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Our Team
Dr. Eliza Alvarado
Program Director
Eliza Alvarado is a Pharr native and graduated from Med High class of 1999. Eliza earned her B.A. in Government from Texas Woman’s University graduating Cum Laude. After graduation Eliza moved to Washington D.C. and was accepted to The George Washington University School of Political Management.
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In 2006 Eliza moved to Dallas to obtain her PhD in Public Affairs at The University of Texas Dallas. From 2014-2017 Eliza served as Director of Government Relations, Grants, and Programs for Doctors Hospital at Renaissance. During her time there, the hospital was awarded the largest Texas Workforce Consortium grant in the history of the state (2.7 Million). In addition, she helped pilot the first cohort of dual enrollment nurses in the country and helped secure a 3 million dollar Department of Education Innovation Grant.
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Dr. Alvarado, currently works at Region One and is the Project Director for the PATHS Project. She has the opportunity to work with partners throughout the community and enjoys working with students to shape the future of nursing for the rest of the country.
Isela Herrera
Education Specialist
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Isela Herrera, is an Education Specialist for Region One Education Service Center in Edinburg, Texas. She earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Texas Pan American in 2002. At Region One ESC, Isela leads initiatives for both federal and state grants such as GEAR UP and TEA Perkins Reserve Grant. Prior to joining Region One, Isela served for 21 years in the high school setting. She has experience in academic and college counseling or both McAllen ISD and Mission CISD. During her first six years in education, she taught high school Spanish, Migrant Credit Recovery courses, assisted the tennis team, and assisted the dance team director. Isela believes in providing every student the opportunity to grow in the areas of academics, career, and personal and emotional health. She believes that given the proper tools and guidance, students will be able to achieve their educational and personal goals.
Claudia Gutierrez
STEM Education Specialist
Claudia Gutierrez is a STEM Education Specialist for the Office of College, Career and Life Readiness at Region One Education Service Center. Claudia has degrees in both Mathematics and Biology from the University of Texas-Brownsville, with a Master of Science in Educational Technology from the University of North Texas. She has been in education for over 25 years, dedicated to increasing STEM awareness. Her goal is to utilize math, science and technology to improve the quality of professional development through enhanced teacher knowledge that best serves students’ needs. She looks for new platforms that will engage both students and teachers in an education setting. Claudia’s desire is that Rio Grande Valley students have opportunities in health science and can reach their educational and professional goals.
Jessie Doria
Program Assistant
Jessie Doria, has worked at Region One Education Service Center for 28 years and is currently the Lead Program Assistant for the Office of College, Career and Life Readiness. Her duties include ensuring the Department is running efficiently, maintaining the department’s federal grants, (GEAR UP, Project HEAL2, PATHS) and managing logistics for conferences and workshops. What drives her on a daily basis is that she gets to see students from middle school, high school and to college graduation.
Robin Dominguez
PATHS Intern
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Robin Dominguez is originally from Elsa, Texas and graduated from Edcouch-Elsa High School in 2015. After high school, Robin chose to study Pre-Dental Biology at the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley after receiving the Presidential Academic Scholarship through UTRGV Scholars. She graduated in 2019, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Summa Cum Laude. During her time at UTRGV, Robin was a part of the Pre-Dental Society where she held many leadership positions, including being elected as the 2018-2019 President.
In 2017, Robin served as Head Coordinator for a Give Kids A Smile event hosted by Uriegas Dentistry in McAllen, Texas - where free oral healthcare services were provided to children from the Rio Grande Valley area. In 2018, she was given the opportunity to attend the ADA Dentist & Student Lobby Day in Washington D.C. where she was chosen to speak on behalf of her group with the offices of United States Congressmen Dr. Brian Babin and Vicente Gonzalez.
Robin is currently a PATHS Project Intern for Region One ESC. Through this position, she hopes to help guide high school students on their paths to becoming future healthcare professionals, while actively pursuing her goal of becoming a dentist.
Raquel Sanchez
PATHS Intern
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Raquel Sanchez is an Intern for the PATHS Project at Region One.
She was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley - Edinburg. Raquel attended school in Edinburg, Texas and graduated from Johnny Economedes High School in 2015.
Raquel is currently an undergraduate student attending the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and will graduate in May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Health and with a minor in Rehabilitation. While in college, Raquel has earned two certifications within the Health field, Basic Nutrition and Basic Sports Nutrition. Raquel was also offered the opportunity to become a Certified Health Advisor.
When she is not at work or at school, she enjoys cooking and running and when she has a chance she enjoys scrolling on Pinterest. Raquel is passionate about health and tries to be a health advocate. While working with the PATHS Internship Program, Raquel hopes to gain experience herself as well as expand her knowledge when it comes to the many Health Science career opportunities that are out there and help raise awareness about the many pathways available for students.
Andrés Barrón
PATHS Intern
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Andres Barron is a Valley Native from Edinburg, TX. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Med High Class of 2019. He is currently attending STC to get his Associate's Degree in Nursing. Andres works at Region One as a PATHS Intern to help students have access to all the healthcare programs available in the Valley. When Andres is not at school or work, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family.
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Want to learn more about the interns? Click here!
Monica Gonzalez
PATHS Educator
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Monica Gonzalez is a Brownsville, Texas native and graduated from the University of Texas Pan American in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Education and a minor in Biology. After graduation, Monica worked as a passionate Science teacher with Los Fresnos CISD for 7 years. During her time as a teacher, she taught various levels of science, a design and modeling engineering course and an automation and robotics course. She was also an active middle school volleyball coach and a Robotics team sponsor.
In 2018, Monica attended The University of Texas at Arlington to obtain a Master of Education in Science Curriculum and Instruction. She graduated with her master’s degree in December 2019, and shortly after, she welcomed the birth of her first son in January 2020. Monica is currently living in McAllen, Texas with her husband and son and working as an Education Specialist for the PATHS Project at Region One. Her passion for educating the children of the Rio Grande Valley has grown so much more since becoming a mother, and she desires to provide the best education to all the students that she meets. Monica is excited for the opportunity to work with the PATHS program to help educate the students of the Rio Grande Valley about the various healthcare professions that they can one day be working in.