Four-year university degrees available in Harlingen and their economic impact took a giant leap forward at a ground-breaking ceremony for the new University Articulation & Career Center.

State District 43 Rep. Dr. Tara Rios Ybarra, D-South Padre Island, urged TSTC graduates to courageously pursue their dreams during her commencement address August 22.

"Follow your plans," she told the audience at Christian Fellowship Church. "Do not just dream of your goals; go for it. Remember that learning comes in all shapes and sizes."

Everyone occasionally faces difficult decisions about whether to follow rules or take a risk by breaking barriers to create new rules, Rep. Rios Ybarra said. Those decisions could lead to mistakes, but an error should become a learning opportunity. She told graduates to persevere and quoted former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, "Success is the ability to move from one failure to the next with enthusiasm."