Dedicated Nursing Student, Heaven McVea, Selected as AlamoPROMISE Student of the Month

The Alamo Colleges District (ACD) is pleased to select Heaven McVea, a student at St. Philip’s College (SPC), as the AlamoPROMISE Student of the Month for August.

A San Antonio native and graduate of James Madison High School, McVea says the support she has received from the people around her has played an important role in her success.

“I just want to start by saying ‘thank you’ to those who proposed me as a Student of the Month – I really, really appreciate it,” said McVea. “I do want to thank my amazing partner, Caitlin, and I also want to thank the amazing onboarding team that I work for. Without them, I genuinely don’t know where I would be right now. Being able to come to school and go to work being with them has changed my life a lot.”

She received a standing ovation at the ACD Board meeting on August 18, 2026.

“I also want to thank Kayla Mitchell, Dr. Ruiz, and everyone else at the (SPC) onboarding office,” she continued.

A dedicated nursing student at SPC, McVea’s goal is to become a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, providing critical care to some of the smallest and most vulnerable patients: babies.

The path to reaching this dream was realized at the Alamo Colleges, where she could begin her journey without having to worry about whether she could afford to attend higher education.

While her plans are to achieve a bachelor’s degree after SPC, she believes her time at the Alamo Colleges has been just as fun and impactful as attending a four-year school.

One of her favorite memories was at a Thanksgiving party, where her work-study team laughed and shared fun stories together. The experience helped create a family atmosphere within the ACD community.

Giving back to her community is also something McVea loves to do, despite having a busy schedule between school and work. Volunteering at Margo Elementary School and Bonham Elementary School, she assists with keeping operations running smoothly, including helping with setup, welcoming guests and participating in lunch with parents at Bonham’s family program.

Stories like Heaven’s are what make the AlamoPROMISE program a unique opportunity for students to not only achieve their goals but, more importantly, inspire others to follow in their footsteps. She hopes her accomplishments ultimately do just that.