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Houston Community College and the Houston Independent School District celebrated the new HCC’s Felix Fraga Academic Campus and HISD’s Lionel Castillo Academic Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, December 1.
This new campus represents the cooperation and teamwork of HCC and HISD for an innovative approach to early college high school and dual credit pursuits for high school students in the Second Ward.
The Felix Fraga Campus will be an integrated and comprehensive campus home to a 45,000-square-foot HCC Academic Center and HISD's 20,000-square-foot Leonel Castillo Academic Center that will house the East Early College High School.
HISD students who are enrolled in the East Early College High School will have the opportunity to graduate with both their high school diplomas and associate's degrees' from HCC. The college courses are free to the students. The environment motivates students, promoting a college-bound culture and student success.
The new campus was named for Felix Fraga by the HCC Board of Trustees in honor of his dedication to the educational, social and economic success of the young people of Houston’s southeast community and who has devoted his life to improving their neighborhood. Fraga served as an HISD trustee and as a member of the Houston City Council. Today he is the Vice President of External Affairs for the Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
HISD chose to name their new facility for Leonel Castillo, a man who has served the Houston community for many years. Castillo became the first Mexican-American to be elected to a citywide office in Houston when he was voted the city’s controller in 1970. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Castillo as commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the Department of Justice, making him the first Hispanic to direct that office.
The Felix Fraga Campus and HISD’s Leonel Castillo Academic Center represent opportunity for the community and its children. The campus is located at 301 Drennan St., next to HCC Southeast College.
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