FESTIBA 2013 Biographies

Congressional Roundtable

The Congressman serves on two House Committees: Education and the Workforce; and Financial Services. He is als... Read More!

Dr. Nelsen, who became the eighth president of The University of Texas-Pan American on January 1, 2010, was raised on a small cattle ranch in Montana, just outside of Yellowstone Park, and put himself through college by working as a janitor before classes and by selling fish hooks and western clo... Read More!

GEAR UP Days at UTPA

My name is Noel Espericueta Jr. I am known as “Noelito” to my family and close friends. I’m the youngest child in my family of four. I was born to Noel and Ester Espericueta on June 28, 1994. I have three older sisters named Christina, Christen and Christal. I take great pride in my family. ... Read More!

Librarians and Educators Day Presenter

I started cooking as a teenager and fell in love with the craft. Learning new techniques and researching food is something I love. Food brings people together as well as different cultures. I started cooking at the age of 17 in a French/American restaurant called Rio Grande Grill in Weslaco then ... Read More!

Reading Rock Stars

Winifred Conkling studied journalism in college and later worked as a writer and editor at various newspapers and magazines, and has written over 30 non-fiction books for adults. She earned an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, three daughter... Read More!

A quick glance at the books written by Diane Gonzales Bertrand shows a writer who grabs inspiration from her many roles as daughter, wife, mother, and teacher.  Although she has written stories and poems since childhood, it was her decision to study writing in graduate school at Our ... Read More!

Mara Price is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. She'll be talking to students during Reading Rock Stars about her bilingual picture book, Grandma's Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita, published by Arte Público Press/Piñata Books. Grandma's Chocolate re... Read More!

René Saldaña Jr. created the popular character of Mickey Rangel, a Latino Encyclopedia Brown, who solves mysteries in The Case of the Pen Gone Missing / El caso de la pluma perdida and the latest bilingual book in the series, The Lemon Tree Caper/ La intriga del limonero: Coleccion Mickey Rangel,... Read More!

Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous celebrated picture books including Noodle & Lou and the Caldecott Honor recipient All the World. Liz is an adjunct professor of creative writing at Austin Community College, and her poetry has been published widely in literary journals. She lives with ... Read More!

Award-winning author and illustrator, Don Tate has illustrated over 40 books for children.  Don received an AAA degree from Des Moines Area Community College and went on to become a publication designer for the Perfection Learning Corporation. He has also been an art director and a graphic artist... Read More!

Gwendolyn Zepeda was born in Houston, Texas, in 1971, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. Her works has appeared on numerous websites, and she has written and illustrated her award-winning website, www.gwenworld.com, since 1997. I... Read More!

FESTIBA Presenters

Rigoberto Alfaro Rodríguez was born in Yurécuaro, Michoacan on Novemb... Read More!

Timothy Ehlen, currently Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, has performed extensively in the United States and Europe as a soloist and chamber player.  He first gained international attention after winning the World Piano Competition in 1987; afte... Read More!

Pianist Shoko Nakamura Kinsella enjoys her work as an Adjunct Professor of Piano at University of Texas Pan-American.  She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2010), where she worked under... Read More!

Originally from Taiwan, Dr. Yu-Chi Tai has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia as a solo recitalist, chamber pianist and collaborative musician. She made her first orchestral debut with the Tainan City Youth Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan, performing Beethoven's Piano... Read More!