webhead is a San Antonio-based company with a 16-year history on the Digital Frontier providing the latest Web and Technology services to clients as large as the Department of Defense to enterprise-level and small businesses as well as higher education institutions and municipalities, including the City of San Antonio, the City of Shavano, the City of Mercedes and others.   Webhead offers Web-based services such as mobile websites and applications to Quick Response codes and software designed for Human Resources, Project Management and Law Enforcement practices. To view Webhead's website Click Here.

Looking to Beat the Summer Heat? 

The PAC Aquatic Center is a great place to spend the summer at!  There is something for all ages and for all levels of swimmers!  You can learn to swim, participate in the Community Open Swim ( All Ages), Swim Lap's (18 years & older) and much more.  For more information on the times and rates Click Here or view the Summer 2011 Aquatic Brochure .

Palomino Soccer Camp Openings! 

2011 Palomino Soccer Camp has openings for its four-day camp that offers skill training and critical character building.  Leading these camps will be an experienced and talented staff that employ disciplined training methods to deliver four days of innovation- fun- and soccer education. 

All kids between the ages of 5-18 are welcome and all participants will receive a Palomino Soccer t-shirt and certificate upon completion.  Staff includes college coaches and/or former players.

For more information on the Soccer Camp Click Here.

Monte Cristo Center Flips for Kids Event!

Monte Cristo Center, Inc.,  in partnership with DeFlores, International, is hosting a special summer event on July 9^th.  "Flips for Kids" provides summer shoes for kids of economically disadvantaged families. 

The event will be held in conjunction with De Flores, International relief efforts for children who were displaced in Japan these past months. 

Furthermore, 1,000 children in our local community will receive flip-flops as well as 4,000 children in Japan. 

The "Flips for Kids" event brings community resources in education, health care and child safety to disadvantaged children of the community.  Community organizations are coming together to distribute shoes to the City of San Antonio, Bexar County and Monte Cristo Center families.

If your business is interested in having a promotional booth, or maybe you would like to volunteer - see the link below! 

Children and families are invited to volunteer to create greeting cards for the children receiving flip flops in Japan.  Promotional services, entertainment, food and community service... it's all a part of Flips for Kids!

Attend the event with your family or volunteer!

When:  Sat., July 9, 2011

Time:   10am - 3pm

Where:  Camargo Park

For more info. contact:

Celestino Valentin @ 210-626-9400

Click here to register your company or serve as a volunteer!

Celebrating America's birthday and our freedom will be easy to do on July 4th. Families are invited to participate in a fun-filled day of games, food and musical entertainment, along with dizzying starbursts and rockets' red glare in the night sky over

Woodlawn Lake Park during the City's official July Fourth Celebration.  This FREE event is sponsored by the San Antonio Parks Foundation, in cooperation with the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. For more information on this event Click Here.

Summer Movie Night!

Lights, camera, action! Movies by Moonlight is back for a third year. The big screen will once again light up downtown's HemisFair Park with a outdoor cinema series!

The free movies will be shown every Thursday from June until the end of August in the grassy area near the HemisFair Park arch and the Magik Theater at S. Alamo and Nueva. Show time begins at 7:30 p.m. with a pre-show entertainment followed by a brief intermission and the feature film beginning at 8:30 p.m. The feature time and schedule may vary.

Grab your blankets and lawn chairs and come out to enjoy the show. Concessions will be available selling favorite movie treats such as popcorn, soda and cotton candy. After 6:00 p.m., movie-goers can park for free at the Durango Street lots across the street from the Federal Courthouse on a first-come basis. For additional information including Movie Selections call (210) 207-3677 or Click Here.

PAC offers Summer Children's Events 

Rackspace is looking for a Website Support Technician I for their Cloud's customer service operations. Go to www.rackspace.com/jobs to view the job description and to apply.

USAA needs a Part-Time Bank Teller to work directly with customers by providing excellent service.  Have your resume ready and go to www.usaa.apply2jobs.com to apply.

Valero is currently searching for a Business Analyst to provide tracking and summarizing of key data for various Company Departments. Look over the job description at www.valero.com/Careers/Pages/Home.aspx.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office is recruiting for Deputy Sheriff Detention Cadets for their upcoming classes. The application process takes 3 days. You can complete the online application at 400 S. Main anytime from 8 AM - 5 PM, Mon-Fri. Call 210-335-2545 if you have questions. 

City of San Antonio is looking to hire a Administrative Associate in their Solid Waste Management Department. Check out the job description at www.sanantonio.gov/hr/jobs/mail_jobs.asp.

Chesapeake Energy needs a GIS Technician with a Associates of Science Degree and GIS experience.  Experience in oil and gas industry preferred.  Apply online www.chk.com/careers.

H-E-B is recruiting for an Sr Coordinator for Human Resources Department to manage complex projects and processes. Apply for this exciting opportunity at www.heb.com/careers.  

Whataburger is searching for an Accounting Coordinator. Oversees the operations of all daily sales.  Apply at www.whataburger.com/join_the_family.php.

 AT&T is hiring a Retail Sales Consultant to work in Wireless Sales.  Great opportunity to gain valuable sales experience. Go to www.att.jobs/career-area/home to apply.