RGV Familia is a transformative personal and professional development initiative providing UT students from the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) empowerment through programming, events and training, while also incorporating parent and family programming to provide holistic support for students. Our community is unique; it centers on our multicultural heritage and strong family relations. For students from the RGV, many of whom are first in their family to attend college, it is a cultural shock to come from small, mostly ethnically homogeneous border towns, to living in the large metro of Austin and attend UT. We provide a space for RGV students to share their unique experiences and learn to maximize this cultural capital through critical conversations.