From associate degree student to professor and internationally recognized designer, Guillermo Ríos embodies the spirit of self-improvement he seeks to inspire in his students. After establishing his teaching career at Dallas College, Ríos is now preparing for a new challenge: bringing his artistic vision to the fashion stages of Austin and New York, demonstrating that his bicultural identity is his greatest source of creativity.
Ríos began at Dallas College as a student, graduating with an associate degree from the then-El Centro College. His teaching career at the institution began in 2016, when he started working as an adjunct. After several years, in August 2025, he took a significant step forward by securing a position as professor. “I had always known about Dallas College, and when I finished my master’s degree, I applied for a job as a Spanish professor,” Ríos said.
Ríos affirms his experience within the organization has been positive. He emphasizes that the support from his team has been fundamental to his professional career. “It’s been great; I’ve always had excellent colleagues and coworkers who have helped and guided me tremendously – so, all in all, it’s been very, very good,” Ríos said.
He adds that his long tenure within the organization has given him a distinct advantage: “I already know the system, the classes and what is offered very well.”
When it comes to delving into what makes his experience truly special, Ríos does not limit himself solely to what happens inside the classroom; rather, he places immense value on the human fabric that sustains Dallas College. For him, one of the most gratifying aspects has been the solid support he has received in his professional endeavors, noting that the backing of his colleagues has been a constant throughout these years.
Ríos explains that the richness of working in an environment like this lies in the relationships built beyond one’s own academic discipline. He values the connections formed between different curricular areas, pointing out that getting to know people from other departments has allowed him to broaden his perspective on the organization. He notes these interactions are not limited solely to the professional realm; rather, they often evolve into genuine friendships and foster a sense of community that makes daily work much more enjoyable.
For Ríos, this type of collegiality, along with the exchange of ideas among professionals from diverse fields, is what truly strengthens his sense of belonging on campus. However, beyond the academic structure, Ríos possesses a personal universe in which creativity takes center stage. This passion is nothing new in his life; indeed, it has been present since his formative years.
Although his professional career has been firmly established in the teaching of Spanish, an artistic spark has always existed within him that sought a way to manifest itself outside the confines of textbooks and academic assessments. This duality between his role as a professor and his artistic spirit is what defines him as a multifaceted professional. To him, art and education are not opposing worlds, but rather realms that complement one another in a unique way.
It was precisely this need for self-expression that led him to revisit a dream he had harbored since his early days at Dallas College, when he would select his elective courses based on his love for aesthetics and design. This path eventually led him to a project that has now become a reality. What began as a personal inclination evolved into a formal foray into the fashion industry, where he has successfully established his own clothing brand.
Delving into the meaning behind his creations, Ríos reveals that the core of his brand lies in a fundamental concept: duality. For him, this is a reality that has shaped his life, having grown up between two nations. Ríos describes his experience as a Mexican living in the U.S., an environment characterized by a constant duality of languages and traditions.
Within this creative process, Ríos employs design as a symbolic language drawn directly from his homeland. As a native of Jalisco, Mexico, his identity is deeply intertwined with the agricultural landscapes of that state, where his family shares a long-standing tradition of working the land. This agricultural heritage manifests in her clothing line through the use of abstract lines that represent the sugarcane stalks she observed during her childhood.
Incorporating these elements serves as a way to pay tribute to her family’s work and to keep the essence of the Jalisco landscapes alive. Standing out within her current collection is a dress featuring a floral design crafted using a technique known as “layered painting”—a process involving multiple layers of paint to achieve depth. Ríos explains that, initially, the flowers are white, but she transforms them until they acquire a vibrant golden hue.
“I don’t feel like I’m working,” he asserts with a smile. “Well, technically I am working, but I love going to work.” It is this energy that he conveys to his students. At the end of the day, Ríos feels fulfilled because he has managed to build a life where he does exactly what he wants to do.
As he looks toward the future, his ambition is set on the most prominent stages of contemporary fashion. He highlights his upcoming participation in Austin Fashion Week. However, his next major goal is to reach the runways of New York Fashion Week.
To achieve this dream, the professor has been preparing himself by launching a new collection in which he will experiment with new textiles. Despite his responsibilities at Dallas College, his creative commitment remains unwavering; he always carries with him the pride of his roots and a passion for teaching.
