UTEP’s Hopper-Dean Center Awards Fellowships to El Paso Computer Science Teachers
Teacher shortages have been reported throughout the country, particularly in computer science.
The field had the least number of individuals completing teaching education programs during the 2019-2020 academic year, according to a July 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education.
In 2021, recognizing the need for computer science K-12 teachers, the Hopper Dean Family Foundation gifted $5M to The University of Texas at El Paso to establish the Hopper-Dean Center of Excellence for K-12 CS Education, which is housed in the College of Education in partnership with the Department of Computer Science in the UTEP College of Engineering.
One of the center’s first initiatives was founding the Hopper-Dean K-12 Fellowship as a way to create a community of peers and UTEP faculty that fellows can leverage to exchange best practices, ideas and opportunities.
Since the fellowship’s inception in 2022, Hopper-Dean Fellows have furthered their knowledge and advanced computer science education in El Paso by attending computer science conferences, joining national computer science teacher associations and assisting other El Paso teachers in obtaining their computer science certification.
This week, at the Hopper-Dean Center’s annual gala, five computer science educators from the El Paso region were honored and welcomed as the newest class of Hopper-Dean K-12 Fellows.
“Candidates for the fellowship are identified by their noteworthy contributions to the profession and their commitment to computer science,” said Villa. “This fellowship is one of the multiple ways the center promotes and generates more Latino teachers and professionals in computer science. We want to be the top community in Texas for producing computer science teachers and our center is poised to meet that need and goal through our fellows and the great work they do.”
Meet The 2023-24 Fellows
Adrian Portillo, Irvin High School, El Paso ISD
Portillo started the Computer Science program at Irvin High School and has attended conventions and training on his own time and at his own expense during the summer breaks. He is an adjunct professor of CS OnRamps and received two alumni awards from the Microsoft TEALS program. Portillo is working closely with administration to create a comprehensive computer science program.
Jose Enriquez, El Dorado High School, Socorro ISD
Enriquez has been a computer science teacher for 10 years and prepares his students for various competitions in the field. Several of his former students are undergraduates in computer science.
Karina Melendez, Fabens High School, Fabens ISD
Melendez is a fine arts teacher who has been teaching computer science for two years. She is currently in the Microsoft TEALS program and Microsoft Teacher Academy pursuing her certification in computer science. Her students participate in STEAM events working with younger students to explore the world of computer science.
Lisa Roskosky, Canutillo Middle School, Canutillo ISD
Roskosky is the computer science teacher at Canutillo Middle School where she inspires her students to gain hands-on experience with coding, robotics and app development. Her students have made presentations at STEM conferences.
Shawn Trousdale, Eastwood High School, Ysleta ISD
While a teacher for the last 15 years, Trousdale has been teaching computer science for the last two years. This past year, his Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles sections were recognized by the College Board as having the highest female rations in the region. He is a member of the Computer Science Teachers Association regional chapter and is pursuing his computer science teacher certification through the Microsoft Teacher Academy.
The 2022-2023 fellows were Catherine Tabor, Pedro (Pete) Delgado, Ana Luna, Sandy Romo and Raul Torres Santos.
Last Updated on December 08, 2023 at 12:00 AM | Originally published December 08, 2023
By Mario Vazquez UTEP Marketing and Communications
