Heritage Magazine: From Local Roots to Lifelong Achievement

From Local Roots to Lifelong Achievement

Sam Houston State University is reimagining the road to success by meeting local students where they are. Through dynamic collaborations with area school districts, the university creates clear pathways to higher education and the professional sphere while opening doors for the next generation of local learners. These elite partnerships continue to drive SHSU’s essential role in the community while serving the needs of the state and region at the highest level. 

“We want Sam Houston State and the Huntsville community, along with surrounding areas, to thrive together,” said Pamela Zelbst, co-director of the Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CITE).

As part of its exCITEd initiative, the CITE center in the College of Business Administration (COBA) enhanced a collaboration effort with area high schools to ensure its multifaceted student base have early access to critical skills and concepts. The effort has already certified several students in project management, an industry-level certification that deems students college-ready. 

“The certification is state-approved and provides students with a college credit if they ultimately attend SHSU,” Zelbst said. “Students at Huntsville High School participated in the initial program, which resulted in a 100 percent pass rate. The success has only grown to include other local districts, including Madisonville CISD and Trinity ISD, during the spring semester.”

Zelbst, CITE co-director Bob Milner and management professor Charles Mize worked tirelessly to design the courses on the educational technology platform Blackboard, with help from SHSU Online. The course lasts roughly six weeks, just a portion of a student’s semester. 

The CITE center, known for its prestigious partnerships with organizations like NASA, also collaborated with Project Management Institute (PMI) Houston, which helped structure and offset the cost of the exams. Elwanda Bennett, vice president of professional development for PMI Houston, collaborated with CITE personnel to establish the unique opportunity for local students.

“These programs are vitally important because they create talent and innovation pipelines that our industries need,” Bennett said. “It shows them that anything is possible with a plan and a purpose. It builds resilience within the student, because they learn how to measure and understand risk while informing their decision-making.” 

It’s also paving the way for future difference-makers like Jose Espinoza. The Huntsville native and 2025 Huntsville High School graduate participated in the Next-Gen PM program and earned the highest grade in his class on the certification exam. He is now a freshman at SHSU and a Smith Hutson Scholar pursuing his bachelor’s degree in accounting.

“This program gave me a head start to college,” Espinoza said. “It also brought me a new focus. I am now interested in possibly pursuing a double-major and ultimately my master’s degree in project management.”

Espinoza credits his former teacher at Huntsville, Denise Carpenter, with encouraging him to pursue the program. Carpenter, a former Bearkat who recently retired from her position after 25 years of service, was involved with the CITE center from the early stages of the collaboration and strongly encouraged her students to take advantage of the unique opportunity.

“I really think introducing high school students to this is the perfect fit, because it will help them no matter what profession they go into,” Carpenter said. “You can still use these skills they are learning and apply them to everyday life. I know the project is expanding to other schools, and I encourage all of them to try it.”

Carpenter is so passionate about the program that she has remained involved after retirement in any capacity she can. Espinoza, meanwhile, already has a leg up on his aspirations as he settles into Bearkat life. In his first semester, he has expressed his admiration for the campus and its welcoming atmosphere. 

“So far, I love the environment we have here. I am looking forward to learning everything about the business world and professional life,” Espinoza said. “My suggestion to high schoolers who are in my position is to go for it; attempt everything. It is better to shoot for everything that you can than to live with regret.”

During the process, students are provided with information to assist them in their aspirations beyond high school. This includes routes to traditional higher education models as well as SHSU’s innovative polytechnic college, SamPoly.

The CITE center, meanwhile, continues its mission to blend Sam Houston State’s unique prestige with the strong community it inhabits. Zelbst and her staff are currently working on another certification for local high school students focused on small business and entrepreneurship. 

“We are going to give students in our project management programs real life experience by helping them develop business ideas,” Zelbst said. “It is very exciting to have that next step in place. We don’t want to be one and done; we always want to look to what’s next.”

Within the university itself, the model is beginning to spread to other departments in COBA and other colleges on campus, with multiple educators expressing an interest in bringing relevant certifications to their potential students.

Through groundbreaking initiatives, Sam Houston State University is proving that higher education can be both forward-thinking and community driven. At its heart, the work is about more than degrees or certifications, but empowering the next generation to dream bigger, achieve more and give back to the place they call home. By lifting students and strengthening the community, Bearkats are building a future where everyone rises together.

For more inspiring stories about all things Sam Houston State University, read the Fall/Winter 2025 edition of Heritage Magazine here.