Stephen F. Austin State University’s chapter of the Bilingual Education Student Organization, dedicated to the professional development of bilingual educators, was honored during the Texas Association for Bilingual Education’s Unity Through Excellence Award at the 2024 BESO Spring Leadership Institute. From left are SFA’s BESO chapter members Nayeli Gonzalez, junior from Dayton; Juliana Martinez, senior from Farmers Branch; Hilda Roberson, senior from Troup; and Elizabeth Turrubiartes Villa, senior from Bryan, all of whom are interdisciplinary studies majors. Not pictured are graduate students Maria Almendzarez of Nacogdoches and Pedro Tovar of Marshall.
The award recognizes efforts to foster a supportive community for BESO members while passionately advocating for bilingual education. SFA’s chapter of BESO began in spring 2019.
“We are the only BESO chapter in the state that is not associated with an official bilingual education program,” said Dr. Sarah Straub, associate professor in SFA’s Department of Education Studies and the BESO advisor. “This makes it a major challenge to recruit and retain members, but we are honored that our hard work is recognized. Even if we aren’t as large or as prolific as other universities, we are committed to developing as bilingual educators.”
SFA’s BESO chapter members are graduate students Maria Almendzarez of Nacogdoches and Pedro Tovar of Marshall, alongside undergraduate student officers Juliana Martinez, senior from Farmers Branch; Elizabeth Turrubiartes Villa, senior from Bryan; Hilda Roberson, senior from Troup; and Nayeli Gonzalez, junior from Dayton, all of whom are interdisciplinary studies majors.
“I am so glad to see how far we’ve come,” Tovar said. “From the days when we had class in a literal closet to now being recognized at the state level, this award is validating on so many levels.”
Members of SFA’s chapter of BESO have organized professional development opportunities with bilingual guest speakers from across the state; presented at conferences, such as TABE and the National Association for Multicultural Education; and advocated for the inclusion of a special topics introductory course to bilingual education for SFA’s Department of Education Studies.
Because several of its members are online students — another trait that makes SFA’s chapter unique from others across the state — BESO has monthly meetings over Zoom and additional research-focused meetings to support their submissions to TABE. Each semester, they provide at least one opportunity for off-campus members to visit SFA’s campus and opportunities for on-campus members to visit other parts of the state. In 2019, for example, BESO members visited a bilingual elementary school in Houston to learn about opportunities in area districts.
This year, BESO hopes to present their Institutional Review Board-approved research at the TABE Conference this October in Round Rock, highlighting their dedication to scholarly inquiry and the advancement of bilingual education.
For more information about BESO, contact Straub at straubsm@sfasu.edu or follow them on Instagram @sfa_beso.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
By Parastoo Nikravesh, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
