Successful Alumna Praises Collin’s Commitment to its Students

Alexa Acosta is driven. A Spring 2014 summa cum laude graduate of Collin College who earned a full scholarship to Southern Methodist University (SMU), Alexa worked hard to get where she is. The youngest-ever marketing director for Clarity Benefit Solutions, Alexa has returned to Collin College a few times to extol the college’s virtues and encourage the next generation of students to make the most of the opportunities it provides.

Alexa had not planned to attend Collin College or any community college. After moving to Puerto Rico with her mother at age 9, Acosta returned to Texas with the plan of attending SMU, her dream school. However, despite having spoken English as a child, most of her education had been in Spanish, and the university rejected her 
application based on language proficiency issues.
         
Although she was disappointed, Alexa knew she was ready for college and applied to Collin. She threw herself into refreshing and expanding her English language skills using resources such as the college’s writing centers. She also got involved in extracurricular activities to develop her abilities and friendships. 
         
“Once I started attending Collin, my impression changed completely,” Alexa said. “The caliber of education, professors, students, school culture, and resources Collin provided me was bar none.”
         
Her professors encouraged her to excel, and the small classroom setting allowed her to create genuine relationships with students and educators alike.
         
“Every professor I had at Collin was deeply committed to me, my education, and my success,” she said. “I always looked forward to attending class or working with them on different leadership initiatives, which is one of the main reasons I was so involved during my time there.”
         
Alexa found a passion for leadership as vice president of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and she spearheaded a nationally 
recognized leadership initiative for the college. She was named an All-USA Academic Team Scholar. Alexa wrote for the college’s Communications Department student and employee newsletter and starred in a series of YouTube segments designed to help students navigate their educational pathways at Collin College. 
         
“I was heavily involved on campus at Collin College, so it gave me an even deeper sense of the college’s commitment to its students,” Alexa said. “Specifically, my involvement with Phi Theta Kappa truly developed me as a scholar, a leader, and a professional. I was pushed in ways I had never been pushed before, and I met some of my favorite people to this day.”
         
Her academic and extracurricular involvement led to a scholarship while at Collin College and ultimately to a full ride at SMU, a university that had rejected her just two years prior. 
         
“I completely excelled in my studies at SMU because the education I received at Collin prepared me for the university level, something I cannot say for my classmates who had been there from their freshmen year,” Alexa told the crowd at the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Power Leadership Breakfast, where she was a featured speaker. “If it weren’t for the preparation I had during my time at Collin College, the relationships I built here, and the overall experience, I am not confident I would have the same story.”