Lori Urbina-Patlan

My name is Lori Urbina-Patlan and I reside in Edinburg, Texas as a full time student/pro-active mother. I am a mother of four wonderful children, one of which was diagnosed with a significant disability (Autism) before the age of two years. This diagnosis plays a huge role in the decision of my chosen college major. As a mother of a child with Autism, I have not only become an advocate for children like mine I have also become an educator/informant to other parents with the best researched based interventions or strategies that have been found to help children affected with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). With the prevalence of diagnosis rising every so many years, we are now looking at numbers such as; 1 in 50 children being diagnosed with Autism. Seeing that there is much needed support in the Rio Grande Region, I have decided to become pro-active in creating a better community for those affected with Autism and joined two different local organizations (Team Mario and Aware RGV). My short term goals are; (1) obtain my first bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education EC-6, (2) challenge the state exam to teach Special Education, (3) pursue my first master’s degree in Special Education, and (4) obtain a second masters in ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis. Furthermore, my long term goal is to obtain a Doctoral degree and instruct at a University level. In the meantime, I have earned two associates degree's, the first being an Associates of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education (2014), and secondly an Associates of Arts in Interdisciplinary studies (2015). Throughout my first years of college, I was in the President's Honor Roll (2010), Inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor society (2011), and recognized by Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges (2012). In addition, I am a certified member of HonorSociety.org (March, 2016), selected for the President’s List (Spring 2016), duly accepted by Phi Delta Kappa International (October, 2016), and became a member of the Texas A&M – Kingsville chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society (October, 2016). Furthermore, in the fall semester of 2016 I also became a member of the Texas Association for Students in Bilingual Education.