Dr. Robert Vela

The popular and well-respected educator is a high-ranking administrator at the College’s North Campus, and yet he continues to strive for personal improvement. Vela recently qualified to participate in the prestigious National Community College Hispanic Council-Leadership Fellows Program. Only a handful of candidates from a pool of national applicants are selected for the program, which provides professional development for Hispanic administrators who aspire to upper-level positions.

Vela’s success as an educator stems from principles instilled in him throughout his childhood. He grew up in Alice, Texas, a small town near Corpus Christi, one of four children in a working class family. Vela’s father was a hard-working oil field laborer who had a dream that his children would get an education and pursue opportunities he never could. Because of the diligence and sacrifice of his parents, Vela became a “first generation” pacesetter in his family when he entered college after high school graduation.

Vela applied himself in his educational pursuits, earning a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology and a Master of Science in counseling and guidance from Texas A&M University – Kingsville. He earned his doctorate degree in educational leadership from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Kingsville.

His first job as an educator was as the director of the Texas A&M – Kingsville Upward Bound program. He later taught an introductory education course at the same college and then became director of the university’s new teacher recruitment center. Vela also served as the coordinator of student services at Coastal Bend College in Kingsville before assuming his current position at San Jacinto College in 2005.

Because he knows first hand the value of a good education, Vela says he is concerned about some young people, especially Latino young people, who appear to have little or no interest in attending college.

“With competition the way it is in today’s job market, a young person who does not earn at least a two-year college degree is at an extreme disadvantage,” he commented. “It’s not rocket science. If young people will follow four steps in regards to education, then they can succeed in life and get ahead – stay committed, sacrifice for the greater good, stay focused and work hard. But they must realize success will not come through entitlement. They have to work for it. They have to earn it.”

As a college administrator, Vela has worked with students from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. He has developed and implemented several innovative educational programs to increase recruitment and retention among economically disadvantaged and first-generation students. Through these experiences, there have been some encouraging success stories of young people who, like him, have learned how education opens doors of opportunities. He would like to see more.

“My educational philosophy derives from my personal struggles as a young Hispanic man with very little resources to achieve success,” he commented. “As a result of my commitment, hard work, sacrifices and motivation, I persevered to achieve the pinnacle of education, a doctoral degree. I have been able to apply and practice what I learned in college in my current profession and personal life. Thus, my educational philosophy, which is based on experience, is that all students can learn and succeed.”

Vela believes fostering a learner-centered environment in education and student development is the cornerstone of student success. “Providing access and equality for all students is paramount for community development,” he noted. “When that is possible, then all learners can achieve personal, academic, and career success and become active and successful members of a diverse society.”

For more information about San Jacinto College, please visit http://www.sanjac.edu/.