Austin ISD crowns largest Up Close cohort; superintendent urges community help amid budget challenges

Austin Independent School District celebrated 50 graduates of its Up Close community-ambassador program at a ceremony, marking the program's largest single cohort since it began. Superintendent Matias Segura thanked participants and urged the new ambassadors to help the district as it navigates budget constraints.

Up Close gives community members an inside look at district infrastructure, programs and services and trains volunteers to serve as ambassadors and advocates for Austin ISD. Ali Ghilarducci, chief of communications and community engagement, and Norma Garza, Up Close program coordinator, said the program used a hybrid model this year with both in-person and virtual sessions, campus visits and a hands-on tour of a new electric school bus.

“This year we are celebrating 50 new graduates as Up Close ambassadors. This is our largest cohort ever,” Ghilarducci said, and program staff noted the district has reached about 593 graduates since 2007. Program leaders said a third of the 2025 cohort list Spanish as their first language; 17 of 50 were born in countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Barbados, China, India and the Philippines; and about two-thirds of participants have children enrolled in Austin ISD schools.

Guest speaker Montserrat (surname not specified in the transcript), who previously served at the U.S. Department of Education, described how bilingual instruction shaped her career and urged the graduates to use their training to support multilingual students. She quoted Secretary Miguel Cardona’s phrase, saying that “being bilingual is a superpower,” and recounted partnering with Austin ISD on initiatives such as bilingual book distributions and citizenship drives while with labor and federal agencies.

Segura told graduates their role matters as the district addresses difficult budget discussions. “It’s really, really important that we tackle that together to ensure that our students get the resources they need,” Segura said, adding the district intends to handle any consolidation or resource-allocation decisions “with care, transparency, and doing it with our community.” He also noted Austin ISD’s upcoming 150th anniversary and asked alumni to continue supporting students beyond test scores by advocating for students with additional needs.

Program staff emphasized the bilingual and community-engagement elements of the curriculum: the Up Close program ran concurrent English and Spanish sessions for the fifth straight year, included visits to Clifton, Uphouse and Rosedale schools, and introduced participants to district departments including transportation and Austin ISD Police. Program leaders encouraged graduates to volunteer for committees and task forces and noted that three current or former trustees are program alumni.

The ceremony included student performances and presentation of certificates by Trustee Lynn Boswell and Superintendent Segura. Organizers closed by announcing that recruitment for the class of 2026 has already begun and encouraged graduates to share the program with others and follow district communications for application details.