EDINBURG, TEXAS \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>When it comes to giving back to the community, UTRGV student Jesus Basa\u00f1ez learned from some of the best. His grandmother, Ernestina Notargiacomo, started the ball rolling. Then her daughter (and Jesus\u2019s mother), Bonnie Notargiacomo, followed. Now, it\u2019s Jesus\u2019s turn.<\/p>\n All three generations have made a career in rehabilitation. All three have been recipients of the\u00a0Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Scholarship.<\/a>\u00a0And all three have been part of the UTRGV\u00a0School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling<\/a>.<\/p>\n Under the RSA Scholarship, which is geared toward vocational rehabilitation, Ernestina received her Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling from legacy institution UTPA in 2005.<\/p>\n She was 64 years old and already had built a career as a vocational teacher, but pursuing higher education was important to her in order to better serve her clients.<\/p>\n Then her daughter Bonnie got the same scholarship. She completed a Master of Science degree at UTPA in 2007, and now is a\u00a0program specialist<\/a>\u00a0for the Texas Workforce Commission.<\/p>\n Three generations of rehabilitation services students at UTRGV and legacy institution UTPA \u2013 Bonnie Marie Notergiacomo, her son Jesus Alberto Basa\u00f1ez, and her mother Ernestina Notergiacomo (shown here posthumously, in a framed photograph) \u2013 all have been involved in the university\u2019s Rehabilitation Services program, and all have been recipients of the federal RSA Scholarship from the U.S. Department of Education. UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy<\/p><\/div>\n And Basa\u00f1ez is pursuing his Master of Science degree in rehabilitation and counseling at UTRGV, aided by the same scholarship. When he found out he had been awarded, he said, it felt like validation.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt so honored to receive the scholarship and I felt proud of my grandmother,\u201d he said. \u201cShe recently passed away, so I felt a wave of sadness and pride at the same time. If I could fill her shoes even by a fraction, I\u2019d be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n RSA scholarships award roughly $20,000 per year, with the average rehab services student enrolled for two and a half years. With the scholarship, the student also receives a monthly stipend, on top of all courses and materials covered.<\/p>\n Upon graduation from the program, the student is required to \u201cpay back\u201d the scholarship by working two years for each year awarded in a public rehabilitation program.<\/p>\n Bonnie, Basa\u00f1ez\u2019s mother, said the scholarship helped her complete her master\u2019s degree, and the rehabilitation services program at legacy institution UTPA \u201cfit her like a glove.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe program represents a lot of my values and what I stand for,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I heard that my son received the same scholarship, I had a huge smile on my face and got goosebumps. It made me nostalgic for my mother and how she paved the way for us in helping people with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Three generations of rehabilitation services students at UTRGV and legacy institution UTPA \u2013 grandson Jesus Alberto Basa\u00f1ez, his mother Bonnie Marie Notergiacomo, and her mother Ernestina Notergiacomo (shown here posthumously, in a framed photograph) \u2013 all have been involved in the university\u2019s Rehabilitation Services program, and all have been recipients of the federal RSA Scholarship from the U.S. Department of Education. They are shown here with Dr. Bruce Reed at right), UTRGV professor and director of the School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling. UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy<\/p><\/div>\n Along the way, both Bonnie and Ernestina were diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called\u00a0Stargardt disease<\/a>. It is a hereditary retinal disease that slowly deteriorates the retinas, often leading to total blindness. The diagnosis influenced their mutual interest in helping people, specifically those with vision disabilities.<\/p>\n![\"Three](\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/PHOTO-1-Three-generations-of-rehabilitation-service-UTRGV-Photo-by-Paul-Chouy.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Three](\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/PHOTO-2-three-gen-rehab-family.jpg\")
<\/a>