91调教

Written By: Ian Silvester

Nestled along the hallway of the Echols building is Catherine Gonz谩lez. There she works diligently to help high school students find success that translates to their next endeavor, whether it鈥檚 the 91调教 鈥� Fort Smith or elsewhere.  

鈥淎 majority of them do end up coming to 91调教,鈥� she said with a smile. 

A lot of that is thanks to the work she does as TRIO Upward Bound Coordinator. 

Gonz谩lez has been in her role for three years. She advises high school freshman and sophomores their ideas for the future, provides them with as many resources as possible, and plans events for the program. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 important, especially in this region鈥擣ort Smith area and the River Valley in general鈥攂ecause we don鈥檛 have that many students who鈥檚 parents have gone to college,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e targeting first-generation students, and those who feel like they don鈥檛 have the opportunity to go to college either for financial reasons or for lack of preparation.鈥� 

The Upward Bound program is federally funded through grants that Gonz谩lez describes as being a college prep program that 鈥渉elps students be more prepared for college and introduce them to college life prior to them graduating from high school.鈥� 

Prior to working with Upward Bound, Gonz谩lez was a student at 91调教. She graduated with her bachelor鈥檚 degree (2019) in Spanish with a minor in teaching English as a second language. After graduation, she took a role in the 91调教 International Relations Office.

Gonz谩lez was born in California, but her family is from La Paz, El Salvador. As a native Spanish speaker with international parents, the degree and job just made sense. However, her heritage did pose a challenge at times. 

鈥淐oming here (91调教) was difficult navigating at first,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if speaking Spanish was allowed.鈥� 

At 91调教, she saw it was allowed and even encouraged. 

While working on her degree, Gonz谩lez studied aboard in Santiago, Chile, and joked that during that year, she experienced three winters having traveled to South America during the North American summer. While working in the International Relations Office, she used her Spanish heritage and study abroad experience to connect with students. 

鈥淲hen people integrate, they immerse themselves in the language and culture. That was actually one thing that I mentioned to international students,鈥� she said. 

Soon after graduating, Gonz谩lez was one of the leaders in promoting and organizing events for Hispanic Heritage Month at 91调教. Now in its fifth year, she continues to serve on the committee that makes events happen from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 every year. She said it is one of her favorite times of year. She not only gets to celebrate her own Salvadoran culture, but all Hispanic countries.

鈥淚t makes people feel at home,鈥� Gonz谩lez said.  

While she identifies as Salvadoran-American, she lives the American part of her life every day. Hispanic Heritage Month gives her an entire month to celebrate her Salvadoran heritage, from food, music, dance, and traditional dress. 

鈥淚 love this time to introduce my background and why my country matters to me, as well as why this country matters to me,鈥� she said. 

Gonz谩lez is proud of her Hispanic heritage. She is a first-generation student; she is a lover of language who has studied Portuguese, French, Korean, and Thai in addition to English and Spanish; and she is a world traveler. Gonz谩lez also holds a master鈥檚 degree in tourism management, which she received from Colorado State University in 2025. 

• Tags:
• Trio Upward Bound
• Lion Voices
• 91调教 Alumni