Article by Melinda Eddleman “Education, dedication and commitment will open doors from dreams and aspirations to once-thought-unreachable destinations despite life’s obstacles.”  Those are the words of George Salazar, a Corpus Christi native who as a little boy grew up in an impoverished neighborhood, known as a barrio, and who dreamed of reaching the stars. And, in a way he did. Salazar’s career spans over 40 years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, working on projects, such as the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle and the Artemis Human Lander. Now retired since January 2024, the engineer has written a memoir covering his life’s journey from that little boy with big dreams to reaching unexpected heights working on the world’s most advanced space exploration projects among NASA professionals. On Wednesday, Nov. 5, Del Mar College Continuing Education will host an inspiring morning seminar with Salazar sharing a motivating account of his journey told in his memoir, “From the Barrio to NASA: Navigating Life’s Unexpected Challenges.” The FREE three-hour event is scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Tres Grace Community Room in the Culinary Arts Building on the Oso Creek Campus, 7002 Yorktown Blvd., 78414 (get directions and map). During the seminar, participants who have “From the Barrio to NASA” can have Salazar sign their copy (get the book on Amazon).  Questions? Contact Continuing Education staff member Christina Campos at 361-698-2156 or ccampos47@delmar.edu.   During his career, Salazar received numerous awards, including the NASA Silver Achievement Medal, John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award and the NASA-Johnson Space Center Engineering Directorate Legacy Award for his contributions to human spaceflight. Other credits include co-authoring several technical papers on spacecraft design, systems engineering and Human Systems Integration. Having attended courses at Del Mar College but graduating from North Harris County College, Salazar received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University.  Engineer turned author, Salazar’s passion is now sharing knowledge with students—reaching out to well over 19,000 students through speaking engagements, tutoring and mentoring––and his speaking engagement on Nov. 5 brings that passion to Del Mar College.  As noted on Amazon’s book review, “Salazar’s story proves that where you start doesn’t define where you’ll finish.    

Article by Richard Guerrero, Jr.  You might say the original production of “Ken Ludwign’s Leading Ladies” was a pre-cursor to movies like “Tootsie” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” and even the television sitcom “Bosom Buddies.” Featuring a large cast of nine actors, the production is a fast-paced farcical comedy about two down-on-their luck actors who disguise themselves as long-lost nieces of a dying woman to inherit a fortune only to find themselves in over their heads. Del Mar Drama with Del Mar College’s Art & Drama Department will pull out all the stops in November with their production of “Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies” in the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre in the Fine Arts Center on the Heritage Campus (101 Baldwin Blvd., 78404, directions and campus map). The two-weekend run will provide no less than six opportunities to see program’s fall production. Written by award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig (“Lend Me a Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo”), ‘Leading Ladies’ is a riotous comedy that blends Shakespearean farce with screwball charm via a series of outrageous disguises, romantic mix-ups and laugh-out-loud situations. “Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. Audiences are advised the production contains mature content. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. each evening, including Nov. 7-8 (Friday-Saturday) and Nov. 13-15 (Thursday-Saturday) with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 13. The Nov. 7 opening includes a post-show reception with cash bar and catering by Citrus with a cash bar only Nov. 14 and 15. “Student Night” is scheduled Nov. 13 with free admission for all area students with valid school I.D. The Drama Program will host an inaugural Drama Alumni Reunion on Nov. 8, inviting former students to attend and reconnect during a special VIP pre-show reception. “This is our first alumni event, although former students frequently attend shows,” Yowell noted. “We’ve sent out emails and have published posts on social media, and we’re asking former students to spread the word.” Cost to attend “Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies” is $15 general admission; $10 for seniors, military and DMC employees; and $5 for students, and tickets are now available online at delmardrama.ludus.com/200497747. Tickets are also available at the Box Office, which opens at 6:30 p.m. prior to each performance. Proceeds benefit future Del Mar Drama activities and student events.  Questions? Contact the Drama Office at 361-698-1216 or drama@delmar.edu. Del Mar Drama majors will perform the principal roles and include Natalie Palacios (Meg), Grant Sykora (Duncan), Giovanni Rodriguez (Doc), Brennen Bellows (Leo), Miguel Cerda (Jack), Logan Barraza (Moose Frank), Aryanna Flores (Audrey), Aiden Berglund (Butch) and Grayson Norval (Florence). Additionally, behind the scenes, 30 students are contributing to set and costume construction, along with another 18 students serving as the backstage running crew during performances. If you’re looking for a few laughs before the holiday season truly starts, Del Mar Drama has the solution. Get your tickets now for “Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies” and expect to have a side-splitting good time!

