Students at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen spent their Saturday cleaning up a colonia in Donna.

The cleanup at the colonia — located near south FM 493 and Mile 4 — was part of a public service project where students partnered with local organizations.

Dr. Krystal Flores-Chavez designed the public health course, and says she wishes she had a program that taught her these skills when she was in college. 

“They're gaining all these different skills, they're learning how to have conversations to partner with different agencies so hopefully when they graduate it's something they can utilize when they are interviewing,” Flores-Chavez said.

Although the initiative was something the students had to do as a grade for her course, Flores-Chavez said the project is bigger than just an assignment. 

The group will be hosting a mental health awareness fair on Saturday, April 13 at the Alamo Community Resource Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Watch the video above for the full story.