Hook ’Em Here 2026: Interns Work, Learn and Grow
This summer, College of Education students interned with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area and Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District.
As a child, Natalie Garcia enjoyed hot chocolate and donuts in her Harlingen, Texas, school — a treat her teacher brought to reward the students for reading — and getting to transform their classroom into different biomes, with her teacher “giving us the freedom to use our imaginations while supplying everything we needed,” Garcia recalled.
“As a student, I never really thought about everything that went into the activities I enjoyed. I just saw the fun,” she said.
Now, “I realize how much planning, effort and care went into creating those memories for us,” Garcia said. That’s because in June, she was back in the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District, this time on the other side of the classroom as a teaching intern.
Garcia was among the 28 interns in the Hook ’Em Here summer program, an immersive multiweek paid opportunity through the College of Education (COE) at The University of Texas that allows current students the opportunity to give back to the Austin and Harlingen communities while gaining valuable, real-world experience. Her peer, Natalie Bueno, was also in a Harlingen classroom, helping children improve their reading and math skills, while Klarissa Soto and Antonio Atalig offered guidance to children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area.
“While the children served through Hook ’Em Here benefit from the caring, enthusiasm and guidance of our interns, it is often the interns themselves who are most changed by the experience as they learn to adapt, problem-solve, and apply classroom learnings to the daily realities of working with kids,” said Tara Kirkland, director of strategy and external relations for the College of Education.
Students with Hook ’Em Here Central Texas (HEHCTX) supported one of the region’s largest nonprofits, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, which serves thousands of young people each year across 25 locations in schools, community centers and public housing sites. Through skill-building activities and guided outdoor exploration, HEHCTX participants created opportunities for children and youth to grow in academic success, character and leadership, health and well-being, and life and workforce readiness.
In South Texas, students with Hook ’Em Here Harlingen (HEHH) were teaching interns in Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District classrooms and surrounding communities in the Rio Grande Valley. Working closely with dedicated HCISD teachers, HEHH interns provided accelerated reading and math support to elementary and middle school-aged students from Mondays to Thursdays. On Fridays, interns participated in additional, half-day field experiences to better understand the community of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
“A key contributor to the success of Hook ’Em Here thus far has been the enthusiasm and flexibility of our partners,” said Kirkland, who launched the 2023 HEHH pilot program and coordinates subsequent iterations on behalf of the college. “In Harlingen CISD and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area, the college has found true collaborators who find ways to make the program work for both the interns and youth they serve.”
Serving Communities
“I wanted to continue serving and supporting youth while also growing as a leader and future professional,” said Soto, an exercise science major on the physical therapy track. She is originally from Eagle Pass, Texas. “I’m passionate about working with young people, especially in underserved communities.”
Other College of Education students also participated in Hook ’Em Here to give back. “I wanted to find a way to use my skillset to provide a positive outlet for children,” said Atalig, a youth and community studies major on the urban teachers track. He is from Killeen but also lived in South Korea, Germany and several U.S. states. Atalig said the Boys & Girls Clubs mission aligned with his personal goal of helping students exceed their own expectations.
For some interns, Hook ’Em Here offered a direct connection to their childhood. Garcia, a bilingual education major who grew up in Harlingen, graduated from HCISD.
“When I found out the University had a partnership with my school district, I was immediately interested in applying,” she said. “Having been inside HCISD classrooms, I have the perspective of a student, so I thought it would be insightful to see the other side as the teacher.”
Program participants brought more than motivation to their summer internships. They also brought experiences from within their own College of Education classes. For Soto, one of those lessons was “the importance of building relationships and creating a supportive environment for students.”
“My classes have emphasized meeting students where they are, understanding the impact of community and family backgrounds, and fostering a sense of belonging,” Soto said. “Through HEH, I have been able to apply these lessons by building trust with the youth at Boys & Girls Club, supporting their individual needs and creating positive interactions each day.”
Hook ’Em Here interns also point to lessons from specific classes. Bueno said her experience in the class “Play in Early Childhood Development” included a segment on having difficult discussions, which she brought into her work this summer in Harlingen.
After graduation, Bueno plans to earn a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and become an EC-6 (certified for early childhood through sixth grade) bilingual teacher.
Garcia, meanwhile, applied lessons from “Sociocultural Influences on Learning.”
“Students’ backgrounds, cultures and experiences shape how they learn and interact with others. Through HEHH, I have been more intentional about building relationships with students and recognizing how their different personalities, interests and experiences shape who they are,” she said. “Even in the younger groups, every student has their own unique interests and way of engaging with others.”
After she completes her College of Education studies, Garcia plans to become an EC-6 bilingual teacher and pursue a master’s degree.
“I have a much greater appreciation for my teachers and the ways they went above and beyond to foster my love for learning,” she said of her Hook ’Em Here experience. “This also inspired me to want to be the teacher who goes above and beyond for her students like so many did for me.”
Alongside Hook ’Em Here’s partners, “another reason the program has succeeded is the talent and passion of the College of Education students who give themselves fully to this internship,” Kirkland said.
