Teresa Patricia (Paty) Feria is a full professor in the SIBCS at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). She has mentored high school, undergraduate, and graduate students and new faculty at UTRGV. To create a supportive community, she created a program at UTRGV called “Juntos al Exito” - together, we succeeded – where faculty/administrators/students and community members share their successful testimonials. Her teaching and mentoring strategies and activities include icebreakers, self-reflections, creating support networks, and community engagement activities. Dr. Feria received the Provost’s International Studies Award (2011) and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Science and Mathematics (2012). She received a 2014 USDA Kika de la Garza Science Fellowship. In 2018, Dr. Feria received the Outstanding International Faculty Female at UTRGV Excellence Award in Community Engagement at the College and University levels and the Fred W. and Frances H. Rusteberg Fellowship. She received the prestigious UT System Regent’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2020 and was inducted as UT System and UTRGV Distinguished Teacher Fellow in 2022. She received the highly prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) by the White House and the National Science Foundation in 2023.