Southwest Texas College opens first VIDA resource center in Del Rio

Southwest Texas College opened a new Del Rio student-services center built to tackle the problems that can keep students from finishing: food needs, counseling gaps, transfer questions, and the strain of juggling classes with work and family. The VIDA Resource Center at 207 Wildcat Drive in Building K is set up as a one-stop support space for students who need both academic and personal help close to home.

The grand opening on Sept. 4, 2025 marked the college’s first VIDA Resource Center in Del Rio and, the college said, the first of its kind at any Southwest Texas College campus in Texas. Inside are TRIO, Upward Bound, Student Support Services, a Transfer and Career Center, the Cowboy Pantry, mental health counseling, a community resource room, a lactation room, Espacio VIDA for workshops and student activities, and two counseling rooms, including one designed for virtual sessions. The center also includes a Zen room for students who need a quiet place to decompress.

Connie Wooldridge-Buchanan, the Del Rio campus vice president, said the new center gives the campus resources it did not have before and helps students move closer to completing their education. Dr. Hector Gonzales, SWTX president, told attendees, “Partnerships are not a want, they’re a need,” and said the building was meant to help students deal with life challenges that affect their studies. Gonzales also said the center is about student success, overcoming obstacles, and creating pathways to a livable wage.

The ribbon cutting drew a wide local crowd, including Mayor Al Arreola, Economic Development Director Oreste Hubbard, Councilman Jesus Lopez, Southwest Texas College Board of Trustees President Dr. Harry Watkins, Chamber of Commerce members, students, faculty, and staff. Their presence underscored how the center was viewed in Del Rio and Val Verde County: as a practical investment in college access and retention, not just another campus upgrade.

Southwest Texas College said the VIDA project is part of its Developing Hispanic Serving Institution effort, aimed at improving academic and student-support services for underserved students and increasing access, affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success. The college, which has served an 11-county region for 75 years, has also planned future VIDA Resource Centers in Uvalde and Eagle Pass as its Del Rio campus continues to grow around student support and technical training.