Thomas Ray Garcia is an educator, author, and entrepreneur from Pharr, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Throughout his 12 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, Thomas has taught in the classroom and spearheaded programs focused on college readiness and family engagement.

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Upbringing and Values

Thomas was raised by a single mother. Growing up in a working-class household, Thomas learned the value of self-advocacy, hard work, and consistency. When Thomas discovered he could attend Princeton University for free because he qualified for need-based financial aid, he worked harder. Thomas became valedictorian of the PSJA North class of 2012, and he was accepted to Princeton University as a first-generation college student.

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K-12 and Higher Education Experience

At age 19, Thomas founded the College Scholarship Leadership Access Program. CSLAP offers courses and services on college readiness, financial aid, and leadership development for high school students. Through CSLAP’s near-peer mentor initiatives, Thomas empowered high school graduates to give back to their schools by providing students support on the college application process.

After incorporating CSLAP as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Thomas served as executive director. Under Thomas’ leadership, CSLAP introduced scholarship programs, expanded mentorship initiatives, and launched a five-figure community aid fund during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Thomas joined the board of directors as chairman. As of 2025, CSLAP has directly impacted more than 2,000 students.

As a high school teacher, Thomas developed and taught lessons on critical writing, college readiness, and service learning. Aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), these lesson plans continue to form CSLAP’s curriculum. 

As a graduate student at UCLA, Thomas taught his own courses in composition, literature, and creative writing. He also participated in UCLA Seminars in Teaching and Excellence, where Thomas researched effective models of teaching community engagement in writing courses.

Currently, Thomas is an English professor at South Texas College, where he teaches both dual enrollment high schoolers and adult learners. As a college professor, Thomas provides his students the guidance he once needed as a first-generation college student from a single-parent household.

Education

Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in English at Princeton University. As an undergraduate, Thomas co-founded the Princeton Hidden Minority Council, a student organization dedicated to supporting first-generation and low-income college students. In 2016, Princeton University awarded Thomas and his fellow co-founders the Martin Luther King Journey Award for their impact on the campus community.

While at Princeton, Thomas also wrote blogs for prospective students through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and spearheaded public speaking workshops through the Speak With Style student organization. As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, he received mentorship on becoming a leader in higher education and advocating for the humanities.

Thomas earned his first master’s degree in English from UCLA, where he concentrated in writing pedagogy and composition. Thomas earned his second master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from UTRGV. His coursework focused on student affairs and budgeting finance in higher education.

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Beyond The Classroom

Thomas writes books about South Texas. He is the author of the award-winning book The River Runs: Stories and co-author of El Curso de la Raza: The Education of Aurelio Manuel Montemayor, a historical memoir of the South Texas Chicano Movement.

In 2020, Thomas co-authored a children's picture book, Speechless, with Matt Eventoff to encourage children to practice public speaking. All proceeds from Speechless are dedicated to providing children free paperbacks in English or Spanish. Over 5,500 paperbacks of Speechless have been distributed to school districts, nonprofit organizations, and households across the country.

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In 2024, Thomas co-founded an independent publishing press, Beyond Borders Books, dedicated to publishing authors from border communities.