Last Friday, state Rep. Mary E. González, House District 75, returned to her alma mater to share some insight into the inner-workings of the state legislature with a group of new college graduates participating in the UT Austin chapter of Advise TX.

During her talk, she discussed an array of issues affecting K-12 schools across Texas, a relevant topic for the 21 college graduates who will soon be working as college advisors for underserved high school students. Housed within the Longhorn Center for School Partnerships, the state-wide program places exceptional recent college graduates on high school campuses as near-peer advisors.

González knows the importance of their work because she, too, benefited from supportive mentors who helped her along her journey to the Forty Acres and beyond.

“Because someone helped me come to UT and get to where I am today, I’ve been able to change thousands of lives—millions of lives,” said González, who earned her bachelor’s degrees in history and Mexican American studies. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at UT Austin’s College of Education. “So I just want you to know that you can create this amazing domino effect, and I’m so glad that you are all here and doing this work.”

The event is part of the program’s four-week summer training, which includes a bus tour to colleges across the state and concludes with four more days of training before participants branch off to their respective high school campuses in five cities across Texas. Visit the Advise TX website to learn more about the program and how it is helping low-income and first-generation students enter the college pipeline.