Article by DMC College Relations They’re at it, again, with some hit tunes from the 1980s, including Peter Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey,” George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Del Mar College’s Sound Recording Technology Program with the Music Department and the volunteer group, Coalition of the Willing, made up of students, faculty  and other friends of music perform these favorites in one of the SRT teaching studios on the Heritage Campus. Del Mar College’s Music Department offers a Certificate and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Sound Recording. Learn more by visiting www.delmar.edu/degrees/sound-recording-technology/index.html or contacting the Music Office at 361-698-1211 or music@delmar.edu. Whether you wore Cowboy boots and a hat, highly teased hair and leather pants or androgenous fashion style and lipstick, there’s something for everyone with this trio of songs covered by the SRT@DMC. Enjoy!

Article by Melinda Eddleman They served our country, and now Del Mar College (DMC) is honored to serve them. Acknowledgement of DMC and its Veterans Services staff’s commitment to veteran students and family members who attend the college came as a 2025 “Gold” Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award from the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) in early September and announced by Gov. Greg Abbott (online release). The college is one of 33 two- and four-year public higher education institutions to receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze award based on criteria set forth by the TVC and outlined in the Governor’s release. This year’s award is the second for DMC, receiving a Bronze Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award in 2022. During the DMC Board of Regents regular meeting held on Oct. 14, the college recognized Veterans Services staff and the award they earned. Additionally, District Director Scott Bauer and Field Representative Carrie Moore from U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud’s district office presented a Congressional Recognition acknowledging the dedication and assistance the college’s veteran students receive from Veterans Services. The Veterans Education Excellence Recognition Award was established by the Texas Legislature and is given after thorough review of college and university applicants that demonstrate educational excellence and support services that “significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students.” The deadline for nomination applications was April 1, 2025, and the TVC requested data from the 2023-2024 academic year for its 2025 award. For Del Mar College, a total of 683 veteran students were enrolled during the end of that academic year. Additionally, 381 received Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits while 302 received Hazelwood Act tuition exemptions. Financial support also comes from the American G.I. Forum of South Texas and the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation in the form of scholarships. Currently, 812 total  veteran students and family members are enrolled in fall 2025 courses with 510  receiving Veterans Affairs benefits and 302 Hazelwood Act tuition exemptions. DMC Veterans Services offers assistance and resources, including offices and lounges (Veterans Resource Centers), on all three campuses––Heritage, Windward and Oso Creek––to exclusively serve veteran students and their families. Reserved for these students, the lounges offer places to use upgraded computers and printers, grab quick snacks or use kitchenette appliances, relax in a family room-type setting and collaborate academically or socially with other student veterans.     Office staff include veterans and veteran dependents who maintain certification through the Veterans Administration Education Department to assist with navigating through the benefits due to anyone who has served as well as their beneficiaries. Veterans Services also employs veteran students through the Veterans Administration (VA) Work Study Program, and they assist staff in campus offices and Veterans Resource Centers. “Our VA Work Study students are our greatest asset because they vocalize across campuses and in classrooms the support offered to this segment of the college’s student population,” noted Dr. Armentrout, adding: “They not only help our staff but also assist other student veterans using our facilities, and they contribute during recruitment activities and special events calling for support and participation, including Paws and Relax during finals, the Toys for Tots toy drive during the holidays and the annual Fall Festival. Outside the college, Veterans Services staff interact with the Nueces and San Patricio Veterans Services Offices and other local veterans’ organizations, even holding memberships, along with attending the weekly Nueces County Veterans Roundtable, to promote higher education after separation from the military. Additionally, DMC Veterans Services partners with the region’s Military Entrance Processing Station in San Antonio for weekly administering of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a free test for military enlistment that assesses candidates’ strengths. Additionally, DMC Veterans Services offers to faculty and staff unaffiliated with military service orientations and workshops that familiarize them with the challenges and adjustment veteran students and dependents experience after re-entering the civilian world. Employees learn to identify characteristics among the veteran student population to best serve them in and outside the classroom when on campus. View the recognition presentation below. A PDF file of the Congressional Recognition is available in the upper righ- hand corner.  

Article by Melinda Eddleman You’ve been putting off getting your teeth cleaned for quite some time … maybe because the cost of everything else is making it difficult to stretch your budget or maybe because you don’t like going to the dentist. Either way, Del Mar College’s (DMC) Dental Hygiene Program is currently offering some ways to help Coastal Bend residents smile a little brighter while keeping their wallets a little “greener” by providing clinic hours and services at no charge during the fall 2025 semester. The Dental Hygiene Clinic offers a variety of services including medical history reviews, blood pressure screenings, intra-oral examinations, dental preliminary assessments, periodontal assessments, dental hygiene education, oral cancer screenings, radiographs (x-rays), fluoride treatments (as needed), selective polishing, conservative periodontal therapy, dental hygiene therapy and dental sealants. Services are underway and run through early December, but now is the time to sign up due to an extended commitment from patients receiving student-provided services. The clinic gives Dental Hygiene students the hands-on experience and required hours needed to complete the program. Students performing procedures are under the supervision of program faculty, and patients’ care usually requires more than one visit. Patient selection is based on the educational and clinical requirements of Dental Hygiene students. DMC faculty will determine acceptance of patients after a “qualifying appointment.”   For full details about patient selection, appointments and other pertinent information, visit the clinic web page at delmar.edu/offices/dental-clinic/index.html. The clinic is located in Room 125 of Health Sciences Building 1 on Del Mar College’s Windward Campus at 4101 Old Brownsville Road (78405). Access directions and the online campus map. Operational hours are Mondays and Tuesdays 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. as well as Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon with appointments required. To schedule a “qualifying appointment,” call 361-698-2854 or email dentalclinic@delmar.edu. Sepulveda noted, “For multiple decades, Del Mar College has prepared dental care professionals who now serve patients across the Coastal Bend. Chances are, when you visit a dental office in our community, you’re being treated by a DMC graduate.”

