On October 11th, 1971, a beautiful baby girl was born in McAllen, Texas. That girl grew into a wonderful mother and teacher; Mrs. Tina Vargas! Vargas is the youngest daughter of Elias and Ernestina Saenz. She grew up with five older siblings; four brothers and just one older sister named Sonia. Sonia is the eldest daughter, 54, with Elias, David, Dario and Rene coming after at 52, 50, 48 and 46 respectively.
In 1974, not long after Vargas was born, her father Elias passed away. However, with the help of her family, Vargas continued to be positive and look forward to the future, a trait she continues to show today.
In high school, Vargas was a member of the National Honor Society, ran track and field and played volleyball. It was during her high school career she found a unique interest in science, chemistry specifically. The excitement that came from being in a lab and conducting experiments was what first gave Vargas a sign as to what her future may hold.
With her interest in mind, Vargas attended college at the University of Texas-Pan American. She graduated in December of 1995, and earned a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science. From there, she worked in several laboratory environments. It was also during this time Tina Saenz married her husband of 20 years, Oscar Vargas. However, since he was a member of the Navy, Vargas eventually moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia where she worked at a physician's practice and local hospital.
Eventually, Vargas and her husband moved again, this time to Kingsville, Texas in the fall of 2005. While working at Christus Spohn Kleberg Hospital, Vargas realized a greater need for herself and those around her. It was with that happy and upbeat attitude of hers that Vargas decided to become an educator.
"I changed career paths because I saw the need for someone in education to help steer students towards healthcare. There is a huge demand in this area and I enjoy giving students the knowledge they need to help them make a career decision that is best for them. I worked as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist for 17 years before becoming a teacher. I saw a need and felt I could contribute greatly based on my experience and expertise. It is a very rewarding career."
Nowadays, Vargas is a CTE teacher for H. M. King Early College High School. She can be found teaching Health Science and Medical Terminology, as well as HOSA, which she is the sponsor of.
When she isn't at school enriching the lives of her students, Vargas enjoys scrapbooking and running. Her favorite foods are pancit and lumpia, and her favorite color is green. Mrs. Tina Vargas and her husband Oscar have three daughters, Gabriella, Samantha and Cassandra. A lover of animals, Vargas has three dogs and a cat-Daisy, Maci, Rye and Dotsie. As a teacher, the best thing Vargas experiences is having her students come back after graduation to tell her they are working in healthcare.
"I feel like I have done what I set out to do."