Credit where credit is dual
by Nathaniel Miller
With pen in hand to sign her paperwork and a St. Mary’s University baseball hat sitting neatly upon her wavy hair, Erika Melero (B.A. ’01) was no doubt happy to be the center of attention.
The Roosevelt High School educator was all smiles, knowing she was returning to her alma mater to pursue a life-long dream.
That’s because Melero is one of 90 students from surrounding school districts in San Antonio to take advantage of a $1.1 million partnership between St. Mary’s and the Alamo Colleges District.
The partnership allows high school teachers to obtain certificates and graduate degrees, paid for by the Alamo Colleges, to teach dual credit courses.
“It felt like I was coming back home,” Molero said of the June 3 event.
Dual credit programs allow high school students to obtain college credit before graduating. However, to teach those courses, educators must have both a master’s degree and 18 graduate hours in the area of teaching.
St. Mary’s offers certificates to teach dual credit English, History and Political Science, with more on the way. The University also launched a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction with Dual Credit Certification in Summer 2025.
The partnership currently allows Northside ISD, North East ISD and East Central ISD to enroll their teachers, with expansion to other districts possible in the future.
“The power of this partnership, between St. Mary’s University, Northwest Vista College, Northside ISD and others, will significantly expand dual credit access to students in schools with the greatest need,” said St. Mary’s University President Winston Erevelles, Ph.D.
Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Betsy Smith, Ph.D., called the partnership the culmination of work between the College, Enrollment Management and the Office of the Provost.
“Through these degrees, we are able to engage community partners to ensure teachers and students around San Antonio have access to advanced degrees,” she said. “When we prioritize the opportunities for an excellent education on campus and in San Antonio, we create a world in which we are all able to live out our purpose.”
Melero, who studied English at St. Mary’s for her bachelor’s degree, called returning to her alma mater for the program an easy decision.
“To come back to this campus and to do my master’s in the same place where I already felt this strong connection is such a wholesome feeling,” she said.
Answering the call
It was early in 2024 when Vice President for Enrollment Management Ryan Konkright (B.S. ’08, M.S. ’18) received an email from the Alamo Colleges.
The community college district was looking for ways to expand the number of credentialed dual credit teachers in San Antonio, and they wanted to join up with St. Mary’s.
Making a deal was personal to Konkright, as he is an alumnus of both institutions and benefited from dual credit in high school.
It wasn’t long after seeing the email that he picked up the phone to make a call.
“For a first-generation college student to earn college credit while still in high school, that’s powerful,” he said. “I’m proud of my alma mater for stepping in and being a leader in this space.”
Contacting Angeli Willson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education, Konkright told her about the planned partnership and asked if she would help develop a proposal for a graduate program.
Willson said the partnership allows St. Mary’s to fill the need for dual-credit high school teachers and make college-level courses more available to underserved communities.
“There are studies showing students who get dual credit in high school tend to go to college and even finish college,” Willson said.
Konkright said that offering more students the chance to earn early college credits will help reinforce the idea that college is within their reach.
“We’ve been able to deliver a very transformative opportunity for students,” he said. “St. Mary’s does a great job of giving students a chance who otherwise may have gone without.”
Returning home
Melero first visited St. Mary’s as a high school student at the request of a friend.
The irony of the trip, she said, was that she was the one who eventually enrolled at the University. During her undergraduate years, she began to find her life’s purpose.
“This is the place I was able to verbalize that I wanted to live a life of service,” Melero said.
In 2009, Melero got a job teaching English at Roosevelt High School with North East ISD. Working with students continues to be a passion for her, but she has always wanted to earn her graduate degree. Now, she’s enrolled in the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction with Dual Credit Certification in English.
Learning about the program, she was quick to apply and was even more elated when she knew she would be accepted.
Erika Melero (B.A. ’01)“To come back to this campus and to do my master’s in the same place where I already felt this strong connection is such a wholesome feeling.”
During the announcement between the two institutions in June, Melero couldn’t help but beam during the ceremony.
Getting the chance to check something off her bucket list, Melero said the opportunity she is earning will pay dividends in the future.
“I love the idea that this partnership is looking ahead for the benefit of the community,” she said. “I like that high school students will soon be able to keep growing in our community through education.”
