Marcy Peña’s Legacy of Leadership

During the summer after her sophomore year, Marcy Peña found herself in an elementary school in Harlingen. A decade ago, she had been in a similar school about 40 miles away in McAllen, only this time, she was the teacher.

As a member of the first cohort of Hook 'Em Here Harlingen, a College of Education community-focused internship program, Peña spent the summer helping elementary and middle school teachers provide reading and math instruction. She returned to the program during the second year to mentor the next group of student teachers.

"Being part of the inaugural HEHH cohort was both a valuable learning experience and an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone," said Peña. "As a student teacher in my first year, I gained meaningful hands-on experience in the classroom. The following year, I felt more confident, which made my role as a mentor more natural. It was incredibly rewarding to watch them grow and to be part of their experience."

Now, she's graduating with a degree in early childhood through sixth grade education and a minor in social work, and she already has signed a contract to teach fifth grade writing in Austin this fall.

Although Peña always knew she wanted to be a teacher, she said she found her true calling - bilingual education - at The University of Texas. Despite growing up in a bilingual community, Peña had not realized it was something she could pursue professionally until enrolling at UT. Now as a senior, she's involved in multiple organizations dedicated to bilingual education, and she gave the keynote speech at the National Bilingual Education Conference earlier this year.

Whether in the classroom teaching students or mentoring fellow Longhorns, Peña's time on the Forty Acres cemented her love of education and helped develop her teaching philosophy.

"Mentoring has been an incredible experience because it renewed my passion for helping others learn and succeed," she said. "It also allowed me to build strong connections with other students … and has played a key role in shaping my identity as an educator and strengthening my commitment to creating supportive learning environments."