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Texas A&M Colonias Program receives the Education Empowerment Award from SISD for their Mujer A Mujer and More Counts Programs

July 17, 2018

Congratulations to the Texas A&M University - Colonias Program for being selected as a Socorro ISD (SISD) Partners in Education: Education Empowerment Award Recipient. This award is given to an organization or business that donates invaluable time, money and service to schools across the district.

The Texas A&M Colonias Program provided Socorro ISD schools, including Eastlake High School, with special mental, physical and behavioral health programing for mothers and families through their De Mujer A Mujer (DMAM) and More Counts programs funded by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. These programs helped mothers pursue personal goals to achieve a better future for themselves and their families. Lessons included social and emotional learning, healthy cooking and exercise lessons. Eufemia (Pema) Garcia, Regional Director, Colonias Program – Western Region, heard from women who participated on how the programs helped them make transformational changes.

“I enjoyed the DMAM sessions a great deal because the topics were very important for my family and me. Before the DMAM class, I felt unmotivated, sad and depressed because of family issues. The topics introduced in the DMAM class helped me identify with other women and the challenges or problems they were having.”

“I realized that I am not alone and that there is no shame in depression. I understand now that there is help available for me to improve my mental health and that there are many people dealing with tough issues. I give thanks to my faith and the facilitators of this class that helped me regain my motivation and energy. I adopted the nutrition tips, fun exercise activities and stress management techniques shared with us to help elevate our mood and improve our overall health. I hope that they continue to help other women like me because these courses are so important for our well-being.”

The award presentation took place at the 13th annual SISD Partnership in Education banquet on June 13, 2018.