{"id":28,"date":"2021-03-03T04:15:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T04:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/nestor-enforcement-law-enforcement-grad\/"},"modified":"2021-05-02T01:34:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-02T01:34:28","slug":"goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle\/","title":{"rendered":"Goals and Patrols: STC Grad\u2019s Law Enforcement Future Coming Full-Circle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>Between shifts at Walmart, where he worked to relieve pressure on his hard-working single mother, a teenaged Nestor Espino set his sights on two long-term goals.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>The first, earning a college degree, seemed like a necessity. The second, a career in law enforcement, seemed like destiny. And while he may have gotten the order wrong, he managed to make good on his plans, earning his Bachelor\u2019s in Organizational Leadership \u2013 13 years in the making &#8212; from South Texas College.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>A veteran Border Patrol agent with three children of his own, Espino hopes his dedication will set a tone for college and career success in the same way his mother and grandmother did for him. And even as he makes plans to pursue a Master\u2019s Degree in Public Administration at UT-RGV in 2021, he\u2019s quick to reflect on the anachronistic achievement of his \u201csecond\u201d goal, likewise boosted by the dual influence of his mother and South Texas College.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>His wife and children would patiently support Espino as he pulled 50-hour weeks at work before isolating himself to study. And just as they had cheered on the day he passed his Border Patrol Agent\u2019s exam, they were there to celebrate his STC graduation.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>For his extended family at South Texas College, Espino\u2019s success is a shining example of the power of dedicated support. From flexible, competency-based programs to a student-first philosophy promoted by faculty and staff, STC provides a launching pad for working adults like Espino.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>Maricruz Hinojosa, Coordinator of College Connections at South Texas College has seen stories like Espino\u2019s before. A courageous, persistent person quitting college to be there for their family\u2026 before later invoking the very same grounds to return. \u201cIt\u2019s ironic to think that the same reasons he stopped going to school years ago have now become the main motivation to continue and complete his degree,\u201d<br \/>\nshe reflects.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>For Espino, though, it was more of a timing thing. Through a co-worker, he caught wind of the Educational Pathways for Law Enforcement Professionals program, which promised credits toward a degree for coursework he had already covered in basic academy. Suddenly, his original high-school goal was not only \u201ctotally doable,\u201d but with hard work, less than a year from completion.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>No doubt, Espino\u2019s bachelor\u2019s degree is a testament to his dedication and persistence. But it\u2019s also a front-of-the-line pass to bigger opportunities in law enforcement.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>Espino\u2019s Border Patrol Academy Training is one of seven educational pathways available for college credit at South Texas College \u2013 others include, Criminal Investigation, Peace Officer Training and Field Operations.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><b>\u201cNot only are they able to obtain college credits for their academies but they are also able to complete their degrees 100-percent online,\u201d says the coordinator.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Visit\u00a0<\/em><a style=\"font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/bt.southtexascollege.edu\/law-enforcement\/pathways.html\"><em>https:\/\/bt.southtexascollege.edu\/law-enforcement\/pathways.html<\/em><\/a><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/em><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\">for details and eligibility information for the Educational Pathways for Law Enforcement Professionals program.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Between shifts at Walmart, where he worked to relieve pressure on his hard-working single mother, a teenaged Nestor Espino set his sights on two long-term goals. The first, earning a college degree, seemed like a necessity. The second, a career in law enforcement, seemed like destiny. And while he may have gotten the order wrong,&#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-28","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-justice-and-corrections","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Goals and Patrols: STC Grad\u2019s Law Enforcement Future Coming Full-Circle - Spring 2021, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Goals and Patrols: STC Grad\u2019s Law Enforcement Future Coming Full-Circle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Between shifts at Walmart, where he worked to relieve pressure on his hard-working single mother, a teenaged Nestor Espino set his sights on two long-term goals. 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And while he may have gotten the order wrong,... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spring 2021, Volume 4 \u2013 Issue 1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-03T04:15:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-02T01:34:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/05\/goalsandpatrols_800.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rpedraz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rpedraz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southtexascollege.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2021-volume-4-issue-1\/goals-and-patrols-stc-grads-law-enforcement-future-coming-full-circle\/\",\"name\":\"Goals and Patrols: STC Grad\u2019s Law Enforcement Future Coming Full-Circle - 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