Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr.  Raul Alonzo was an award-winning Foghorn staffer while he was a student at Del Mar College. His time working on student newspapers both at DMC and at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi have served him well. He moved on to work for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Gatehouse Media while wrapping up work on a bachelor’s degree in media arts at TAMU-CC. Today, he’s a Digital Producer for the Texas Standard weekday radio news magazine, which airs on National Public Radio stations across the Lone Star State. College Relations staff caught up with Alonzo when he was invited to return to campus in March 2025 to give a talk about a project that began during his days as a Foghorn reporter. He was genuinely excited to share details about his work and how his time at DMC helped him build the skill set he needed to excel in his current role.  

Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr. The partnership prepares high school-age students for the workforce … health care to be precise. And, for more than 150 students from Ray, Miller and Veterans Memorial high schools in the Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD), their hard work and accomplishments will be recognized as part of a Health Care Program Class of 2025 pinning ceremony, which is part of a specialized certification opportunity offered through Del Mar College’s Continuing Education (CE) division. The ceremony was held in Richardson Performance Hall on DMC’s Heritage Campus on May 20. The event was one of 30 pinning ceremonies scheduled since the last week in April with 1,256 high school and academy students overall receiving pins. Some of these students are from as far away as Austwell-Tivoli High School located north of Rockport and Benavides High School located west of Kingsville.    The CE Health Care Program offers national certifications for high school juniors and seniors that are obtained through American Allied Health, a credentialing agency that specializes in online allied health science national certifications. Students must pass an online exam that is proctored by DMC instructors to receive their certification. Juniors receive a Phlebotomy Technician certificate of completion while seniors receive the Introductory Medical Assistant Technician certification and a white coat that signifies they have two national certifications.    Maria Guerra, DMC Program Manager for Continuing Education Health Care, notes there was a key change this year. To meet area workforce needs, juniors are now enrolling in the Phlebotomy Technician course rather than the Electrocardiography Technician course that previous cohorts completed. “We have discovered that there’s greater job demand for phlebotomy technicians, and so we have updated that offering to help both students and employers alike,” Guerra said. Following remarks by Dr. Leonard Rivera, DMC Vice President of Dual Enrollment & Continuing Education, school representatives presented awards to their students, including: • 46 juniors and 30 seniors attending Veterans Memorial High School who received certificates, pins and/or coats from Principal Scott Walker and Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers Amanda Delagarza and Vanessa Castaneda, • nine juniors and 10 seniors attending Roy Miller High School who received their awards from Principal Dr. Aurelio Tamayo and CTE teacher Kimberly Tanner and CE Health Care instructor Rachel Perry. • 36 juniors and 26 seniors attending W. B. Ray High School who received their awards from Principal Roxanne Cuevas and CTE teachers Brittany Queen and Sharon Rocha. For more information about Del Mar College’s CE Health Programs, visit delmar.edu/ce/.