Juan Jose Higa is a Catch the Next Ascender Program Alumnus from Alamo Colleges-Palo Alto College (PAC). While a student at PAC, he was actively involved on campus as Vice-President of the Student Government Association and vice-President of the Ascender Student Club. In his leadership roles, he was continuously involved in many college committees and spoke to large audiences. He started the program in 2012 and later graduated with his Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration in December 2015. In January 2016, he transferred to The University of Texas at San Antonio – UTSA, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and graduated in December 2018.

In August 2016, he published Student Engagement & Leadership Manual – Running a Successful Ascender Club. This Student Engagement Manual helps students in the Ascender Program to be Proactive, Engaged, and Become Leaders in the Institutions and the Community. Juan was selected twice from a nationwide pool of applicants to represent PAC and UTSA at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Annual Conference. He has also been awarded the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges Award twice. An award that only a select group of students is called forward to accept, one of the most prestigious awards the academic community can bestow – the outstanding campus leaders of the year. In June 2020, he was appointed one of the first alums to serve on the Board of Directors for Catch the Next, Inc.

One of Juan’s fundamental goals is to continue working with First-Generation college students, as he is the first in his family to attend college. His prior work in higher education includes more than eight years of experience working with a diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students in the Higher Education Sector. He is skilled in Student Counseling & Support, Interpersonal Communication, Educational Guidance, Case Loads, Nonprofit Organizations, Communication, & Event Management. Juan recently completed post-graduate workshops at the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University through Catch the Next, Inc. He is a Senior Advisor for the Economic & Workforce Development (EWD) Office at The Alamo Colleges District.