Students and alumni of the University of Houston-Victoria School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development are invited to attend a new event to celebrate and support the school’s alumni.
The inaugural UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development Alumni and Future Alumni Celebration is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at UHV Katy, 22400 Grand Circle Blvd. The keynote speaker for the event is Ronnie Edwards, the assistant superintendent for school leadership and support at the Katy Independent School District and an alumnus of UHV.
“We are a growing school, and we are honored to work with our students and alumni,” said Rachel Martinez, interim dean of the school. “The Alumni and Future Alumni Celebration is a great way to celebrate the accomplishments of our alumni living in the Katy area and inspire our students to continue their education.”
The idea of the event was discussed as a way to celebrate the alumni and students twice a year toward the end of the fall and spring semester. The school saw how much UHV alumni were being celebrated in the news in the Victoria and Katy areas and heard from many students that they enrolled in UHV at the recommendation of alumni. An event like the Alumni Celebration would help current students meet and network with UHV alumni while also celebrating the accomplishments of the students, alumni and school.
The Alumni and Future Alumni Celebration will include time for socializing and networking; opening remarks from the school’s administration; an announcement of alumni honorees; and a presentation by a keynote speaker. There also will be UHV swag giveaways and drawings as well. The next event will take place during the spring in Victoria.
“We have so much pride in our students and the accomplishments of our alumni, and we appreciate the support of our alumni,” Martinez said. “This is an opportunity not only to have fun and celebrate, but also to connect with our UHV alumni. It is our hope that students attend and make connections and then pay it forward after they graduate and become mentors to UHV students.”
Edwards has 30 years of experience in education. He started his education career in 1991 as an English Teacher and basketball coach at Santa Fe Independent School District, where he taught for several years before he was hired in 1999 as the head basketball coach and a physical education teacher for Katy High School. After five years, he accepted a head coach and English teacher position at Kemper High School in the Fort Bend Independent School District. In 2009, Edwards began working at the administrative level at Fort Bend ISD and became the assistant principal at Clements High School and then the associate principal at William B. Travis High School. In 2013, he became the principal at John Foster Dulles High School before returning to Katy ISD in 2016 as principal at Mayde Creek High School. He was promoted to his current position in the spring of 2021.
Edwards has a Bachelor of Science in physical education with a minor in English from Tarleton State University, and received his Master of Education in administration and supervision in 2008 from UHV. Edwards looks forward to meeting more UHV alumni at the event who are also in the field of education. He is also excited about seeing the new UHV Katy building, which opened in 2019.
“It is a huge honor to be the first keynote speaker for this event and represent so many people who went through this great educational system and have gone on to be successful in their field,” Edwards said. “It will be refreshing to meet those future alumni and to see that excitement to graduate and pursue the dream of making a difference in our communities. I hope my words will inspire those who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much for their families and their degrees to be a positive influence in our world.”
All UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development students and alumni are invited to the event. For more information, contact Martinez at martinezr@uhv.edu or Philip Garza, manager of marketing and recruitment for the school, at garzap5@uhv.edu.