51���� proudly celebrated the achievements of its newest law enforcement graduates during the Criminal Justice Institute’s Fall 2025 Commencement Ceremony, held on Saturday, December 6, at the TSC Performing Arts Center. The ceremony honored 40 graduates in total—32 from the Basic Peace Officer program and 8 from the Basic County Corrections Officer program, each stepping forward to begin careers rooted in service, responsibility, and community protection.

The event opened with the formal presentation of colors and the recitation of the national anthem, setting a tone of respect and tradition that carried throughout the ceremony. TSC President Dr. Jesús Roberto Rodríguez and Board of Trustees Chairwoman Adela G. Garza welcomed graduates and their families with messages of pride and encouragement, reflecting on the importance of duty, integrity, and the rigorous training that prepares each cadet for the path ahead.

This year’s keynote speaker, Chief Felix Sauceda of the Brownsville Police Department, delivered an inspiring address that drew from his 34-year career in law enforcement. Chief Sauceda spoke candidly about the realities of public service, including the sacrifices, challenges, and its immense capacity to shape men and women into strong and compassionate leaders.

“I can’t overemphasize that the challenges you will face are very real, day in and day out, so it is incumbent of you to remain prepared,” Sauceda said. “At the end of the day, whichever agency you work with, the challenges you endure and overcome throughout your career will define your legacy. Always continue to grow, always remain vigilant, well-prepared, and courageous. Your families and community depend on each and every one of you.”

Following the keynote, members of the graduating class took the stage to share their own reflections. Day Class President Jorge Lambert and Evening Class Vice President Devon Lopez looked back on the months of training, the obstacles they overcame, and the strong sense of camaraderie that developed among their cohort. Their remarks captured the collective spirit of support, resilience, and shared purpose that shaped their journey.

The ceremony continued with Cadet Alexis Salinas leading the class in reciting the Code of Ethics, reaffirming their commitment to the core values of law enforcement and the responsibility they now carry as guardians of the communities they serve.

To conclude the ceremony, each graduate was individually recognized and awarded their certificate of completion. As they crossed the stage, they did so not only as students but as newly prepared officers and corrections professionals, equipped with the training, skills, and confidence necessary to uphold the law and protect the public.

51���� is proud to congratulate the Fall 2025 CJI graduating class and remains committed to supporting the next generation of law enforcement professionals who will serve with integrity, courage, and dedication.

51���� held a rededication ceremony on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, officially renaming the TSC Legal Center to the Ruben Herrera, J.D. Legal Center in honor of the late Ruben Herrera, J.D., a distinguished TSC alumnus, longtime board trustee, and champion of legal education in the Rio Grande Valley.

Herrera, who passed away unexpectedly in March 2024, played a central role in the vision and development of the facility. As a trustee and subcommittee member, he helped oversee the renovation of the 5,716-square-foot building, which now features a full-size courtroom, jury conference room, two classrooms, and a digital law library. His input helped shape the center into a dynamic instructional space where students in TSC’s Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice programs can gain real-world, courtroom-based experience.

A graduate of Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Herrera led a successful Brownsville law practice and served as a respected community leader across multiple organizations, including the TSC Foundation, Brownsville Economic Development Corporation, and Tip of Texas Family Outreach. He was also a Leadership Brownsville graduate (Class IX), where he served as Chair of the Junior Leadership program.

Elected to the TSC Board of Trustees in 2016, Herrera served as Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair before ultimately assuming the role of Immediate Past Chair. His dedication to expanding access to quality education and professional development made a lasting impact on the college, its students, and the broader Brownsville community.

During the ceremony, TSC President Dr. Jesus Roberto Rodriguez reflected on Herrera’s enduring legacy and the significance of renaming the center in his honor.

“Trustee Herrera’s belief in the mission of the community college was matched by his belief in the people that we serve today.” Dr. Rodriguez began. “As we dedicate the Ruben Herrera J.D., Legal Center, we renew our promise that his vision lives on in these classrooms where future generations of students will learn the law, practice justice, and carry forward his dedication of fairness and equity.”

