The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a Hispanic Serving institution in south Texas with a student population of ~30,000. I served the department of biology at UTRGV as an assistant and associate professor of entomology with both research and teaching responsibilities. In this talk I will discuss my experience at UTRGV, graduate and undergraduate student success stories, programs and grants tailor made for minority serving institutions, and their impact on the community.