Andrew Besa
Andrew F. Besa was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 18, 1965, the son of Andrew and Stella Besa. After attending St. Mary’s School and St. Joseph’s Academy in Brownsville, Texas, Andrew’s family moved to Laredo, Texas, and he gradu... moreAndrew F. Besa was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 18, 1965, the son of Andrew and Stella Besa. After attending St. Mary’s School and St. Joseph’s Academy in Brownsville, Texas, Andrew’s family moved to Laredo, Texas, and he graduated from United High School. Shortly thereafter, Andrew’s family moved to Natalia, Texas, just south of San Antonio, and he began attending San Antonio College. In 1987, Andrew enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a paratrooper in the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82d Airborne Division. During his military service, he was privileged to serve on peace-keeping duty in the Sinai Peninsula with the Multinational Forces and Observers and serve on the 82d Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps Pistol Teams after returning to the United States. Upon leaving the military, Andrew returned to San Antonio College and in spring of 1991, transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. Andrew left the university in spring of 1994 and began working in Houston, Texas. In May of 1998, Andrew married Amy Watson. By 2004, Andrew had decided to return to the University of Texas to complete his studies there. In May of 2006, he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then worked for roughly eighteen months as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Austin, Texas. In January of 2008, he began course work in the Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition program at Texas State University-San Marcos. While attending Texas State University-San Marcos, Andrew worked for two and a half years as a tutor in the writing center and for a year as a graduate research assistant in the Transitions Project of the Education Department’s Education Institute and taught a college preparatory writing class for adult, GED holders trying to transition to college. Upon completing his Master’s Degree program, Andrew worked as a freelance writer and as a substitute teacher in Natalia Independent School District. In Spring of 2013, Andrew enrolled in the Alternative Certification Program offered by the Educational Service Center for Region 2 in Corpus Christi. In Fall of that year, he was hired to teach English Language Arts/Reading at Taft High School. Andrew served as the department chair person during the 2014-2015 school year and taught Dual Credit Freshman Composition 1301 through Texas A&M-Kingsville. Currently, Andrew teaches ELA 3, ELA 4 Transitional English, and Dual Credit Freshman Composition 1301.