Article by Melinda Eddleman Expanding perspectives is part of life-long learning, and the Del Mar College (DMC) Cultural Programs Committee (CPC) is dedicated to offering events featuring artists, authors, lecturers and musicians from other parts of the country to the campus and area communities as part of cultural learning experiences. Made up of faculty and other departmental representatives, the committee organizes several events during the year, including two over the next two weeks––a Fall Art Talk on Oct. 2 and a Literary Reading on Oct. 9. Cultural Programs Committee-sponsored events are free and open to the public. These offerings are scheduled in different facilities on the Heritage Campus located at 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404). Access online directions and the Heritage Campus campus map. Ceramic artist and educator William McKinney will present a Fall Art Talk in Richardson Performance Hall on Thursday, Oct. 2, beginning at 11 a.m. Presented by the CPC and the Art Program with the Art and Drama Department, the West Virginia Morgantown-born artist explores the intersection of industry, nature and environmental action. McKinney’s sculptural work reflects the environmental impact of coal and gas industries on Appalachia’s landscapes, serving as both a critique and a call to action. An Assistant Professor of Art and Ceramics and the Gallery Director at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., McKinney uses stoneware, colored porcelain slip and wood firing techniques to create forms that embody the tension between natural forces and human intervention, often incorporating multiple firings and Egyptian paste to enhance surface depth and complexity of his work. McKinney earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from West Virginia University in 2016 and completed his Master of Fine Arts degree at The University of Mississippi in 2019. He has served as a Resident Artist at the Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project in Lake County, Ca., and as an Adjunct Professor at Mendocino College. From 2022 to 2024, he was the John Hirschi Family Ceramic Resident Artist at Midwestern State University. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues such as Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (Mesa, Ariz.), Dallas College (Irving, Tx.), Miaobei Art Center (Miaoli County, Taiwan), Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue (Jingdezhen, China) and The Pottery Workshop (Jingdezhen, China). To learn more about McKinney and view his work, visit his website. Questions related to the Oct. 2 Fall Art Talk may be directed to the DMC Art Office at 361-698-1216 or art@delmsr.edu. Online seating registration is requested on the DMC web page for this event. On Thursday, Oct. 9, the committee and the Department of English and Philosophy will host memoirist and author Jody Keisner for a Literary Reading beginning at 11 a.m. in the Reading Lab (Room 119) in the Coles Building.  One reviewer, author Sue William Silverman, describes Keisner’s book, Under My Bed and Other Essays (2022), as an exploration of “our aversion to scary things, as well as the emotional, physical, cultural and psychological allure of fear. Keisner examines everything from horror movies to giving birth—and does it fearlessly.” You can explore Keisner’s writing further during her reading on the Heritage Camus. Keisner––a writer, teacher, mother, first-generation college graduate and ex-waitress––has had essays appear in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Fourth Genre, Cimarron Review, Post Road, Brevity, VIDA Review, So to Speak, Brain, Child, Assay, Threepenny Review, Hunger Mountain, The Rumpus, The Normal School, Adroit Journal, Literary Mama, Hippocampus, Essay Daily, Women’s Studies, and many other literary journals and magazines. Her essay “Runaway Mother” is a notable Best American Essay 2022. Keisner serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Linden Review, a journal of creative nonfiction focused on health. The graduate of Wayne State University (Bachelor of Arts), University of Nebraska-Omaha (Master of Arts) and Western Michigan University (Master of Fine Arts) is a Professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where she teaches creative nonfiction. You can learn more about Keisner on her website at www.jodykeisner.com/. Questions about the Oct. 9 reading may be directed to Assistant Professor of English Sarah Lenz at 361-698-1453 or slenz2@delmar.edu. If you have some free time the next couple of Thursdays or maybe want to take an early lunch, mark your calendar for Oct. 2 and 9 to join DMC Cultural Programs Committee and departmental event organizers for two thought-provoking presentations that offer a different learning experience.