VUB Director bio

Director - Veterans Upward Bound

My name is Armando L Garza, Director of Veterans Upward Bound, and it is my privilege to be collaborating and assisting Veterans on their academic journey.  I am a U.S. Navy Veteran who served as a Religious Programming Specialist on both the USS Juneau (LPD-10) and the USS Denver (LPD-9) and at Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake.   After serving, I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville in Sociology (2012) and subsequently my Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Sociology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2015).  While completing my Masters, I started as a full-time staff member with the UTRGV Learning Center and worked there for over 10 years.  Having been a first-generation, low-income student who is also now a Veteran, this program is a way for me to work to give back to those that are unable or unaware on how to approach their dreams of a college education.