Board of Trustees Chairwoman Adela G. Garza also addressed the audience, noting both Herrera’s deep commitment to the college and the inspiration his example provides to future generations of students and community leaders.

“I’m honored commemorate the impact that Ruben had on this college and in this community. He worked hard, and to those who were close to him, you heard the stories of him working and coming to school. He kept saying that if he could do it, anybody can do it. He wanted to show the next generation of students that anything is possible if you’re willing to put in the work.”

The event brought together faculty, staff, students, and community members to celebrate Herrera’s legacy and recognize his pivotal contributions to 51���� and the Rio Grande Valley.

In an institute of higher education, it’s not uncommon to see students engage in collaborative projects within a class to help develop teamwork.

However, at 51����, they aren’t permanently restricted to exercising their collaborative skills within a single class, as students from an English Creative Writing course are engaging in a series of simulation scenario exercises with cadets from TSC’s Police Academy program.

TSC Criminal Justice Institute Training Coordinator Crisobel Abrego Jr. feels that this type of immersive scenario-based training is crucial to developing police officers, as it prepares them for the unexpected.

“The benefit of having roleplayers from the student community is that they’re fresh faces that the cadets are encountering for the first time, so it’s very much like what they would expect when encountering an unknown person while on duty,” said Abrego. “The students stay in character the entire time, and their scripts encourage them to throw curveballs at the cadets so that they have to dig deep into their training and get used to thinking on their feet.”

The result proved to be a uniquely engaging experience for both parties involved. In this instance, the cadets were given their first opportunity to practice skills they had learned throughout their training, such as responding to dispatchers via walkie-talkie while using proper police code and protocol.

At the same time, the creative writing students were allowed to show the depth of their creativity. For example, if a student was given a prompt to act as a domestic abuser, they were given free rein to obstruct the cadets as they attempted to gather details, employing tactics such as frequently repeating themselves and coming up with a multitude of reasons to deny the cadets entry to their classroom/residence.

“Performing something like this helps the students be more comfortable in different situations and learn to adapt to change,” said 51���� English Instructor Monica Mejia, whose students acted as counterparts to the cadets. “They gain experience acting in front of others and improvising on the spot if needed. It’s something that the Creative Writing students will need to do before the end of their semester, so getting a chance to collaborate early really helps everyone involved.”

Creative writing students were presented with scenarios police officers in the field sometimes respond to while on duty. The prompts covered topics ranging from human trafficking to domestic abuse. Students were assigned roles in each scenario and given the creative freedom to flesh out their characters’ personality traits.

Creative writing student Anthony Hudgins acted out his role in a human trafficking scenario and saw this collaborative exercise’s mutually beneficial nature.

“For us writers, it’s an opportunity to hone our improvisational and narrative skills, adapting and evolving our scenarios in real-time based on the cadets’ responses,” said Hudgins. “Cadets gain hands-on practice in a controlled simulated environment that requires them to approach situations thoughtfully rather than reactively, practicing patience, empathy, de-escalation, and keen observation.”

The laws by which we are governed can sometimes be complicated to interpret correctly. Fortunately, individuals who wished to brush up on their understanding were in luck, as local legal experts were on hand to share their knowledge as part of the Law 101 series held at the TSC Legal Center on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

Last held in 2019, the recently revived Law 101 is a series of free and open-to-the-public seminars that bring in local legal experts to raise awareness and promote a greater understanding of certain areas of the law.

Immigration law was the main topic of the Saturday morning session, led by attorneys Rodrigo Vallejo and Sarah Guevara of the Diez & Crane Texas Immigration Law Firm. The two gave a detailed presentation covering various relevant topics related to the laws that directly affect immigrants, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Parole in Place (PIP) program, residency, naturalization, midwife cases, and more.

“There are a lot of immigration issues that could affect certain people, but there are also benefits that people may qualify for but aren’t aware of, so events like these are a great way to help spread the word as to what is out there and inform people of the different benefits that they can potentially receive,” said Vallejo

Attendees were also encouraged to ask questions, most of whom obliged and made the most of the occasion by picking the brains of the experts, both of whom willingly answered and provided hypothetical examples to help illustrate their answers. It was a golden opportunity for them to be able to help share knowledge and awareness of topics that mainly affect people in our community.

