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Cristina Garza on Redefining Border Narratives

December 19, 2018

Stories depicting the border with Mexico as a threat to American prosperity dominate national news. Places such as the Rio Grande Valley in Texas are being defined by detention centers and border walls, or by poverty and diabetes. In reality, the Rio Grande Valley — and the City of Mission, Texas, in particular — is home to some of the most forward-thinking economic development initiatives in the country. The story of Mission is one of resilience, community and progress.

Join Cristina Garza of the Mission Economic Development Corporation for our next online seminar to learn how innovation can come from the most surprising places … even in your own city. The Mission Economic Development Corporation pushes the boundaries of economic and community development through its investment in entrepreneurship, technology, education and women’s empowerment, all while redefining border-town narratives.

As Director of Social Impact, Garza manages initiatives and investments aimed at improving the financial mobility of the residents of Mission. Among the programs she founded are Web of Women, an initiative to teach technical skills to women professionals, and Career Readiness and Empowerment of Women (CREW), a multidisciplinary internship that trains young high-school women to serve as leaders in STEM and entrepreneurship. She is a graduate of New York University, Syracuse University, and a current MBA candidate at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. She is also a 2017 Next City Vanguard.

This is a unique opportunity to hear from Garza about the realities of a border town such as Mission and to discover what it takes to create and implement projects such as Web of Women and CREW.