Avanza RGV: Accelerating Latino Prosperity through Education & Career Pathways

Institution:

Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA)

State:

Texas

Academic Level:

Community-Based Organization

Issue Area:

Support Services

Program Focus:

Career/Workforce, Adult Learners

Website:

https://www.vidacareers.org/

Key Personnel:

Irma Garcia

Contact Info:

igarcia@vidacareers.org | 956.903.1900 x126

Overview

The mission at VIDA is to empower Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Latino students through comprehensive educational support, career development, and holistic services that address systemic barriers to economic mobility. Launched in 1995, AVANZA RGV aims to increase Latino student enrollment in high-demand career pathways while maintaining an 83% program completion rate. To reduce student loan dependency, the program provides nearly $2,000,000 in direct financial assistance annually and connects all participants to additional financial resources and support services while ensuring they complete financial literacy training. Program graduates typically demonstrate a 200% average income increase within one year of program completion.

Avanza RGV: Accelerating Latino Prosperity through Education & Career Pathways

Program Description

VIDA was established in 1995 to address high unemployment, poverty, and low educational attainment in the Rio Grande Valley, where nearly 25% of families live below the poverty line. Through the program’s comprehensive case management model, each participant is paired with a dedicated counselor who provides personalized support throughout their educational journey, addressing challenges before they become barriers to success. AVANZA RGV provides direct financial assistance for tuition, books, childcare, transportation, and emergency needs. The program recognizes the importance of family in Latino culture by including family members in orientation sessions and major milestones. All critical information, counseling, and support services are available in Spanish, ensuring language is never a barrier to participation. Bilingualism and cultural competency are highlighted as valuable workplace assets during career readiness.

Outcome

VIDA's comprehensive approach to supporting Latino students has yielded positive outcomes that outpace institutional and national averages. Data demonstrate consistent improvement across key metrics over the past three years, with particularly strong results for Latino participants. In 2023-2024, 96% of the students served in the program were Latino.

Key Achievements:

Economic Mobility: The program’s Latino graduates consistently achieve average annual earnings 64-106 percentage points higher than regional averages for non-program participants Latino graduates at partner institutions of higher education.
Completion: Program participants overall consistently show an 81–83% completion rate, outpacing the 26–28% rate of non-program participants.
Persistence Rate: Latino participants demonstrate persistence rates 36-46 percentage points higher than the general Latino student population at local higher education partner institutions. Fall-to-Fall persistence rates for Latino VIDA students ranged from 91% to 95%, well above the 49–55% persistence rates of non-VIDA students in the region.

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