Jose Fuentes, District III Vice-President, Phi Theta Kappa

Jose Fuentes attends Northeast Texas Community College. He serves as the District III Vice President in Texas for Phi Theta Kappa.

Thank you so much for allowing me to speak with you this afternoon. I’m standing before you today because of my sister. Her story became my story. Her breakthrough became my starting point. And the path she carved through community college is the same path that led me here. Ten years ago, my oldest sister walked across a stage at a community college graduation. For our family, that moment was more than a milestone, it was a breakthrough.

But for me, sitting in the audience, it was something else. It was the first time I realized that maybe college wasn’t just something other people did. Maybe it was something we could do. My parents came to this country when they were sixteen years old. They didn’t know how the education system worked here. They didn’t know what transfer pathways were, how scholarships worked, or who you were supposed to ask for help. So, when my sister Angelica entered college, she did what many first-generation students do. She stepped into the unknown and hoped she could figure it out along the way.

She chose to attend Northeast Texas Community College. Not because it was easy. But because it was accessible. And because it was willing to meet her where she was. What changed everything wasn’t just her work ethic. It was the people around her. She met advisors who didn’t just tell her what classes to take but asked her what she wanted her future to look like. Professors who saw her curiosity and pushed her further. They encouraged her to join the Honors Program, to ask better questions, to believe she was capable of more. Because of that support, she didn’t just pass classes. She thrived. She joined the Honors Program. She conducted research. She wrote papers she was proud of. She stepped into leadership roles on campus and in Phi Theta Kappa. These are opportunities that exist because community colleges intentionally create space for students to grow beyond the classroom.

Phi Theta Kappa didn’t change her life on its own. Community college made it possible for Phi Theta Kappa to become part of her story. Through faculty mentorship and institutional support, she gained the confidence to pursue leadership opportunities, to apply for awards, and eventually, to take a leap that felt almost impossible.

She applied for the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which is one of the most competitive scholarships for community college students in the nation.

And she won.

That moment didn’t just validate her. It validated the education, the mentorship, and the support she had received at a community college. She transferred to Texas A&M University in College Station and went on to earn advanced degrees and build a career in public health.

But the most important part of her story didn’t happen at her transfer institution. It happened earlier; in advising offices, in classrooms, in conversations where faculty chose to invest in a student before the rest of the world was paying attention.

And here’s where her story becomes mine.

When my sister came home, she didn’t just bring a success story. She brought a new expectation for our family. She showed us what was possible. Because of her, my second sister became the first doctor in our family. Another became a registered nurse. And when it was my turn to step onto a college campus, I didn’t walk in blind. I walked in believing I belonged.

I followed the same path. I had community college professors and advisors who believed in me, challenged me, and guided me forward. They didn’t just teach content. They built confidence. They helped me see leadership in myself before I saw it on my own. So, when you see me today—as a student leader, as a regional officer, as someone representing students across Texas—understand this:

I am not here in spite of having started at a community college.

I am here because of it.

Now, through my leadership role, I have the privilege of meeting students from across Texas, from every one of our community college districts. And no matter where I go, the stories sound familiar. Students talk about the professor who noticed they were struggling and reached out. The advisor who encouraged them to apply for something they didn’t think they deserved. The faculty member who reminded them that one setback didn’t define their future.

Students don’t talk about rankings or prestige. They talk about people.

And that’s when it becomes clear:

Community college doesn’t just educate students.
It transforms families.
It resets what future generations believe is possible.

The convention theme this year is “50 Strong, United We Stand.”

To me, that means 50 community college districts across Texas standing as places where potential is recognized early, where faculty choose to teach not just content, but confidence.

Many of you in this room have credentials that could take you anywhere. You could teach at large research institutions. You could pursue paths defined by prestige. Instead, you chose community college.

You chose students who are still discovering who they can become.
You chose classrooms where the impact is quieter, but deeper.
You chose to lift students before they ever learn to lift themselves.

There’s a phrase that captures this perfectly: Lift as you climb.

Some of you were once community college students yourselves. You climbed, and you came back. And because you did, students like my sister—and students like me—have the chance to climb too.

So, if you ever wonder whether your work matters. If you ever question whether the extra time, the patience, the sacrifice is worth it,

Know this:

There is a student whose future exists because you chose to help.
There is a family whose trajectory changed because you cared.
And there is a generation rising because 50 community college districts stand united. Guided by faculty who believe in access, equity, and possibility.

Fifty strong.
United by purpose.
And lifting Texas, one student at a time.

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