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By Dayna Reyes, Reporter
PHARR, Texas — Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande (WFS), in strategic partnership with The PossAble Dream Foundation and The PossAble Dream Adult High School, has been awarded a $150,000 Texas Industry Partnership (TIP) Grant aimed at fueling career opportunities for adult learners across the region.
The grant funding, awarded by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), will deliver specialized, tuition-free workforce training for 22 students pursuing credentials in two of the Rio Grande Valley’s most critical, high-growth occupations: HVAC Technician and Medical Assistant.
In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Pharr Deputy City Manager Cynthia Garza-Reyes — who also serves on the board of directors for The PossAble Dream Foundation — emphasized that the investment represents a transformative step toward empowering local residents and closing skill gaps in the regional economy.
“It’s an exciting time for the PossAble Dream High School and how they’re moving forward not only within Hidalgo County but for the region as well,” Garza-Reyes said. “Today we received $150,000 in training dollars from Workforce Solutions. We thank Texas Workforce Commissioner Alberto Treviño for these funds. It’s just a step towards a lot more hopefully coming to the Rio Grande Valley.”
Garza-Reyes continued: “We are taking a workforce that has been dormant, and now we’re giving them the tools, so now they can become productive citizens of our society.”
Pioneering Adult Education in the Valley
The PossAble Dream Adult High School is breaking new ground in South Texas under the executive leadership of Foundation President Dr. Daniel King and Superintendent Dr. Darcia Cuellar. The institution offers non-traditional adult learners a second chance to earn a state-recognized high school diploma while simultaneously pursuing post-secondary certifications, associate degrees, or pathways toward bachelor’s degrees.
Garza-Reyes noted that the school’s inaugural graduating cohort, scheduled to walk the stage this August, reflects the powerful impact of providing adults with structured academic and technical support.
“This high school is doing things that have never been done before in the Rio Grande Valley,” Garza-Reyes remarked. “Today, we’ve heard some exciting testimonies from our first graduating students, that first cohort that will be rolled out and graduating this August. We heard so many things in terms of them graduating with their diploma and now seeking to further themselves in terms of associate degrees, masters, doctorates, and that’s exactly what we wanted.”
Data-Driven City Leadership & Regional Vision
Reflecting on her dual role as both a city executive and a foundation board member, Garza-Reyes highlighted the City of Pharr’s early institutional endorsement of Dr. King’s vision.
“As a partner in terms of the city, we were the first city to come forward when Dr. King had this idea of what he wanted to do to change our region,” she explained. “We knew that it was something that we were going to support. We are a city that is very data-driven, and so when we partner with external partners, we make sure we have a plan in place, and they too have a plan in place because we want to be part of something that can potentially change lives.”
Scaling Up to Meet Regional Demand
While the first graduating cohort consists of approximately 150 to 180 students, Superintendent Cuellar has established an ambitious target of expanding the adult high school to serve 1,000 students annually. When asked whether that goal might be overly ambitious for the area, Garza-Reyes expressed firm confidence in the community’s momentum.
“It is not, because at the end of the day, we know our families in the Rio Grande Valley,” Garza-Reyes insisted. “They might be hesitant to first apply, but once they see that they have a relative or a neighbor going through this process, and they see what they are doing, they will start to jump on board, and that’s what we’re going to see. I wholeheartedly believe that we will see a wave of students coming in in the fall.”
She added that more than 500 students from across the entire four-county Rio Grande Valley region are already actively enrolled and completing coursework through the program.
Students as Community Ambassadors
A central theme during the award ceremony was the emotional resonance of student testimonials. Many adult learners faced significant personal, socioeconomic, and logistical barriers before finding a pathway through PossAble Dream.
“Every student has a story, and their story is what’s writing their future,” Garza-Reyes said. “We have some students that were hesitant at the beginning, but through the support of their kids, of their family, they’ve decided to take the step forward. We have some students that said that they wanted to quit because they didn’t have the means to get here, but with the support of their family and the high school, especially their outreach coordinators here, they made sure it was possible, and now we see them graduating.”
As the $150,000 grant begins funding specialized workforce credentials, regional leaders expect these initial graduates to serve as powerful advocates throughout South Texas neighborhoods.
“We see students from all walks of life,” concluded Garza-Reyes. “Every student has their own dream and their own pathway. And the goal of the foundation and the high school is making sure we find the right pathway for them, so that they can continue to do well and improve their quality of life.”
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