Harlingen Collegiate’s top graduates have huge goals

Isabella Perez, 18, left, this year’s Salutatorian at Harlingen Collegiate High School and Evelyn Garza, 17, Valedictorian, are seen on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Travis Whitehead | Valley Morning Star)

HARLINGEN — About 30 years ago, a young couple immigrated from Valle Hermoso south of the border to make a life here and raise their kids.

Now their daughter, Evelyn Garza, wants to become an immigration lawyer.

She has a pretty good head start in that direction. She’s Valedictorian of this year’s graduating class at Harlingen Collegiate High School.

“I’m happy, I’m blessed, I’m grateful to be in this position,” said Evelyn, 17.

Harlingen Collegiate is not an easy school to attend. It’s name says it all — students have dual enrollment in college level courses and when they graduate they have two years of college along with their diplomas. Making the top spot says a lot about Evelyn’s capacity

“I just really focused on school,” she said. “I didn’t have another like goal to accomplish besides just wanting to make my parents proud. I always used my school time wisely. I made study groups of friends.”

Isabella Perez, 18, will graduate as Salutatorian.

“I’m happy, excited, blessed for the opportunity,” Isabella said.

She was also thinking of someone else during her long hours of study.

“I have a younger brother, and he really looks up to me a lot,” she said. “Everything I do I say is for him, to be a good role model for him.”

Isabella had a full plate throughout her school years. This year alone she worked at H-E-B and participated in livestock show with her breeding heifers.

“During school I take all the time I can here to study and get what I need to do,” she said.

She plans to attend Texas A&M University at College Station to major in biomedical sciences on a pre-medicine route to be a dermatologist.

Evelyn did not have a great many extracurricular activities, but she did start her own business renting out marquis letters for events or parties. Her father, a construction worker, makes the letters, and she rents them out.

So at age 17 she’s already an entrepreneur with two years of college credit and is the Valedictorian for her class.

She plans to study at the University of Texas at Austin and major in government with a minor and psychology before entering law school.

She’ll be managing her business online.

The post Harlingen Collegiate’s top graduates have huge goals appeared first on MyRGV.com.