“Outreach programs like this are important because they often provide the community with additional information that maybe they didn’t previously have, or at least give them the opportunity to realize what resources are available to them,” said Guevara.

Overall, both feel strongly about wanting people to have a greater understanding of these laws and the changes that are made. In some cases, persistence can often lead to finding the right program for the right individuals.

“It’s hard for people to be aware of everything out there. Immigration law changes, so it’s good to keep getting immigration advice now and then to see if there are any changes that can work to their benefit and really make a big difference in their cases,” Vallejo stated.

This year’s Law 101 series will continue to run with two more sessions at the Legal Center scheduled for October and November:

Family Law with Chester Gonzalez, Attorney at Law
October 19, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Business Law with Dr. Kevin O’Malley, Director of Paralegal Studies and Attorney at Law
November 16, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

For more information on the seminars, please visit the Law 101 website or contact TSC Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences Dr. Christopher Alves at christopher.alves@tsc.edu or at (956) 295-3714.

Individuals seeking to enhance their understanding of the law now have a new opportunity, as 51���� will be offering a series of three Law 101 informational seminars on select Saturdays from September to November at the TSC Legal Center.

The seminars, which are free and open to the public, function as workshops that will encourage interested individuals to join in and learn a little more about different areas of the law: Immigration Law, Family Law, and Business Law.

Immigration Law will cover issues such as immigration policies, legal pathways to residency, and other challenges immigrants face. Family Law explores common family-related issues such as divorce and child custody. Business Law will go over issues crucial to navigating the legal side of the business world, such as contract law, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance matters.

Additionally, legal experts will lead the seminars in each of the aforementioned areas. The experts will be giving presentations based on their areas of expertise, as well as fielding questions from attendees. Although they will not be dispensing legal advice, the experts will instead be there to ensure that the benefit of their years of experience can be shared with those who wish to learn more.

51����’s Legal Center, which recently opened in early January, will be the site in which each seminar is to be conducted. Considered the home of the college’s criminal justice programs, the Legal Center building features fully equipped classrooms, a legal library and a full-scale courtroom, providing an appropriate backdrop for the subject matter each workshop is designed to cover.

The three currently scheduled Law 101 seminars are as follows:

Immigration Law with Jamie Diez, Attorney at Law
September 21, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Family Law with Chester Gonzalez, Attorney at Law
October 19, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Business Law with Dr. Kevin O’Malley, Director of Paralegal Studies and Attorney at Law
November 16, 2024
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

For more information, please visit or contact TSC Interim Dean of Arts & Sciences Dr. Cristopher Alves at christopher.alves@tsc.edu or (956) 295-3714.

August 26, 2024 – 51���� (TSC) and Sam Houston State University (SHSU) recently celebrated the grand opening of new classrooms, marking the official launch of their collaborative Criminal Justice program. SHSU hosted the event to commemorate the beginning of this new partnership with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Tandy Hall T205, a space designated for Sam Houston State University (SHSU).

“The partnership between 51���� and Sam Houston State University is more than just a collaboration; it’s a commitment to expanding access to high-quality education in the field of criminal justice,” said Dr. David Stender, Senior Director for Strategy and Innovation at SHSU. “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the educational journey for countless students in the Rio Grande Valley.”

As per a credit transfer agreement signed earlier this year, students who complete first two years of classes at TSC can now enroll in SHSU’s criminal justice program upon graduation. With this new classroom space available, students who are accepted into the program will now have the option to take their SHSU Criminal Justice classes at the TSC campus, meaning that they can earn a bachelor’s degree from SHSU while remaining in Brownsville.

“By offering SHSU criminal justice courses here at the TSC campus, we are meeting students where they are physically, academically and personally,” continued Dr. Stender.

“We understand that many of our students juggle work, family, and many other responsibilities, and this partnership allows them to pursue their dreams of earning a degree without sacrificing their connections to home, community, and culture.”

This program is designed to benefit nontraditional students, many of whom balance full-time jobs with their college coursework. With most courses requiring in-person attendance just once a week, students gain the flexibility needed to better integrate studying and class assignments into their busy schedules.

