Leaning on God

podcastOPTalks
Written By Open Plaza

Rita Cedillo and Norma McCormick discuss how their Christian upbringing led to working in public schools on the Texas-Mexico border

Students on the Texas-Mexico border at work at a writing workshop, Hidalgo County, Texas.

 
 

In this episode of OP Talks, Rita Cedillo and Norma Ortíz McCormick discuss their work with underserved and underrepresented students and families in public schools along the Texas-Mexico border. The educators also reflect on what first ignited their faith, and how leaning on God has helped with the fear that comes with pivoting in life, professionally and personally. In both McCormick and Cedillo, the church sowed a desire to serve others.

For McCormick—who spent the first few years of her life in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on the Mexican side of the Texas border—visits to church involved crossing the international bridge into the U.S. Her late paternal grandmother Aurora would take her to services in Hidalgo, Texas. Afterward, McCormick would be sent back south, carrying a bag filled with groceries, including bread, honey, and cheese. “I remember holding my grandmother's hand and walking all the way back,” she says. “I don’t know how many miles, but it was a few miles away from where we lived.” This experience “started that journey for me of seeing God through other people who provided for me and served my family when my family had a lot of need.” Currently, McCormick, who is now based out of Reno, Nevada, is a national education consultant and also provides business-strategy coaching to select clients.

Cedillo's father was a pastor at an Apostolic Assembly church. She equally admires the devotion of her mother: “Just seeing my mother as a pastor's wife, serving with so much love, training me to love the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind…Her being my teacher gave me a reflection of who I wanted to be," says Cedillo. She and her husband Rufino Cedillo, Jr. are now Missionary Presidents in Paraguay, where they have been serving since 2021. Cedillo talks about helping create opportunities for women in Paraguay as part of her mission, including her current project, Emprendedoras, where she is spearheading a cohort of six women to help grow their businesses by helping them fundraise. 

 
Featured
Rita Cedillo

Rita Gail Cedillo was born in Austin, Texas to Ernestina and Ramiro Rodríguez, Pastor Emeritus of the Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus. There, Cedillo began her ministry at the age of 16 as a Sector Youth President, then as District Youth Treasurer, Federation Ladies Vice-President, Federation Ladies President, Treasurer, National Ladies Treasurer, and National Ladies President. Together, she and her husband Rufino Cedillo, Jr. have continued to work in God’s Kingdom on the local, district, and national levels. She has also taught several classes at South Texas District International Bible College. In 2013, the Cedillos were called to be Pastors at New Beginnings Apostolic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, where they served for eight years. In 2021, the Lord called them to be Missionary Presidents in Paraguay, where they serve in expanding the gospel of Jesus Christ; with servants’ hearts, they also serve the people in Paraguay, the majority of whom are underrepresented and underserved. Cedillo holds a Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a minor in Bilingual/Bicultural) and in Theology; a Master’s in Education, and a Mid-Management Certificate. Her hobbies include singing, traveling with friends and family, and bike riding and swimming.

Featured
Norma McCormick

Norma Ortíz McCormick is a retired educator who served in the public education sector for 28 years. For 18 of those years, she served at the regional non-profit Region One Education Service Center, which provides educational opportunities to the 38 districts and 10 charter systems served. During her tenure, she occupied various roles, the latest as Director of the Office of College, Career and Life Readiness, where she supported the growth of staff from 13 to 50. Additionally, she directly managed the Center for Excellence in College and Career Readiness, providing ongoing leadership and support. As an administrator for various multi-million dollar federal grants, McCormick also served as the budget manager, ensuring that local, state, and federal guidelines were followed. During her years at Region One, McCormick, along with the leadership team, was able to secure nearly $200 million in funding.  Brought up in poverty on the Texas/Mexico border, McCormick was an altar server and a member of the youth group at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, Texas. In 2008, she joined the Episcopalian Church and, in 2021, was received as a “Daughter of the King” at St. Matthew’s Church in Edinburg, Texas. After retirement, McCormick and her husband Michael of 25 years followed God’s guidance and moved to Nevada, where she joined the Trinity Episcopalian Cathedral, continuing her work as a “Daughter of the King,” and is a national education consultant who also provides business-strategy coaching to select clients. The McCormicks have two adult daughters and currently live with their pets in Reno, Nevada, enjoying God’s creations, especially North Lake Tahoe. 

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