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Reyna Gómez Tippetts always valued education, but her journey was not easy. She lived in a shack with walls made of cardboard, metal pieces and scrap wood as a young child in El Moralillo, Veracruz. Tippetts went from waking up at 5 a.m. to walk to her job in the mornings and walking a few more miles after 2 p.m. to her high school in Tampico, Tamaulipas, to becoming the new Lone Star College-East Aldine Center Dean.  

“I grew up in a poor and dysfunctional family and my mother did not understand the power and importance of education,” said Tippetts. “Where I come from, school was for the rich and more likely for boys.” 

Tippetts’s passion forced her to tune out the naysayers and focus on getting the best education possible. She excelled in classes, and thanks to her teachers’ motivation and support, Tippetts earned fifth place in the state for her grade-point average (GPA). After graduating from junior high school with honors, she moved to Tampico and enrolled in an afternoon technical school (P-TECH program). Although this transition was not easy, Tippetts graduated in the top 10 of her class. 

“Moving to Tampico was difficult because I only had the support of my family the first semester, I worked odd jobs, scrabbled for food and was homeless from time to time,” she said.  

Although Tippetts wanted to continue her education, she moved back to Ebano to help her mother. There, her life changed dramatically after attending a holiday party.  

“I met my husband, a widower of two gorgeous boys, in late 1997 and moved to the United States in spring 1998,” said Tippetts. “I had our daughter a year later, but the desire for education and a professional life was still there.” 

Tippetts was introduced to Lone Star College by applying for a position as a housekeeper in 2001. After cleaning the classrooms for a few years, she started taking classes and her academic journey in 2006. She graduated in 2010 from LSC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Professional Office Studies. She also earned a Legal Office Administrator Certificate and a Microsoft Office Specialization Certificate. Tippetts then earned a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting from Our Lady of the Lake University and a Master of Business Administration Degree in Organizational Leadership from Lamar University. 

“Higher education increases career stability opportunities and satisfaction,” said Tippetts. “Many times, I’ve seen an individual such as myself who has all the required skills to perform a job, but without the education, they lose out in favor of those with a degree or certification.” 

Tippetts worked in various other departments at LSC, ranging from the police department to advising. Before being named Dean of LSC-East Aldine Center, she was the advising director at LSC-North Harris.

To read more about Tippetts’s journey, visit LoneStar.edu/East-Aldine-Dean