Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Sylvia L. Flores’s path towards her Doctorate’s in Philosophy was very eventful. The path she took, with many roads unpaved, was where she realized her purpose in life was to pave the way for the next generation. Presently, she serves as a testament that surrounding yourself with public servants and being resourceful is key to making a positive impact in your community.

 

Sylvia was brought up in a humble home by a single mother, after tragedy struck her family and took her father’s life. The doctor not only announced the loss of her husband, at age 23, but also announced the coming of her third child. A force to be reckoned with, now known as Dr. Flores.

 

The obstacles Sylvia overcame were many. The academic world is a universe that no one took the time to introduce to her. However, while clinging on to her religious beliefs and taking on every new challenge that she came across, she learned how to be resourceful. Her successful academic and professional career was not short of supportive leaders like Dr. Royal Loresco, South Texas College, Dr. Uzzer Raajpoot, UTRGV, Dr. Silva, College Station, Dr. Judith Warner, TAMIU, Dr. Marcus Nalvez, TAMIU, Dr. Matthew Basham, Northcentral University, and Dr. Ricardo Solis, South Texas College. This goes without saying, that as a Sociologist, I learn through unobtrusive measures from so many community leaders.

 

Once her academic career was complete, her journey to help future generations began. The transition from a humble background to the academic life built her confidence and the skill of being resourceful enough to be contracted to teach at South Texas College in 2009. Teaching adult students naturally became her passion, because it led to the success of so many adult learners. It’s like watching your children grow up. Their success is yours. You only wish they surpass your talents and successes. Commitment, the willingness to be adaptable, professionalism, and coming from a sincere and good place is key to reaching students and keeping adult learners on the path to success.

 

Being that her workplace is much like her extended family, Sylvia works with her husband at South Texas College. Her children love to visit the open campus and can’t wait to work at STC too. Sylvia loves to multi-task and help as many organizations as she possibly can. She has a gift for time management and it helps that her children and husband support her every endeavors. They come as a package deal. Get four for the price of one.

 

Sylvia’s recent accomplishments include winning the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Awards for 2019, winning the League of Excellence Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College in 2023, conducting fifteen research presentations since 2018, and publishing 11 books and research articles since 2017. However, if you ask her, she would prefer to focus on her former students graduating, some finishing graduate school, other female students majoring in male dominated field such as chemistry, some even becoming assistant chefs at Ambra’s, and so many more successful stories that are too many to mention here. 

 

When asked, Sylvia’s goal is to help students get an advantage in life.  She wants to help every student who takes a Sociology class at South Texas College, should they be willing, publish a research paper. She has published quantitative and qualitative research that helped create workbooks for students. Although this challenge is a major one, it does not fall short of the goals she has conquered in the past.

 

Sylvia L. Flores, PhD’s journey to become who she is today is a testament on how she is capable of defying national barriers and using them to help the next generation. Her efforts serve as model for others whose goals were said to be unreachable. She set the example and paved the way with her ambitious mindset and determination to make a difference in people’s lives. Now she waits to take that same path with anyone who needs the assistance.

 

To follow Sylvia L. Flores’s efforts and to learn more about how you can help here work, connect with her on Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok, or Facebook.