City of Houston recognizes Lone Star College-North Harris director with Hispanic Heritage award

HOUSTON, TX -- Cruz Casiano, Ed.D., Lone Star College-North Harris Director of the Career and Applied Technology Division, went to Paris for a study abroad opportunity and to work in fashion, but a chance meeting when she returned home redirected her path to education.

“My parents’ neighbor invited me to a McAllen ISD career fair where they were looking to fill a position that had a substitute teacher for two years,” said Dr. Casiano. “When the principal saw I had the credentials (Family and Consumer Science degree), they immediately hired me. That meeting catapulted my career in education.”

Dr. Casiano has worked in secondary and higher education for 20 years, starting in 2003 as a family and consumer science teacher in McAllen ISD. She eventually led the Teacher Education and Child Development dual credit program at McAllen and South Texas College. Dr. Casiano moved to the Houston area in 2012 to start the first Houston ISD-Houston Community College Teacher Education Dual Credit program at Austin High School. The educator’s hard work, dedication and commitment to her students earned her the 2023 Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Education in the Community Award by city of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

“To receive this award from the mayor, Houston City Council and the Hispanic Advisory Board was surreal,” said Dr. Casiano. “The significance of this moment did not hit me until I was onstage.”

In a statement released by the city of Houston, the Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Awards Committee selected Dr. Casiano and five other individuals for their outstanding contributions toward improving the quality of life within the Houston Hispanic community.

Dr. Casiano believes her success over the last two decades is her ability to relate to her students. Receiving the city’s award showed the honoree her background wasn’t different from theirs. She didn’t think those opportunities were possible, but she wanted to make it possible for future students. Dr. Casiano wants students to know that college is an option for them regardless of their zip code, race or socioeconomic status.

“My parents didn’t graduate from high school, similar to some of our students, and because of that and other challenges, I didn’t think I would achieve what I have,” she said. “Once I received this award, I realized that if I can do it based on my experiences, my students can do it too.”

Before Lone Star College, Dr. Casiano spent 10 years working, building and advocating for dual credit and CTE programs at Houston ISD, Marvy Finger Family Foundation and Houston Community College. She has continued that work at LSC-North Harris as the director of career and applied technology by providing students support from the beginning to college completion.

“I encourage anyone contemplating a career in education to reflect on their own experiences and backgrounds and become a leader for students,” said Dr. Casiano. “This field is diverse and there are opportunities to positively impact the trajectory of student lives.”

Dr. Casiano earned a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Southwest Texas State University and a Master of Education from the University of Texas-RGV in Edinburg. She also attained a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Houston. Dr. Casiano recently attended the White House Education Initiative for Hispanics meeting in Phoenix.