Lone Star College System held its annual Fall Convocation Monday, Aug. 31, featuring a first-generation student and an alumnus-turned-business-owner before the system's faculty and staff.

Sanyiah Griffin, a first-generation college student whose family members mostly never graduated high school, told the gathering she grew up with no plans to attend college.

Lone Star changed that.

"Lone Star has really helped me maneuver through life. I didn't really dream or think big for myself, but when I started going to school and being around certain things, it made me want to do more for myself," Griffin said.

Edgar Garcia, owner of AE Construction Services and a 2010 LSC-North Harris graduate, spoke as an alumnus success story. Garcia moved to Houston from Mexico at age 7, enrolled at LSC-North Harris after high school and built his construction business while earning an associate of arts degree in business. Nearly 20 years later, he mentors students and donates scholarships back to the system.

Garcia urged staff not to underestimate their influence, according to Woodlands Online. He told employees that students will remember their encouragement years later.

Chancellor Mario K. Castillo framed the system's scale in personal terms, reminding employees that roughly 97,000 students each carry individual dreams and aspirations. The system has set enrollment records in recent semesters, reaching 97,294 students in fall 2025 and 97,221 in spring 2026, a 6.4% increase over the prior spring. An official fall 2026 count has not yet been released. Classes for the fall semester began Aug. 24.

Castillo also recognized five employees with awards at the convocation. Heidi Jo Green, a political science professor at LSC-CyFair, received the Transformative Effect Award for immersive teaching methods including debates between students and incarcerated individuals, Port of Houston tours and local courtroom visits. Jeremiah Allison, a system administrator in the Office of Technology Services, earned the Grateful Heart Award. David Gonzalez, senior manager of product marketing and creative design, received the Principled Innovation Award.

Corniche Land, interim director of admissions and recruitment at LSC-Tomball, and Allyson Bullock, dean of student services at LSC-University Park, jointly received the One LSC Award. Their "Team 249" partnership aligned programming and student support between the two previously competitive campuses along the State Highway 249 corridor.

The Lone Star College System Board of Trustees, chaired by Mike Sullivan, meets next at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at Lone Star College-University Park, Commons Grand Hall, 20515 SH 249, Houston. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.