Accelerating Texas K12 Education: Bilingual/ESL Education Association of The Metroplex and Their Annual Symposium

Liz Garza-Garcia, BEAM (Bilingual/ESL Education Association of the Metroplex for the North Central Texas Region) President, began her education journey with a simple goal in mind: to become an educator. During her University Studies, a professor changed Garza-Garcia’s direction, instilling in her the idea that if she possessed the ability to speak or learn another language, her goal should be to educate others to do the same. Garza-Garcia spoke with JW Marshall about her road in bi-lingual education and the importance of BEAM’s mission.

“Through my journey of becoming who I am today, I couldn’t have done it without BEAM,” Garza-Garcia said. “I started out in BEAM as a young undergrad. As an undergrad student, I was a BESO member, which is the bilingual education student organization. This organization is built within the universities that have teacher preparation programs.” BESO members enjoy BEAM membership, and this gateway created numerous opportunities for Garza-Garcia for the past eighteen years.

The BEAM community acts as an informational conduit to keep educators up to date on what’s happening in the educational space. “With the challenges we were already facing before COVID, now we’re dealing with everything COVID throws at us and still not being told everything,” Garza-Garcia said. “And so, we try to keep great open lines of communication with our folks, our members, at the higher education sector because they’re the ones who really get into the nitty-gritty of understanding what changes are coming, which ones are going to benefit teachers and which ones can prolong the completion of teacher preparation programs.”

Every spring, BEAM puts on its annual symposium. This year’s symposium will commence on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the John H Guyer High School in Denton, TX. There is a student essay competition for grades 3-12 with cash prizes. Information on this year’s symposium is available at https://www.beamdfw.org/symposium

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Just Thinking
Just Thinking… About How NeuraPoints Is Building the Bridge Between Minds and Machines
October 17, 2025

Artificial intelligence has reached a crucial inflection point. Once imagined as a fast track to artificial general intelligence, the field has instead hit a plateau—prompting leaders, educators, and innovators to rethink AI’s true purpose. As companies and schools race to adopt automation, questions about cost, ethics, and human purpose are rising to the forefront. According…

Read More
college
Gamifying College Readiness: How Loper Makes the Enrollment Journey More Engaging!
October 16, 2025

High schoolers are overwhelmed — and not just by homework. The path to college can feel like a maze of forms, essays, and deadlines, with little guidance on where to begin. A recent survey found that nearly three-quarters of students describe the college application process as “difficult.” For many, that difficulty isn’t academic; it’s…

Read More
Image
How Polygon’s Smart Moisture Control System Protected a Mass Timber Student Housing Project
October 16, 2025

Amid the rise of sustainable architecture, mass timber has become a powerful symbol of progress — a material that marries renewable design with modern efficiency. Yet, in the damp climate of Vancouver, BC, sustainability meets its match: moisture. Managing humidity levels in large-scale wood construction isn’t just a matter of comfort; it’s about protecting structural…

Read More
Classroom air quality and student performance
The Hidden Factor Shaping Student Success: Classroom Air Quality
October 15, 2025

By Dan Walsh, VP & GM at AAA Home Services, and Christine Willing, CEO of Think Happy Live Healthy. Why Air Quality Matters in Schools When we think about improving schools, conversations often center on curriculum, technology, or staffing. But there’s a silent, invisible factor that profoundly influences student health, behavior, and learning outcomes: the…

Read More