KINGSVILLE (Sept. 12, 2025) — More than 80 new educators from the region had an opportunity to socialize and learn new ways to help support their students and put them on the road to success during the Lead4ward Conference on Wednesday at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Center.
The conference, which was hosted by the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) College of Education and Human Performance’s (CEHP) Javelina Education Hub and the Educator Preparation Program (EPP), was led by Lead4ward’s Keli Soliz and was centered around New Teacher Learning.
“The goal here was to both build their capacity as a whole, to build relationships between the two of them, but also add to their instructional toolbelt,” Soliz said. “I can bring what I bring to them knowing what the best practices are in instruction and what are high yield practices that help students be successful. However, the whole goal is that mentors and field supervisors can add in that take of their specific campuses and communities so they can make sure they’re meeting students’ needs.”
The free Lead4ward conference provided supplies, door prizes and even mileage reimbursement to attending educators. The conference is part of an initiative that aligns with the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program, a $2.8 million grant awarded to TAMUK by the U.S. Department of Education in Oct. 2024 for Empowering Educators: A Comprehensive Approach to Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Enhancement.
“The grant’s initiative is to provide three professional development events per year, but definitely one big event,” said Sandra Burgos, TAMUK coordinator of special programs and a Hawkins Grant lead. “We selected Lead4ward because of their highly recommended background in education. Through the conference we are continuing to build on the professional development for the participating ISDs. We are thrilled for this amazing opportunity and all the educators.”
TAMUK adjunct professor Dr. Sonia Perez was pleased to see the university partner with Lean4ward, which she has had a longstanding relationship with and said it fits right in with the university’s overall mission of serving South Texas.
“Lead4ward is an outstanding educational consulting company,” Perez said. “This conference came about because we want to ensure that our teachers that are earning their certifications and that are going into the field have the right tools that they need to be successful.
“This dovetails perfectly with the vision that President Dr. Robert Vela and the university have as a whole,” she added. “We’re a teacher college and the primary focus of this is preparing them to do what they need to do and do it successfully. This type of engagement makes a big difference and I think it’s a perfect match for what Dr. Vela wants for our students at Texas A&M-Kingsville.”
The conference had a variety of educators ranging from first- and second-year teachers, mentors, field supervisors, pre-service teachers and CEHP faculty, working collaboratively to reflect on problems of practice common to new teachers.
Azusena Torres, a TAMUK undergraduate education major a fourth grade ELAR pre-service teacher at Saenz Elementary in Alice, said being able to pick the brains of current educators in this setting helps her relate with people who have been in or are currently in her situation.
“It has been really helpful because I don’t have any other family members that are teachers,” Torres said. “Meeting other people is really helpful to me just to learn more strategies and just to get advice. I told one of the people I’ve met about an area I was struggling in, and she gave me some helpful tips and I feel like it’s such a welcoming environment here. I am looking forward to learning more about how to manage classroom behavior. I know how to be uplifting and positive, but if a student is having a bad day or the classroom gets rowdy, I want to know how to get that behavior back to where I want it to be.”
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