Del Rio student earns new radiologic technology scholarship at Southwest Texas College

A Del Rio student is getting a $2,000 boost toward radiologic technology training as Southwest Texas College and Radiology Associates of Uvalde try to widen the pipeline of imaging workers serving Southwest Texas.

Cheyenne Walling of Del Rio and Jessica Sandoval of Uvalde were named the first recipients of the new Ralph Gonzalez Scholarship, a $2,000 award for each student in Southwest Texas College’s radiologic technology program. The college publicly identified the inaugural recipients on April 22 after announcing the scholarship partnership on Feb. 25.

The scholarship was created by Radiology Associates of Uvalde to honor Ralph Gonzalez, a longtime imaging leader whose work has shaped regional training and patient care. Southwest Texas College says Gonzalez completed radiation safety training at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio before being appointed radiation safety officer at Uvalde Memorial Hospital in 1990, a role he still holds. The college also says he has served on the radiologic technology program’s clinical advisory board since the program began in 2007.

That history matters in a region where hospitals and outpatient centers need trained technologists close to home. Southwest Texas College says its radiologic technology program has graduated more than 120 radiographers, and it is designed to prepare students for employment in about one or two years. In a field where students balance clinical training with regular tuition and a $300 Allied Health surcharge each fall and spring semester, a $2,000 scholarship can help keep a student enrolled long enough to finish.

The award also points to a bigger workforce question for Del Rio and Val Verde County: whether local students trained in the border region will stay in the region after graduation. Radiology groups have said small and rural systems face recruitment and retention pressure, and staffing gaps can slow access to scans and other imaging services. For patients, that can mean longer waits for X-rays, CT scans and other tests that help physicians make faster decisions.

At Southwest Texas College’s Uvalde Campus, college and hospital leaders gathered in the radiologic technology lab to recognize the students and the applicants, underscoring that the scholarship is meant as more than a one-time honor. It is part of a long-term effort to build a homegrown health-care workforce, one that can keep imaging services available in rural communities and along the border.