Gary Zhou 
On Tuesday, Elon Musk stated he would be donating $20 million to Cameron County schools and $10 million to the City of Brownsville for downtown revitalization. In response, Cameron County and the Brownsville Mayor expressed their excitement over the SpaceX CEO’s announcement and initiatives.
“I think the exciting part is that Mr. Musk recognizes how important it is to invest in public education. Because in investing in public education, you’re really investing not only in our community but really our world,” said Dr. Alicia Noyola, The Superintendent of Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District.
Dr. René Gutiérrez, the Superintendent of Brownsville Independent School District, told Valley Central that SpaceX has been inviting multiple Cameron County schools to start sending students for field trips to its facilities. He shared that SpaceX and several Cameron County superintendents discussed field trips to expose students to its facilities and the different careers it offers.
Brownsville Mayor Juan “Trey” Mendez suggested that Musk’s donation would go to Brownsville’s downtown revitalization project.
“It’s certainly exciting to hear of Elon Musk’s proposed donation to the City for downtown revitalization. We look forward to a discussion about how this could help our community prosper as we take a front seat to the next chapter of space exploration and innovation,” the Mayor of Brownsville told KSAT.
Mayor Mendez noted that the private sector has “taken notice” of downtown Brownsville. He hopes that increased investments, the announcement of new projects, and Musk’s donation could “accelerate the progress even more and continue to make our city and our downtown a destination.”
Musk seems to think that there is potential in Brownsville and the South Padre area. He invited people to consider moving to the area or Starbase, Texas, and to encourage their friends to move there as well. Musk stated that SpaceX’s need to hire engineers, technicians, builders, and essential support personal is growing rapidly.
