ASU's Candace Aguirre Appointed to Education Reach for Texans Board

SAN ANGELO, TX - Candace Aguirre, assistant director of liaison programs and residential cohorts at Angelo State University, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Education Reach for Texans (ERT), a statewide organization that supports students with experience in foster care in their pursuit of higher education.

Aguirre will serve a three-year term that begins immediately and will run through December 2028. As a board member, she will help facilitate the sharing of ideas between higher education and child welfare officials geared toward the implementation of campus-based support programs for students who are alumni of foster care.

In a message to Aguirre, ERT President Jackie Davis wrote, "We are excited about the perspective and experience you bring and look forward to the meaningful contributions you will make in advancing our mission and supporting the students and communities we serve. We appreciate your willingness to contribute your time, insight and leadership to this work."

"Becoming part of the Education Reach for Texans board provides an opportunity to elevate the voices of liaisons doing the work on the ground at institutions across the state," Aguirre said. "By strengthening support for them, we ultimately strengthen support for our students with experience in foster care, ensuring they receive every resource and benefit available."

"My new role will also help amplify the voices of ASU's students with experience in foster care," she added. "Their experiences, their needs and the resources they wish they'd had will guide our efforts at the higher education level. Our goal is to help ensure this work continues for future generations, giving incoming students with experience in foster care access to timely, meaningful support that removes barriers and empowers their success."

At Angelo State, Aguirre oversees the Fostering Ram Success program that offers student with experience in foster care critical support to help them build stability, achieve academic success and ultimately graduate with their ASU degree. Services include university admission assistance, help with housing and scholarships, academic coaching, peer mentoring and career exploration. ASU currently has over 200 students with experience in foster care, with about 40 of them active in Fostering Ram Success.

"Thanks to strong institutional and donor support," Aguirre said, "we have grown Fostering Ram Success from a single resource into a comprehensive program with expanded services that include scholarships for our students."

An ASU alumna, Aguirre earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in management degree in 2017 and her Master of Education in student development and leadership in higher education degree in 2018. She joined the ASU staff in 2019 as an admissions counselor and has also served as the liaison program coordinator in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Also a member of the ASU Staff Senate, Aguirre earned the 2023 John Emerson Award from Education Reach for Texans and the 2023 ASU President's Award for Staff Excellence in Customer Service.