Mega Doctor News
By Selene Rodriguez
Nearly three decades ago, South Texas College Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program Chair Diana Hernandez, set out to build something the Rio Grande Valley had never seen before: a homegrown PTA program that reflected the strength, resilience and potential of its people — a challenging, top-tier program unlike any other.
When few thought such a demanding field could not thrive in the region, she chose to have faith, and today, the path and opportunities she created continue to open doors and change lives, one graduate at a time.
“I had to leave home to pursue physical therapy, I wish there had been something closer, but there just wasn’t anything here,” said the Mercedes native. “So, when I had the opportunity to create this program, I took it. It didn’t seem fair that others should have to leave like I did.”
Hernandez, 58, is the daughter of an accountant and a homemaker and the youngest of three children. Encouraged by her mother to pursue a college degree, she recalls the sacrifices her parents made.
“My dad was a migrant worker most of his life, until he graduated. He went to night school for accounting and that’s why my mom didn’t finish college, she helped support him while raising us,” she shared. “She always told me, ‘I don’t care what you study, but you’re going to study something. You have to take that opportunity.’”
She jumped from an Education major to Psychology, then to Counseling, unsure of what path to follow, until a friend, whose cousin was a physical therapist in the military, introduced her to the field. After enrolling in a health care occupations course, Hernandez quickly came to understand the difference physical therapy could make in someone’s life.
“My very first experience was, unfortunately, a four-year-old girl who had been badly burned. She was crying the entire time while the therapist cleaned her wounds, and as soon as she left, I just broke down. I told the therapist, ‘I don’t think I’ll be coming back,’” she said. “But the therapist looked at me and said, ‘You have no idea what I just did for her. She’s going to be able to move her legs normally, she won’t have as much scarring. I can either cry and run away, or I can do my job and help her.’”
Now committed to helping others she was accepted to Texas Woman’s University in 1985, where she was the only Hispanic student in her cohort.
One summer while back home, working as a tech at Valley Baptist Health System, her dedication was recognized with a contract. She received a stipend to help cover the final two years of her program in exchange for returning to the RGV to work for them. She graduated in 1989.
“I was so grateful for the opportunity. It was a huge financial relief for my family, and I was happy to come back home. I wanted to be back,” she said. “Because of my work with students at the hospital coordinating clinical placements, leading trainings and serving as a clinical instructor, word started to spread. Then, at a party, someone approached me about starting the PTA program at STC.”
Intimidated by the task ahead, Hernandez began researching what it would take to transition from full-time therapist to full-time faculty, entrusted with creating what would become, for many years, the only PTA program in the region.
Seeking guidance and encouragement, she attended a state-level meeting of PTA programs, only to be met with skepticism and disbelief.
“They laughed in my face. They said, ‘Do you know the kind of student you’d get in the RGV? First-generation, struggling with English, can’t afford it. They can’t handle a PTA program,’” she recalled. “That was it for me. I walked out of that room with no doubt in my mind, I was going to prove them wrong.”
So then, in 1997, Hernandez began developing what has become one of the most successful PTA programs in the country, recently celebrating an outstanding 25 years of 100% pass rates and job placement since its inception.
“I don’t know of many programs nationwide that have accomplished what we have at STC, and this is why our program is so rigorous,” she said. “From the beginning, there’s always been that voice in the back of my mind, saying, ‘They don’t think our students can do this.’ It takes me back to when I was the only Hispanic in my cohort, constantly surrounded by doubt, we’ve always had that much more to prove.”
A devoted mother of three, she balanced building and accrediting a new program while raising her children, something she couldn’t have done without her husband, who stepped back in his own career to support her and the mission they both believed in.
“One day, before the program even started, I heard a knock on my door, it was a young woman with a newborn and tears in her eyes,” Hernandez said. “She had been studying physical therapy in San Marcos but changed her plans after learning she was expecting. When she found out STC was starting a new program, she came to ask if she could be part of it. She became our very first valedictorian. I was convinced more students like her deserved a chance close to home.”
Since graduating her first class in 2000, Hernandez has remained deeply committed to the dozens of students who have walked through her doors, many with similar stories and all with lives forever changed.
“All you have to do is talk to the students and hear their stories, then you realize, you have to make this happen for them,” Hernandez said. “This program is their gateway to achieving whatever they dream of. Our graduates go far beyond just technical skills, they’re prepared for leadership, they’re highly professional and they carry themselves with confidence. And while their technical abilities are exceptional, it’s the level of excellence, drive and purpose they bring that truly sets them apart.”
With retirement still far on the horizon, Hernandez takes pride in what she’s built and looks forward to many more years of STC’s PTA graduates delivering compassionate care and setting the standard for excellence across the region.
“Back then, I told myself I’d just graduate the first class and then leave to open my own clinic, like my dad always wanted, but here I am, almost 30 years later,” Hernandez said. “I can’t help it, the classroom is my happy place. Every May, when the students graduate, I get teary-eyed no matter how many commencement ceremonies I’ve been to. Watching them walk across that stage makes every struggle, every doubt I had to fight through and every challenge I had to rise above, completely worth it. Here’s to many more years to come.”
For more information on STC’s PTA program or other Nursing and Allied Health programs, visit nah.southtexascollege.edu/ or call 956-872-3100.
