ALUMNA AWARD — Gloria Bigger-Cantu was recently named Alumna of the Year by the Department of Communications and Theatre Arts at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Dr. Manuel Flores, chairman of the department, praised Bigger-Cantu, as an outstanding journalist and also a historian who has chronicled the lives and events of people in this area. He also praised her for helping people through her writings in South Texas. She is pictured with her son Gabe Bigger, an Austin resident, who attended the award ceremony at the TAMUK Little Theater, and Flores, right. (Photo by Erika Hernandez). Gloria Bigger-Cantu was recognized as Alumna of the Year by the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Communications and Theatre Arts Department at an award ceremony held May 13 in the Little Theatre.

Bigger-Cantu works as a reporter and photographer for the Kingsville Record and Bishop News where she has spent most of her journalistic career.

She has previously worked for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and has also written freelance newspaper and magazine articles.

Dr. Manuel Flores, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communications and Theatre Arts, presented Bigger-Cantu with the award and introduced her to the audience made up primarily of students within the Communications and Theatre Arts Department. He praised her for her work and dedication over the years.

“She is a star of this university,” Flores said. “At a time when Hispanic women did not have the opportunity to succeed she had the determination it took to become what she is today.”

Flores spoke of Bigger-Cantu as a historian who has seen change and progress in this area first hand.

“She has spoken to and met movers and shakers in this area for years and has been an eyewitness to history.” Flores said.

Bigger-Cantu was very humbled and honored by the award and spoke of her appreciation for the career she has had.

“I am grateful for this award and the fact that I am still a working journalist with the print media,” she said. “I would also like to thank Dr. Flores and other members of the department for this recognition.”

Bigger-Cantu also served as the keynote speaker of the ceremony and encouraged the students to become involved in their careers and be passionate about their goals.

“Have a passion about your goals, your ambitions,” she said. “Participate in life and become involved in your community.

She urged students to take advantage of the constitutional freedoms such as voting.

Bigger-Cantu cited that the freedom of the press is a constitutional right and a journalist is the only profession in the constitution.

“The freedom of the press is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronics media and published material without interference from the government,” she said.

Bigger-Cantu credits the Texas A&I University Journalism Department for instilling the desire in her to become a journalist during her undergraduate years.

She worked for the Texas A&I University News Service for three years where she learned to write news releases for newspapers throughout Texas.

She also served on the campus newspaper, The South Texan, as managing editor and El Rancho yearbook editor.

Aside from working as a journalist, Bigger-Cantu taught many years as a junior high language arts teacher, English teacher, and a high school English and journalism teacher in area and local school districts.

Her last teaching position was with the Kingsville Independent School District where she was an English teacher at KEYS Academy.

“I have been involved in writing for many years, both in my educational and journalism career,” Bigger- Cantu said.

“I especially find interviewing people most rewarding because every individual has a story to tell, and I have made lifelong friends with some people I have interviewed.”

Bigger-Cantu believes that journalists must be readers and curious individuals to become effective writers.

“My focus as a journalist is to present the facts in an objective story,” she said.

“The power of the press is evident, and journalists must be responsible to present an honest picture,” Bigger- Cantu said.

She described herself as, “a journalist whose goal is to share knowledge with those people who care and to those people who need to care.”

Bigger-Cantu has lived in Kingsville most of her adult life and holds three degrees from Texas A&I University, later Texas A&M University- Kingsville.

She has a bachelor’s degree in education with majors in English and journalism and a master’s degree in English with journalism minor.

She also has a masters of science degree in educational administration with a 4.0 average while working as a full time teacher in 1992.

Throughout her career she has received many awards, including the Media Honor Roll in August 2006, which was presented by Kingsville ISD for fair and balanced reporting, providing valuable information to the community about public schools, their students, parents, and patrons.

She previously received second place for feature writing by the Texas Press Association, which was selected from all biweekly newspapers in Texas, and received the School Bell Award for outstanding news coverage of Kingsville schools by the Kingsville Texas State Teachers Association.

She also received an award in Dallas last year for her contribution to help better the lives of the people in South Texas.

Bigger-Cantu’s goal is to continue working, writing, and taking photographs. She has photographed many South Texas people and scenes and has a collection of over 20 large brown tone salon prints.

She and her husband, Johnny Cantu, visited five New England states on a fall foliage tour last October and she took numerous landscape photos.

Both her husband Johnny and son, Gabriel Bigger, who lives in Austin, attended the award ceremony.

Her son Gabriel, a 1998 H.M. King High School graduate, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Texas.

He lives in Austin and has begun writing political articles and expressing himself through silkscreen printing.

“He told me it was in the DNA,” she said.