12th Annual MAS Summer Seminar

Greetings! 

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 12th Annual 2026 Mexican American Studies (MAS) Program Summer Seminar, focusing on national demographics, the needs of the workforce and how Mexican American Studies can personally enrich your life.

As part of Del Mar College’s (DMC) Hispanic Serving Institution emphasis, the College added an associate of arts degree in Mexican American Studies to the Division of Arts and Sciences’ list of transferable associate degree plans in 2011. Our Center for Mexican American Studies was established five years later to further serve students and the community.

MAS is an interdisciplinary program that addresses the Spanish language and the study of Mexican Americans in history, art, music, the humanities, literature and politics. The program provides a solid background in dealing with and working in the increasingly multicultural environment of the present and future.

Three of every four DMC associate degree graduates are employed or transferred to a university. Many students also take courses for personal enrichment. As you think about your dreams and aspirations, please consider all the many benefits of the Mexican American Studies Program.

Set your goals high and Get More, Get MAS!

Sincerely,

Mark Escamilla, Ph.D.
Del Mar College President

Greetings to Del Mar College Friends, Colleagues, and Contributors, and welcome to the 2026 Mexican American Studies (MAS) Summer Seminar:

We welcome you and embrace your participation at the 12th Annual 2026 Mexican American Studies (MAS) Summer Seminar. We are pleased that you have decided to share your time with us and with many of your colleagues and community leaders to celebrate the many aspects of this program.

MAS supports an interdisciplinary academic program that focuses on the Mexican American heritage and experiences that emphasize Mexican Americans’ contribution to the history and its culture. Thus, our goal of the seminar is to provide everyone the opportunity to engage in open, enjoyable, and productive dialogue for a fulfilling experience. We hope that you share and collaborate your ideas, thoughts, and experiences with your colleagues and other participants that will contribute to the continued growth of this treasured program at the College and in the community.

More than a decade ago, conversations among peers and colleagues from the College and other institutions as well as community activists began the initial discussions and commenced the journey in establishing the MAS Program at Del Mar College. As part of those conversations, I have witnessed the creation and fruition of this excellent program in attracting and nurturing students to follow a pathway to navigate them to become community leaders and empowered advocates in their professions. As evidence of the College’s commitment and support of the MAS Program, the MAS Center has designated space located on the Heritage Campus, and the Center is open to students and the community.

The MAS Program serves a vital purpose for those students who chose this pathway to enrich their academic endeavors and professional careers. The students are offered an academic plan with various components that allows them to explore the Mexican American history, heritage, and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. The studies focus on the Spanish language and the history of Mexican Americans’ contributions in art, government, history, humanities, literature, and music.

We welcome you with open arms to this seminar. Thank you for sharing your time with us, and may you enjoy the sessions and the collaborative conversations among your friends and peers during this seminar.

Dr. Jonda Halcomb
Vice President and Chief Academic Officer

Welcome to the 12th Annual Mexican American Studies Summer Seminar! We are so glad that you have chosen to participate in this important event. Through the programming of this seminar, we hope to offer information and perspective on the influence of the Mexican American culture in the Coastal Bend and beyond.

We are proud to offer Mexican American Studies (MAS) as an interdisciplinary program to either stand alone or enhance and enrich other degree programs. For instance, business majors would greatly enhance their education by also earning an Associate in Arts with a major in MAS. There are many other degrees where this combination is valuable. The Associate in Arts degree with a major in MAS easily transfers to a university for the completion of a bachelor's degree in MAS.

Now more than ever, students should graduate with the skills needed to function in a global workforce. Most of the industry in the Coastal Bend is international, with processing plants, headquarters, and terminals located all over the world. The ability to document a multicultural education allows employers to know that a person can quickly adapt to and understand colleagues of different backgrounds and/or be able to live in a different country. This provides for flexibility and faster advancement within today’s job market!

We hope that you’ll agree that the Mexican American Studies program is a valuable addition to the curriculum at Del Mar College and further, it is an answer to a need within our community. I invite you to watch, listen, and learn as we progress through this summer seminar. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Bridges, Ph.D.
Dean, Division of Communication, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences

Dear Friends of MAS,

Welcome to our Summer Seminar 2026. It gives us great pleasure to greet you today at a grand event such as ours. We are very happy to be here welcoming you to the 12th Annual Mexican American Studies Summer Seminar as we celebrate our 15th year as a Degree Granting Program at Del Mar College.

We are continuing to make Connections with you--connecting our college to our community. You will take something away from our Seminar today, and so will we-- a real and rich experience. Here you will find a positive piece of knowledge for you to share with others. We are connecting cultures, generations, and spaces. We are glad you joined us.

The Mexican American Studies Program at Del Mar College supports an interdisciplinary academic program that focuses on Mexican American experiences in South Texas and throughout the United States by providing resources and learning opportunities for our students and our community. We endeavor to further Mexican American Studies as a relevant and dynamic field of study for academic growth and personal enrichment.

Today’s seminar brings together our Program disciplines showcasing our finest in the fields of art, history, politics, music, literature, the humanities, sociology, and language. We bring together our rich history, culture and roots and present them to you today.

We hope you enjoy today’s sessions. Please visit our Program of Presenters and explore this Landing page for more information on our Program and our commitment to the community.

We wish to express our sincerest gratitude to all of you who genuinely committed to make this event successful. This event would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication you have contributed.

Gracias,

Dr. Isabel Araiza
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of Mexican American Studies Program