2025 Lifetime Service Award Winner

Perhaps the first thing anyone notices about Jaime Miranda is his smile. His warm and welcoming demeanor invites friends and soon-to-be friends to approach him and engage in conversation. Because of his friendliness, Jaime Miranda is no stranger to anyone in Migrant Education Program in both the state of Texas and Nationally. Because of his internal drive to serve, Jaime is an integral part of the Migrant Education Program.

Jaime Miranda has 30 years of experience working at the post-secondary level, with the last 17 years in administering the College Assistance Migrant Program grant for the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley Campus in Edinburg. This year he also added the role of Director of the Brownsville Campus, running that program alongside the Edinburg Campus program.
On the federal level, Jaime has served as an external grant evaluator for ED grant projects, and he has also served as a formal mentor to new grant directors on both the state and federal levels. In addition, Jaime is a skilled presenter who has presented to both new and veteran grant directors and also to migratory students targeting areas of need for them. Furthermore, Jaime serves as the AMET Higher Education Advisor, a role he has held since 2015.

But these resume skills do not tell the entire story. Jaime Miranda is a born advocate for the Migrant Education Program, and he constantly seeks ways to improve access to education for our migratory students. For example, Jaime had an idea to raise funds for scholarships for our migratory students, so he organized the AMET Conference Fun Run/Walk. Not only was this a way to encourage fellowship among membership, but also proceeds from the t-shirt sales go directly to the AMET scholarship fund. In previous years, AMET has hosted CAMP students and staff as presenters at the annual conference; however, due to his vision and passion, AMET and CAMP now host a tandem conference. His advocacy and enthusiasm are unflagging!

Jaime Miranda holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance Education, and a graduate certificate in Communication – Training and Consultant, all from the University of Texas Pan American. In his spare time, Jaime is very involved in Kiwanis, and he is a Staff Sergeant for the Texas National Guard. Jaime is married to Rosaura.
As one of his staff members noted, Jaime “is an advocate of migrant students and education. He reaches out to migrant-serving programs and is often out and about networking to make our program services known.” Truly, Jaime Miranda is an administrator who exemplifies servant-leadership and is most deserving of the AMET Distinguished Lifetime Service Award.