“With the new SHSU classroom in Tandy Hall, students can now take advantage of face-to-face courses here at TSC, enroll in 5 or 15-week courses online, and participate in internships, both locally and virtually,” remarked Dr. Stender. “This flexibility is especially important for nontraditional students who must balance full-time jobs with their studies.”

TSC alumna Alan Moreno Salazar is proudly the first student to enroll in the new SHSU criminal justice courses offered at TSC. “Since I was a child, I’ve always admired law enforcement. I’m studying to become a state game warden because I love Texas and don’t want to leave this wonderful place,” said Moreno Salazar. As a TSC graduate, he recognizes the unique opportunity this partnership offers. “Sam Houston State University has a legacy and prestige for its criminal justice programs, and I’m grateful to be part of that legacy without having to leave the place I’ve always called home.”

By James Walker / 51����

51���� recently inaugurated the TSC Legal Center, which spans 4,450 square feet and features a fully operational courtroom and conference center. Alongside these facilities are a jury room, various classrooms, and the Cameron County Law Library, all supporting the college’s criminal justice, law enforcement, and paralegal studies programs. The centerpiece, a fully equipped courtroom, serves as a simulation courtroom lab where students can apply their classroom knowledge in practical scenarios.��

In late April, students from the Criminal Justice program at 51���� had their first opportunity to apply their learning in a practical setting during the inaugural mock trial held at the TSC Legal Center.��

TSC Criminal Justice program director and instructor Martin Morales Jr. wanted to ensure that the student’s learning experience was thorough from start to finish, so he quickly utilized the TSC Legal Center’s courtroom to achieve his goal.����

“Developing a mock trial involves intense preparation, dedication, and significant effort,” Morales explained. “After identifying the participants, we assess their preferences for roles, determining whether they would like to serve as defense or prosecution attorneys.”��

Once determined, Morales coached and trained the students on the prosecution side, while associate instructor Zoraya B. Aguilar mentored those taking the roles of defense attorneys.����

“Tell it to the judge”��

A murder was at the heart of the fictional case unfolding in the Legal Center’s courtroom. Students assumed the roles of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and witnesses within the courtroom, each with their agenda to fulfill to add to the realism of the case. However, this was much more than just a simple role-play exercise—the mock trial��was designed��to immerse students in a full courtroom setting and evaluate how they would fare in an actual legal case.��The students involved began their initial preparation and training in early March.����

“Students attended training sessions twice a week on average, where they learned how to deliver opening statements, conduct direct and cross-examinations, make closing arguments, and handle all standard courtroom procedures,” Morales stated.��

To further enhance the immersion factor, retired U.S. Magistrate Judge of the Southern District of Texas Felix Recio presided over the case, taking his place on the judge’s bench to ensure that the proceedings��were carried out��correctly. Additionally, the twelve-person jury comprised a mix of student volunteers and cadets from TSC’s Law Enforcement program.����

As the trial proceeded, attorneys called witnesses for examination to build their cases, as would be expected in an actual legal trial. Judge Recio maintained order, fielding the occasional objection call from attorneys and carefully deciding what to overrule or sustain.����

After ninety minutes of proceedings, attorneys gave their closing statements and could only wait as the jurors prepared to fulfill their role. Before the jury deliberated their verdict behind closed doors, Judge Recio detailed how to approach their role as jurors and their mindset when trying to reach a verdict. After approximately thirty minutes of deliberation, the jury returned to the courtroom and rendered their verdict: guilty.��

“Regardless of who won or lost the case, what I hope they take away from this experience is a better understanding of the court system, how to compose effective arguments, public speaking skills, critical thinking, and early exposure to operating in a courtroom setting,” Morales proudly remarked. “When they continue their journeys in the legal field, they will have a head start and understand the magnitude of expectations for what is coming ahead as they pursue their careers.”����

TSC stands out as the sole institution in the Rio Grande Valley with an ABA-approved paralegal program, one of only 14 in Texas and among 184 nationwide. Additionally, it is the only school in Texas and one of just four across the United States that offers a fully operational courtroom and an ABA-accredited paralegal studies program.��