Kathy started her education journey as a college student with a scholarship from a community college.
Today, she is the Vice President of Instruction at Lone Star College-University Park where she not only serves as a leader on campus but strives every day to support students with stories and backgrounds similar to hers.
Read on to learn more about Kathy and what Hispanic Heritage Month means to her!
What does Hispanic Heritage month mean to you?
Hispanic Heritage month means that people from other cultures get to learn a little bit about what it means to be a Hispanic in America. I also get to learn more about some of the great artists, historical figures, inventors from my culture that weren’t taught in school.
Why is it important that we celebrate Hispanic culture?
I was lucky enough to take a few Chicano Studies courses during my undergraduate years at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. This taught me about important people in the area like Dr. Hector Garcia, founder of the American G.I. Forum (go check him out). As a person of mixed heritage, and the mother of two Latinas, I feel it is important for us to celebrate our heritages and share those experiences with others.
Describe the importance of pursuing education as you were growing up?
My mother instilled the importance of education in me throughout my childhood. Both my parents went to The University of Kansas but neither graduated (my dad did get his associates degree from Barton County Community College in Kansas). After I graduated high school in Brownsville, Texas, I almost didn’t go to college. The counselors did not talk to me about applying to college even though I was in the top 10% and a National Honors Society member. They didn’t tell me about financial aid, so I had no idea I could have qualified to go to a four-year university. My mom basically forced me to go audition for a music scholarship at Del Mar College, a community college in Corpus Christi. Without that, I really don’t know what my life trajectory would have been.
What challenges have you overcome as a Hispanic?
I lived in Kansas until I was 10 years old, and so I really hadn’t had much interaction with my mother’s Saldivar family until we moved to Brownsville in 1980. I then moved in with my great aunt, Tia Lupe, and later with my grandparents and first began to experience the wonderful uniqueness of the Mexican American culture. Unfortunately, I have not learned the language, but I certainly love the music and food! Living in Brownsville and Corpus Christi during my teenage years, I was lucky to not face any issues. Corpus is a beautiful mix of Tejanos, so I fit right in. I was typically the most “white” kid in my classes when I was in Brownsville. I had a name Kathy Cecil and look more like my dad than my mom, so I have not faced the level of difficulties others, including my own daughters, have faced. I do know what it is to have some people suggest I got a job because of my last name. I do know how it feels to be the token representative on committees. I do know what it is like to have people not want me or my family in certain neighborhoods.
How did you arrive at LSC-University Park?
I taught at LSC-Tomball before being hired as Vice President of Instruction at UP in January, 2015.
“Be Proud of Your Past . . . Embrace the Future” is this year’s HHM theme. How does this theme relate to your life?
I believe I have been framed by my past. Some of the struggles I have overcome, not related to my heritage, have absolutely made me a survivor and strong enough to handle the numerous barriers I have faced in my personal and professional life. I am extremely proud of completing my doctorate. Only one other person in either the Cecil or Saldivar family have done that, and one of my daughters is already planning to follow in my footsteps. I have tried my best to encourage the next generation of Latinas to keep pushing toward completing the degrees and taking on positions that they might not think they should do. I believe we have pieces of those who walked before us inside of us, and that we must respect the sacrifices they made by trying to be the best person we can today while also paving the way for the next generations.
What is your “six-word story” in relation to your Hispanic heritage?
Si, se puede. One proud Tejana.
Join us on Thursday, Oct. 15, as we conclude Hispanic Heritage Month with an all-campus virtual celebration, which will include a video commemoration and panel discussion. More details will be shared via email and on our social media pages!