Posted on March 13, 2025 by Jordan Allen
Dr. Arcadia López
Dr. Arcadia López devoted her life to transforming education, opening doors for thousands of Spanish-speaking children in San Antonio to lead better lives. Through a commitment to bilingual education, she championed programs that gave students the tools to overcome language barriers and succeed in a system that once excluded them. Dr. López also showed her dedication to education by including UTSA in her estate plans in 2002. Today, her legacy continues through the Dr. Arcadia López Endowed Scholarship, which supports future educators who share her passion for helping others through bicultural-bilingual education.
Arcadia immigrated to San Antonio from Mexico at the age of three. Growing up in the city’s "barrios” during the 1910’s, she faced significant challenges in a school system that did not always accommodate non-English-speaking students. Unable to understand her teachers, she repeated the first-grade multiple times. These experiences shaped her determination to ensure that other children would not face the same obstacles, ultimately driving her to become an advocate for equal opportunities in education.
Despite these early hardships, Arcadia excelled academically, earning bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. She dedicated 46 years to the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), including 33 years as a teacher and 13 years as the district’s supervisor and coordinator of bilingual programs. Her efforts came during a critical time when Mexican American students were dropping out of school at alarming rates due to language barriers.
“She inspired all our family to pursue higher education,” said her great nephew, Paul Rangel. “We knew there was no going backwards. Getting a degree was the bare minimum. Her story motivates us to work hard and to tell our kids and grandkids about her journey, so they understand what’s possible with perseverance.”
Stephanie Rodriguez, a Bogotá, Colombia native and first-generation graduate student, is pursuing a master’s degree in Bicultural-Bilingual Education along with a certificate in Mexican American Studies and teacher certification, from UTSA’s College of Education and Human Development. A recipient of the Dr. Arcadia López Endowed Scholarship, she works full-time as an ESL middle school teacher while also serving as a teaching assistant. Her passion for storytelling and advocacy began during her undergraduate studies in Sociology in Colombia, where she launched a project teaching low-income students to share their narratives through film. Now, as an immigrant and Latina activist, she is committed to empowering English Language Learners and fostering cultural understanding.
“Being awarded the Dr. Arcadia López Endowed Scholarship is an honor, and I feel extremely fortunate to be chosen and considered,” shared Stephanie. “My path back to college was not easy, and I faced many obstacles along the way. Still, this opportunity encourages me to continue working with my newcomer students who have just arrived in the U.S. and are trying to find their way in this country.”
Arcadia’s family remains deeply connected to UTSA, with several members graduating from the university and taking pride in the scholarship’s transformative impact.
“I hope that this scholarship gives recipients the help they need to succeed in their careers, just as my great-aunt received help when she started hers,” Paul said. “More importantly, I hope it inspires them to give back, to become mentors, and to create the same opportunities for others that Dr. López dedicated her life to providing.”
— Jordan Allen
