United ISD’s Annual Parent Learning Summit — All In for the Win — was a home run, bringing together hundreds of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and staff at United High School to bond and celebrate student success. The Saturday mega conference provided an inspiring keynote address, engaging breakout learning sessions, and campus booths filled with school spirit and pride.  

“We had around 1,400 parents in attendance,” said Adriana Ramirez,  executive director for Federal and State Programs, the main sponsor and coordinator of the empowering event. “Some of the most attended sessions were dealing with college applications, mental health, internet safety, drug awareness, and helping students overcome obstacles.” 

The parents moved from classroom to classroom taking advantage of the informative sessions in English and Spanish. Topics ranged from Helping Students Overcome Obstacles, Gang Awareness and Fentanyl and Fake Pills: “One Pill Can Kill”.

The exciting day began with free breakfast for participants, complete with door prize drawings after the speakers’ presentation. Transportation was also provided by UISD for anyone who needed a ride. Kiddie Camps were available for Pre-K to 5th grades, where games, breakfast and lunch were also provided. 

Parent of three UISD students and 3rd grade teacher, Pamela Saldivar, works at Cuellar Elementary. She was grateful for the opportunity to be informed about her children’s education. 

“What I like the most is learning about the different programs that they have to offer for parents such as bullying, dyslexia and other SPED (special education) programs, like the process that has to occur when parents have a concern about their child. I want them to grow in their learning and to become independent, so they can be successful when they are older.”

This is the second UISD Parent Learning Summit for Superintendent Dr. Gerardo Cruz. He said he could not be happier with the great turnout.

“I wanted to make sure that our message was concise,” he emphasized.  “We're United ISD — always looking for the best for our students, and making sure that we engage with the community as much as we can, and to let our parents know that we're here for them. United ISD is the premier school district in Region One, and my goal is to make sure that it’s the premier school district in the State of Texas.”

UISD Board Vice President Aliza Flores Oliveros was inspired by the turnout.  

"The success of this weekend’s Parent Learning Summit is proof that investing in our families is investing in student success. Parents left the event with valuable resources, meaningful connections, and renewed confidence to support their children's learning at home. I am beyond proud of our staff for organizing such an inspiring event, and I am thankful to every parent who chose to spend their Saturday with us. This event showed what it means to be truly United for our children."

Also in attendance was UISD Board Member Dianelle Martinez and her daughters. 

“I think these events are important because they bring us together as a community, and we're all on the same platform — which is to believe that our kids can do anything with the support of us parents. So listening to that and seeing the parents engaged, really paying attention to what our motivational speakers were saying, was just beautiful to witness. I’m very grateful for all the employees who put these events together for our parents because all this benefits our students.”

This year's summit featured motivational speakers from 360 Athletics #1 Leadership Academy Josh Perez and Jonathan Medina. They spoke about a path they took, which was different from that of their mom and stepdad, who both spent time in prison, and how they, the brothers, are now dedicated to helping other families fight for their dreams. 

The brothers — 4 years apart — are from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.  Coach Josh Perez, the CEO and founder of the company, says they started their motivational journey four years ago. 

“We love the community here. We can relate and connect with the students and families here, because we're from the 956, and we know the barriers and challenges that the communities face here, and we can connect right away, and so that's what happened here today. It was a special event, and we immediately engaged and connected with the families here — and it was incredible!” 

The duo wowed the audience with their inspirational story and pep talk, strength challenges with audience volunteers, and they distributed copies of their new book, Parent P.O.W.E.R. Playbook. It’s about parental engagement to create successful kids, how to make a child motivated, successful and happy.  But their main message is always to dream big!

“We want all of our families to dream big. With all the barriers and challenges that we face in our culture and our communities, there's a lot of families that only know what they've been shown. And in our family, that happened to us, so we would be working in the fields, or worse, in prison. And we didn't want that for us.” 

Jonathan Medina is the older brother and Vice President of 360 Athletics. He’s the eldest of six kids. He shares how their grandfather, a migrant field worker, had the biggest impact on them. 

“I always reference my grandfather's message. My grandpa told me — Mijo, en esta vida, hay que luchar — Luchar being the key phrase, which means to fight and to wrestle. So they have their big dream, and then together, the entire family is gonna fight for their kids to accomplish that big dream.”

The brothers explain how they were told they were dreaming too big when they were young, but they didn’t listen to the negativity and planned for a different future for themselves and their siblings.

“You can always push and persevere. We use a phrase called PUSH — Persevere Until Success Happens — so I believe that any one of your students, any one of your families can accomplish all their dreams and goals. It doesn't matter where they're from, what color they are, or what environment they come from; it's up to them personally.” 

Both speakers were involved in sports in school, including college, with Josh formerly playing in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. You can learn more about their program at 360athletics. The nationwide movement has provided motivation to hundreds of schools.

Both brothers were impressed with the heart and soul at United ISD, but they hope it’s the parents and students who walked away with a new sense of determination and drive for their future. 

Cuellar Elementary 3rd grade teacher Pamela Saldivar and her daughters