Editor: Shannon Cottongame
December 15, 2021
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is welcoming Rachel Esquivel, the new Family and Community Health (FCH) agent for Hill County.
Esquivel is from Penelope and has been in Hill County most of her life, moving away to attend college at Texas A&M University in College Station. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Leadership, Development, Education and Communication with a minor in Spanish.
“After graduating from A&M, I decided to move back home to Hill County and begin my professional career closer to home,” she said.
Before accepting her current position, Esquivel taught fifth grade math and science at Frost ISD.
Outside of working for Hill County as an Extension agent, she helps her parents run their small cow/calf operation in Penelope.
“As the Hill County FCH agent, my job is to serve the community and everyone in it by bettering the way they live. I offer programs to participants of all ages who are looking to better their life in a healthy way through programs given throughout the year,” Esquivel explained.
A couple of examples of the programs Esquivel offers and plans to offer in the future are the Step Up and Scale Down 12-week series to help and challenge community members to implement a healthier lifestyle, and the Welcome to the Real World program for high school juniors and seniors. This program teaches financial literacy and economic maintenance as students enter the next chapter of their adult lives.
Esquivel also work in partnership with Hill County 4-H members, helping to coach and prepare them for competition and activities related to healthy lifestyles. One such competition is the District 8 Food Challenge and Food Show.
“Future coalitions that I am working on at the moment are those with Hill Regional Hospital and Hill College to offer a diabetes program to better serve our susceptible populations,” she said. “These programs will be given in both English and Spanish to better serve all members of our community.”
The Extension Office is located at 126 South Covington Street in Hillsboro. For more information about Extension programs, call 254-582-4022.
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