Llano Grande to be featured on “Today” Show

Llano Grande to be featured on “Today” Show

The Llano Grande Center will be featured on national television Thursday, October 22 as part of a weeklong NBC News series called “A Woman’s Nation” which takes an in-depth look at the changing role of women in the workplace The story, which focuses on Llano Grande Center Associate Director Delia Pé²¥z, will air during the “Today Show.”

Reported on by “Today Show” correspondent Jenna Bush-Hager, the piece highlights Pé²¥z as an inspirational role model for young women, because of her accomplishments, but also because her work with the Center creates new opportunities for young women to succeed. The feature will also highlight the work of the Llano Grande Center as a model of assets-based learning that looks beyond deficits to encourage young people to achieve.

Pé²¥z is a native of the Monte Alto community just north of Elsa, the youngest of seven children to parents who had little formal education. Before graduating as salutatorian from Edcouch-Elsa High School, she was part of the student group that initiated the Ivy League college trip at EEHS. Delia attended and graduated from Yale University and returned to help develop the Llano Grande Center as a teacher. Her work as the chief manager of the Center focuses on developing leadership in young people as a way to prepare them for college.

The feature on Pé²¥z and the Llano Grande Center is part of an NBC News series developed by former NBC reporter Maria Shriver titled “A Woman’s Nation” which reports on the emergence of strong women in roles beyond the home. Data being reported on as part of the piece highlight how women now – for the first time – make up 50% of the nation’s workforce, and how more than 50% of graduate degrees are now earned by women.

The story on Pé²¥z and the Llano Grande Center will also feature interviews with students who have been influenced by Pé²¥z and continue to be involved in the Center’s programming. Maribel Saenz, a Llano Grande Board Member and a senior at the University of Texas-Pan American; and Samantha Herrera and Angelica Rodriguez, both seniors at EEHS, sat down with Bush-Hager to answer questions about their experience with Llano Grande and the role women have played in their lives.

The “Today Show” airs weekdays from 7 to 10 a.m. on NBC affiliate KVEO, channel 23, cable channel 8.

The Llano Grande Center is a community-based non-profit that operates in conjunction with the Edcouch-Elsa school district to revitalize the local community through youth. The goals of the Center include creating access to higher education, engaging students in community change initiatives and developing leadership that respects local history and culture.

For more information, please contact our office at (956) 262-4474.

For more information on “A Woman’s Nation” please visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33247001/ns/today-a_womans_nation.

More News