San Marcos resident recognized for work in community

San Marcos resident Bobbie Garza-Hernandez was recently recognized for her work within the  Indigenous Cultures Institute (ICI) and the San Marcos community. 

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) in Austin is honoring Garza-Hernandez during its annual Awards of Excellence with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Garza-Hernandez is the owner of Pink Consulting, a public relations firm that provides communications services on large scale, high profile, public and private projects. 

“We provide community outreach and engagement services. We work on pretty high profile projects, that are usually municipalities, or large developments that affect communities,” Garza-Hernandez said. “We've  pretty much carved out a niche for being a go-to firm when it comes to outreach to the disenfranchised and minority communities.” 

The firm was established in 1997 and is 100% Hispanic woman-owned. As a member of the local nonprofit Indigenous Cultures Institute, Garza-Hernandez has also contributed through community outreach. 

“Bobbie is helping us with our language program,” said Maria Rocha, executive director of Indigenous Cultures Institute. “The language of your people is really important because culture is conveyed through the language of your peoples.” 

The recognition from the ESB-MACC is a full-circle moment for Garza-Hernandez. 

“The Mexican American Cultural Center is actually one of the projects that I helped jumpstart while I was working in the mayor's office,” Garza-Hernandez said, “and as a result, we were able to get the property reserved and appropriated for the MACC center, and the cultural center.”

In regard to working with the ICI, Garza-Hernandez appreciates the work that Rocha and founder Dr. Mario Garza in helping and educating students and young people about their heritage and roots. 

“Now we're at that place where opportunities have become available for the movement of bringing the ICI to fruition,” Garza-Hernandez said. 

The Indigenous Culture Center will also be hosting an exhibit at the Price Center from Oct. 2 to Nov. 17. 

“The Price Center is really a beautiful resource for art and culture,” Rocha said. “They're going to have an exhibit of our powwow and our programs,”

The awards ceremony will be held Friday at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending the ceremony virtually will be able to view a recording of the event at the end of September. 

Garza-Hernandez will be honored along with two other Indigenous members of the ICI, Dr. Angela Valenzuela and Dr. Lydia CdeBaca Cruz. 

“We're also going to build an Indigenous Culture Center here in San Marcos,” Rocha said. “Bobbie is going to help us with that by creating forums where we can reach out to all of Hays County community members and find out what they would like to see in a community center.”