Andrea Rivera is a math Noyce scholar attending Sul Ross State University and a graduate of Southwest Texas Junior College and Uvalde CISD. Andrea's goal is to complete a math degree and teaching certification and  Professor. Andrea's first language is Spanish and my family is very important to her. Andrea is a first-generation student, the first to complete an associate degree with SWTJC, and the first to pursue a BS at SRSU. 

Gisella Rodriguez has always wanted to be a teacher, beginning in elementary school. Gisella shares a great passion for mathematics and wishes to be able to share that with her students. Being an educator would allow Gisella to share knowledge with young adolescents to o guide them to college since she did not have that guidance herself. Gisella Rodriguez is a math Noyce scholar attending Sul Ross State University and a recent graduate of Southwest Texas Junior College and Eagle Pass ISD. 

Tandra Tyler-Wood is a Professor of Learning Technologies at the University of North Texas. She received her master’s degree and Ph.D. in special populations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in special education from Converse College. She served as a member of the executive committee for the International Council for Learning Disabilities for seven years. She serves as chair of the assessment division of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. An author of over 120 publications, Dr, Tyler-Wood’s research focuses on issues of equity and how technology can impact equity. As co-PI or PI, Tandra has served on over 26 million dollars in grant funding to support her research with special populations. Currently, she serves as the evaluator for an AccessLex grant designed to provide students of Color the skill set to attend law school. She holds an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant which seeks to provide school librarians with the materials to educate English Language Learners. As the mother of six children and 13 grandchildren, Dr. Tyler-Wood, has a keen interest in making sure that our educational system prepares students to be concerned, compassionate, and knowledgeable citizens of the 21st century.

Jobs for the Future: Providing Girls with STEM Opportunities Presentation Link

Joseph Olan M.Ed. serves as the Title V Director: Culture of Care for Sul Ross State University. As a recent addition to the Sul Ross State University team, Mr. Olan brings a unique yet innovative lens in support of students’ success. Mr. Olan started his educational career as a Troops to Teacher teaching social studies; and has also been an academic coach, academic dean, and school principal. Joseph has facilitated over 40 presentations on numerous educational topics related to neuroeducation/neuroeducation leadership nationally and internationally. For example, he presented at two Regional Global Teaching Dialogues in the U.S.; Presented virtually for over 70 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities interns across the U.S.A. in 2/2021 on Succeeding at Work. Joseph’s passion is to support learners and educators of all ages in becoming the best version of themselves each and every day. His focus is on leveraging findings in educational neuroscience (e.g. social-emotional intelligence) to support student success and successful school-to-work transitions. Joseph engages his work with a personal motto: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great Love". ~  Mother Teresa.

Thomas Matula. Ph.D. is a Professor of Business Administration at Sul Ross State University – Rio Grande College. A futurist, Dr. Matula, research focus has been on the economic history of humanity and its expansion into space. His most recent research has been on crafting strategies for developing sustainable space communities and their potential benefits to creating a sustainable economy on Earth. Dr. Matula earned his BGS in General Studies from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1983 and both an MBA and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from New Mexico State University. While at New Mexico State University, Dr. Matula was part of the Southwest Regional Spaceport Task Force that created Spaceport America and used the research he conducted on the spaceport as his dissertation topic. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Space Renaissance International and the Space Renaissance Academy. Dr. Matula has published numerous articles on the economic development of space and the space industry.  

Olivia is a STEM First Year Experience Coordinator, Allied Health Success Coach, STEM and ALMAS club advisor, and Recruiter for the NOYCE En La Frontera Scholarship at Southwest Texas Junior College. Overall, it is my goal to make sure students reach their full potential in their academics, by growing personally through first-year experience, seeking opportunities in STEM, and taking advantage of those opportunities to reach their goals 

Darissa Cervantes is a Noyce math scholar at Sul Ross State University. Being raised in Mexican territory helped Darissa Cervantes learn the value of hard work and dedication. Darissa’s parents always sought to give her and her sister a life with more opportunities where they could achieve their goals. Sure enough, Darissa’s family moved to the United States to accomplish this. Seeing her parents overcoming difficult situations such as coming to a foreign country without a job and having to walk in the city because they did not own a car, taught Darissa the importance of hard work. It was very difficult for Darissa to learn English when moving to this country, but with the help of her parents, sister, and teachers, Darissa was able to master the language. Darissa spent hours studying and reading novels to get to where she is today, thus with her perseverance, Darissa has learned that there are no barriers to succeed in anything. Although learning English was a priority, math became her escape subject when her brain felt tired of too much reading. Darissa enjoyed going to math class a lot but noticed how dreadful it was to others. This is why Darissa became intrigued to become a STEM teacher. As a math teacher, Darissa’ s two main goals are to make math enjoyable for students and to make sure they know that with hard work and dedication, they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. Darissa plans to complete her student teaching experience as a Noyce scholar with Del Rio CISD in the Fall 2023.