Dr. Juan C. Garza

Welcome students, families, and staff:

I would like to welcome all the Cougar family to a new and exciting 2022-2023 school year. My name is Dr. Juan C. Garza, and I am honored and excited to have been named Principal of Alan B. Shepard Middle School. I come to Shepard MS with 17 years of educational experience 14 of which were with Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD as a High School Social Studies teacher, High School Assistant Principal, MS and HS Principal and Director of ACT-RGV. I have also worked as a University Lecturer with UTRGV and my most recent assignment was as a K-12 District Principal for San Isidro ISD. Prior to my educational career, I served 21 years as an Infantry Airborne Ranger in the US Army with assignments and leadership positions throughout the world.

I am a Rio Grande Valley native but look forward to establishing and building lasting relationships in the San Antonio area. I am a graduate from Northwestern State University in Louisiana with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with a Masters in Liberal Arts. In December 2020, I graduated with a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.    

I am excited to be part of the Cougar family and look forward to meeting and working with all the staff, students, parents, and community. As an educational leader I firmly believe that the education of our children is a team effort between the school staff and parents. I believe that we must work on building positive relationship, making the learning relevant, and ensuring that our curriculum is rigorous to prepare our students for high school and to establish a solid foundation as our students prepare to attend college or enter the workforce.    

While the last couple years have been challenging and have caused many gaps in our student’s learning, I am positive that with teamwork and our focus on student success we will succeed in ensuring that all our students regain any learning loss due to the ongoing pandemic. 

Yours in education,

Dr. Juan C Garza