Though Dr. Linda García’s parents never attended college, they strongly encouraged her to earn a degree.
However, the thought of pursuing a career in higher education never crossed her mind. She originally desired to be a journalist.
In her senior year of high school, García was chosen alongside one of her peers to visit the local news station within the Rio Grande Valley area. The reporter asked her questions about her dreams and post-graduation plans.
“He was trying to get to know me,” said García, who was named this week as the executive director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, which administers the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). “I thought, ‘What a wonderful thing to get to know people and really expose and share their stories to others.”
García attended the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) to major in journalism. Her career path was further solidified after Good Morning America came to the university. Alongside her classmates, she waited in line at 3 a.m. to meet veteran journalist Diane Sawyer.
To this day, the photo of Sawyer and García can be seen at her parent’s home in Texas.
She aspired to be like Sawyer, but her path took a different turn.
