Former builder now reconstructs lives through Occupational Therapy at STC

After nearly two decades building homes and holding up his family through loss and hardship, 46-year-old Oscar Hinojosa found himself burned out, seeking new opportunities and a renewed sense of purpose.

Now, the Edinburg native is rewriting his future as an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) student at South Texas College, channeling a lifetime of experience, empathy and perseverance into a career that’s all about rebuilding lives, starting with his own.

“I spent nearly 20 meaningful years helping my family and growing our construction business. Now I’m doing something for myself and this time, it helps others too,” he said. “That’s why I love and connect with occupational therapy. You’re not just a broken arm or a diagnosis, you’re a whole person. The more I learn, the more I see how everything I’ve lived through has led me here.”

Hinojosa grew up in a family of builders, spending summers roofing, tiling and plumbing. But after graduating from Edinburg High School in 1997, he followed his passion for photography. He began at the University of Texas at Austin and transferred to Austin Community College (ACC) when the experience didn’t meet his hands-on expectations. There, he earned an associate degree in photography in 2005.

“I’m a huge advocate for two-year degrees,” he said. “It was a hands-on experience where you didn’t just learn a skill, you learned how to make a living with your art, how to run a studio, how to understand business. I learned more about life at ACC than I did in two years at the university. It was the best decision ever.”

He returned to the Rio Grande Valley to continue his education, but his plans shifted when his mother passed away unexpectedly from pancreatic cancer, just days after her diagnosis. At the time, he was running his photography studio, but stepped away to support his grieving family and help manage the construction business.

“I’ve lost two siblings as well. There’s been a lot of loss in my family,” he shared. “After my mom passed, my father and younger sisters needed me. So, I made the decision to help run the business which turned into many years of building homes, about 15 to 20 a year across Texas. I made a good living, but it wasn’t my passion.”

In 2022, with his father entering retirement, Hinojosa turned a new page. He enrolled at STC and began working as a tutor at the college’s Centers for Learning Excellence (CLE), where he now helps guide future health care professionals.

“At my age, I realized I needed something more concrete, a skill I could take anywhere and build a future with and something I genuinely enjoy,” he said. “I love working with kids, especially neurodivergent populations, so I completed my observation hours at a pediatric clinic. It was wild, kids were climbing, crawling, bouncing off the walls and the therapists were right in there with them, having the time of their lives. It was intense but so full of purpose, and I remember thinking, ‘These are my people.’”