For some college students, being told to focus on education by their families is a normal routine. One example of this routine is UTEP’s Career Center Director Betsabe “Betsy” Castro, who remembers when her parents told her the same.
“My dad would always say ‘I can’t leave you an inheritance, but I can leave you with an education,” Castro said. “My parents (would say) to focus on school, (to not) worry about working while (I was) in high school, have (my) priorities and goals really clearly defined.”
Growing up in Juárez for an early part of her childhood, Castro and her family moved back to El Paso. Her parents have always put an emphasis on education and always reminded her to make it a priority.
Raised in a family of six, Castro was the first in her family to go to college. While her parents never received an advanced education like she did, they raised their kids with an emphasis on receiving an education. Today, Castro’s oldest brother served in the Marine Corps after attending community college, her sister works as a teacher and her youngest brother owns a business after going to technical school.
“My dad was a salesman, a self-made entrepreneur. My mom worked at home for many years and then later on became a school cafeteria manager. They saw education as the means for their kids to have a brighter future,” Castro said. “I think that that’s why they really encouraged us, to pursue it and they took away obstacles that we didn’t have to address. It really impacted each and every one of my siblings life and we have them to thank for putting education at the forefront.”
Castro applied what her parents taught her in high school, combining her competitive spirit and parents’ advice, Castro graduated top ten percent of her class and decided to start her college education at UTEP.
“I started at UTEP for one year and then I transferred to get my undergraduate degree at UT Austin,” Castro said. “I did live in Austin for some time, but I was quick to come back home and have been working at the university ever since.”
Returning to El Paso, Castro decided to further her education by getting a master’s degree in public administration. While on a job hunt, she decided to join the workforce at UTEP thanks to some old connections.
“I worked in the Office of Admissions and Recruitment here at UTEP, that was my first job. I got to transfer to UT Austin because I was at an education fair,” Castro said. “The lady from the UT Austin table came to talk to me and she said ‘Oh, you’re really good, do you wanna come work for me at UT Austin?”
Since then, Castro has been working for the UT system for over 30 years, with about 25 years of experience at UTEP’s career center.
Though her career did not align with her initial pursuit of going to law school, however, personal experiences made her choose the career center as her next adventure.
“I was the first one in my family to go to university, so I think one of the biggest struggles is not having role models or not understanding (how to prepare) for law school,” Castro said. “When I got my master’s in public administration and I used to be an undergraduate recruiter, I always saw the career center staff and how they were connecting with a lot of companies that were recruiting our students.”
Seeing the career center staff assist students brightened Castro’s heart, motivating her to help students and get them ready for a career after graduation.
From internship coordinator to working her way up as director of the career center, Castro gives the career center her all and enjoys working with students and opening their options.
“These students that come to UTEP are driven, they are humble, they are bright, and it’s so important that we give them the skills and experiences so they will become the professionals of tomorrow,” Castro said. “I get to work with college students because I get to help them reach their potential dreams right there, to identify what that career path looks like for them. It’s a great passion of mine.”
Committed to her position at the career center, Castro commits herself to other organizations such as the scholarship committee which helps students search ways to attend school. Being a worker who directs students towards opportunities and volunteer work she also makes sure students get the resources they need, Castro has defined her purpose as a leader and helper for students to pursue higher education.
“I really do see myself just being a service to the students here at UTEP. I think that there’s still a lot we can do, a lot of things that we can do better (and) a lot of opportunities that we can expand to other academic majors,” Castro said. “I think our work here continues, to make it better and make it exceptional. The career center is known for doing exceptional work, not only here but with other colleagues within other institutions.”
Elisha Nuñez is a staff reporter and can be contacted at [email protected]
