Meet Our 2026 Summer Externs
IDRA has kicked off our fourth annual externship program in the summer of 2026!
IDRA’s externship program provides elementary to high school teachers with an immersive experience and a partnership with local industry to support teachers’ understanding and practice in engaging students in future workforce skills.
These career connections are critical to making learning meaningful for students as they pursue STEM degrees and careers, and to providing teachers with the skills and tools needed to enhance instruction and student learning.
See our showcase video: Career-Connected Classrooms – Educator Externships that Create Real-World Learning – IDRA Webinar
Placement: Garver
At Garver, externs observed civil engineering, planning and environmental services and spent time with each business line. They also learned how Garver uses STEM to solve real-world problems in aviation engineering, transportation, bridges, water systems and more.
June Vasquez
Northside School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (NSITE) High School, Northside ISD
June Vasquez is an experienced educator who currently serves as the career and technical education (CTE) department coordinator at Northside School of Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (NSITE) High School. In her current role within the entrepreneurship academy, she teaches a variety of grade levels and courses, including both regular and dual credit classes.
Over her 13-year career in education, Vasquez has taught multiple business and technology courses with four years of service within the Northside ISD. She holds a strong academic foundation rooted in the same district where she teaches, having graduated from NISD’s John Jay High School. Vasquez has a bachelor of science in kinesiology with a minor in business administration. She holds two graduate degrees, a master of science in health and kinesiology and a master of education in educational leadership.
Marylu Rodríguez
Southwest High School, Southwest ISD
Marylu Rodríguez is an Algebra 1 teacher with 14 years of experience. She was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. She will start her third year at Southwest High School this fall.
While math has always been a passion of hers, and she enjoys making math learning easier for her students, she has learned that her greatest passion is teaching a growth mindset through numbers. She is excited to take back to her classroom what she will be learning at Garver.
Placement: DEVCOM Army Research Lab (ARL) and University of Texas at San Antonio
Externs worked alongside the DEVCOM Army Research Lab (ARL) and UTSA faculty to co-develop a cybersecurity curriculum and a community outreach plan.
Domingo Ruíz
South San Antonio High School – CTE, South San Antonio ISD
Domingo Ruíz is the cybersecurity instructor and founder of the Bobcat Esports Program at South San Antonio High School. Through his computer maintenance and technician classes, he has developed an Esports program with a strong STEM foundation. Since its inception in 2018, the program has evolved from students building one game system into students creating an entire Esports STEM Lab and their current classroom.
He has a 19-year background in accounting, during which he held the positions of staff accountant, assistant controller and grant specialist before pursuing a career in education. He is a 1987 Graduate of South San Antonio High School and a 1993 graduate of Our Lady of the Lake University (BBA-Accounting).
Raúl Gálvez
KIPP Somos Collegiate, KIPP Texas
Raúl Gálvez is a first-year cybersecurity and computer science teacher at KIPP Somos Collegiate High School. A San Antonio native and proud graduate of KIPP University Prep, he earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Duke University. He has since returned to his home district, dedicated to providing the next generation of students with the same life-changing opportunities he received.
Placement: Cox Manufacturing Company
Externs saw the entire manufacturing process throughout the facility and spent most of their time with the engineering department. They learned how to use math and science to solve real-world problems as a team.
María Luisa Cárdenas
Carrillo Elementary School, South San Antonio ISD
As a South San Antonio ISD teacher for 22 years, Maria Luisa Cardenas has had the opportunity to teach a variety of grade levels from PreK to fifth grade, with the exception of third grade, which was only taught during the summer. Regardless of grade level, she has initiated STEAM, Esports, Drone, UIL Academics, Solar Car Races, SEL and Spelling Bee Clubs throughout the district.
Encouraging and motivating students through diverse endeavors and unique passions is the driving force behind building positive learning experiences for all students. Creating engaging and higher-order thinking skills with real-life applications and relevance is of the utmost importance in any educational journey. Being a South San Antonio ISD alumna, she takes pride in the opportunity to build ongoing opportunities for her learning community and beyond.
Raquel Neaves
Reed Elementary, Northside ISD
For 20 years, Raquel Neaves has had the privilege of shaping young learners at the elementary level. For the past four years, she has served as the STEM teacher for over 800 students in K-5th. This has strengthened her passion for building a strong academic foundation for her students, filled with curiosity, creativity, and innovation.
As a STEM educator, she gets to design hands-on experiences that foster critical thinking as students explore real-world concepts through science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She is committed to inspiring and guiding students to explore, discover and dream big.
Placement: Elevate Systems
Externs are exploring SOLIDWORKS, 3D printing, AI tools, and Elevate Systems’ curriculum. They will work alongside staff in the engineering and technology department, as well as college student interns who are working on various projects.
Martha Rodríguez
Southwest High School, Southwest ISD
Martha Rodríguez is the college exam interventionist at Southwest High School. She actively works with teachers and students to prepare students for life after high school by promoting college, career and military opportunities available in San Antonio and the surrounding areas.
She also works with teachers and students to prepare them to be successful on the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) math and English exams. Student success on the TSI grants access to dual credit courses at no cost to the student. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in business administration data analysis.
Deandra Whitby
Karen Wagner High School, Judson ISD
Deandra Whitby is a career and technical education teacher at Karen Wagner High School in Judson ISD, where she teaches computer science, game programming, mobile app development and practicum in information technology. She is passionate about helping students see technology as a tool for problem-solving, creativity and future career opportunities.
Placement: San Antonio River Authority
Externs are taking part in the new-employee tour that showcases the breadth of departments within the San Antonio River Authority that carry out the mission of safe, clean, and enjoyable creeks and rivers. They are joining the environmental sciences and engineering department staff in the field as they conduct land surveys, see current projects across the city, tag species, and analyze samples from the waterways of the San Antonio River Basin in SARA’s chemistry labs. Externs are also working with guidance from the education team to craft an activity or piece of curriculum that can be used and field-tested both with students and in river authority education and outreach programming.
Angelena Watkins
JSTEM Academy, Judson ISD
Angel Watkins is a STEM and engineering teacher at JSTEM Academy in Judson ISD. She specializes in project-based learning, engineering design and maker education, helping middle school students explore real-world STEM careers. As a DoD STEM Ambassador, Angel is committed to building partnerships between industry and education to create meaningful learning experiences for students.
Mary Rodríguez
Holmes High School, Northside ISD
Mary Rodríguez grew up in Houston and attended several colleges before graduating from the University of Houston with a bachelor of science. She spent years as a counselor at a children’s mental health hospital before deciding to go into teaching. She is in her fifth year at Holmes High School, teaching chemistry and environmental systems.
Working at a Title I campus, she has seen how abstract concepts like climate change and global economics can feel distant to her students. She hopes to change that by bringing real-world applications into my lessons, focusing on the ecology right in their own backyards. Through this externship, she hopes to gain the tools to get my students truly excited about their local environment and empower them to take care of Earth.
This program in 2026 was made possible with the support of the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC). IDRA is seeking sponsorships to continue the program in 2027 and beyond.
