TSTC resources help ensure student success

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College is known for providing hands-on learning to students who enroll in its many programs. Throughout every semester, one thing is certain: Students are its top priority.

Various resources exist at the college to ensure that those enrolled have everything they need in order to succeed. Grants, scholarships and even the TSTC Food Pantry are all available to assist when necessary.

The Food Pantry has been helping some students during the unforeseen circumstances presented because of the coronavirus.

“Many students are facing additional stressors during this pandemic,” said TSTC Advocacy and Resource Center coordinator Patty Flores. “Students are able to get items usually the same day, based on availability. They can even stop by when we are open or schedule an appointment.”

Additional resources at TSTC come in the form of gifts from organizations throughout the community.

TSTC and the Harlingen Medical Center recently created the Harlingen Medical Center Scholarship Fund, which will assist TSTC nursing students with tuition, course materials, testing fees and campus housing.

Richard Mesquias, a TSTC senior field development officer, said that partnerships between TSTC and organizations like the Harlingen Medical Center are abundantly beneficial to student success.

“Harlingen Medical Center has been an invaluable partner in investing in a scholarship fund,” he said. “They have helped in creating student clinical experiences and career opportunities for hundreds of TSTC students and alumni.”

Ultimately, community support will ensure that TSTC students know they are not on their educational journey alone.

“Support from regional businesses — including financial, talent and in-kind — creates winning programs and ensures student success at TSTC,” Mesquias said.

For more information about the TSTC Food Pantry, contact Patty Flores at patty.flores@tstc.edu.

To learn more about giving to TSTC, visit https://tstc.edu/tstcfoundation.

 

TSTC Culinary Arts instructors share holiday traditions through cuisine

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The end of the year brings about many festivities that have one thing in common: food. Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts instructors Ayla Cabarubio and Emma Creps know a thing or two about the importance behind the traditions that come from homemade meals and shared experiences at the dinner table.

“When I was growing up, I was always excited when my father would cook meals for the holidays,” Creps said. “He was the chef of the day, and without knowing it, I was his sous-chef.”

Cabarubio also shared some of her favorite holiday memories.

“Some of the first memories I have are the cookie trays that my mom would make for her friends and co-workers,” she said. “Specifically, I remember chocolate thumbprint cookies. They were my favorite to eat, and I would help make them by putting the thumbprint into the cookie.”

Now that both Creps and Cabarubio have plenty of experience in culinary arts, they both look forward to creating memories through taste buds during the holiday season.

“I get true enjoyment out of cooking,” Creps said. “Sharing those memories with my kids is the icing on the cake. I notice that these moments get them excited, just as I did when I was a kid.”

Knowing that this time of year also means plenty of time in the kitchen, they both offered some advice for those who are about to start preparing their family favorites.

“Prep some of the ingredients ahead of time, such as chopping onions, preparing the masa and cooking the meat fillings,” Creps said. “Place these items in the freezer so as not to get too overwhelmed on the day of.”

Cabarubio added that organization is key to success in the kitchen.

“Organize your cooking area to have everything you need within reach,” she said. “This will give you space to work on multiple items at once, which will allow you to be more efficient in the kitchen.”

Despite the hard work that goes into the preparation of holiday meals, both chefs know that food is one of the main ingredients to traditions that will last a lifetime.

“Holiday meals signify who you are, and they connect you to your memories,” Creps said.

Cabarubio feels the same way.

“When food is prepared for the holidays, it is usually prepared by more than one person. The tradition of getting loved ones together is something that I have always enjoyed.”

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

 

TSTC Graduate Overcomes Obstacles to Earn Two Associate Degrees

(WACO, Texas) – Aram Hernandez got his first experience in environmental work as a member of a horizontal drilling crew installing environmental remediation wells throughout the country.

“There is a safety guy on every job site,” he said. “I never really knew what OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was and the environmental regulations we had to go by.”

Fast forward to this month, when Hernandez received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Environmental Technology – Compliance and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Safety Compliance Technology from Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. 

He did this while grappling with personal challenges, working a part-time job, and learning how to be a student again since graduating from Midway High School a decade ago. 

“Y’all (TSTC) gave me a chance for a second life,” Hernandez said. “I will be forever thankful for that.”

Hernandez said he is appreciative of Verna LaStrapes, who retired earlier this year from TSTC’s Enrollment Services department, for helping him to get enrolled and settled in classes.

“This college showed me so much kindness and made me believe they wanted to help me,” he said. “I’m really happy I finally got to experience some good people.”

Hernandez said his mentor is Lester Bowers, TSTC’s statewide chair of the Environmental Health and Safety department, who kept him motivated to graduate. Bowers encouraged Hernandez to attend free counseling on campus, and went with him to visit a licensed counselor and therapist for his first session.

“Aram is a focused, dedicated young man who never gives up,” Bowers said. “I truly believe he will succeed in his life’s quest, and many could learn from him on how to work hard. I have had many conversations with Aram during his time here, and there was one quote I told him that he has told me that he will carry with him throughout life. That quote is, ‘Progress, not perfection.’”

Hernandez attended classes and studied as he continued to handle Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, with which he was diagnosed in elementary school. He said staff at TSTC did not make him feel inferior because of it. 

“I told myself I would sign up for the accommodations and only use them if I really needed them,” Hernandez said. “I was determined to help myself first and develop new ways to overcome my ADHD.”

Hernandez said tossing a stress ball back and forth often relaxed his mind in classes and studying. He developed a color-coded system for vocabulary words and matching games to retain facts.

“I wanted to make the ADHD a strength and not a weakness,” he said.

Hernandez began his job search in November. He writes down short-term goals and how to accomplish them in notebooks, something he started doing early on at TSTC.

“It is going to be a little harder for me to keep going with my dream, but I am not discouraged about it,” he said. “Then you have a pandemic on top of it. As long as I apply to two or three jobs a week, there is not a reason I cannot find a job here.”

Through all of this, Hernandez, who grew up in Waco, received support from his father, Adam Hernandez, and his cousin, Esteban Hernandez, who graduated in 2018 from TSTC’s Waco campus with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Avionics Technology.

“It’s very good to see him graduate,” Esteban Hernandez said. “My whole family is proud. Grandpa and Grandma are extremely proud. We have seen him go through a lot these last couple of years. To finally graduate and have something he can have forever and something that can better his life, that is what he needed. That made us feel great.”

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

TSTC Culinary Arts instructors share holiday traditions through cuisine

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The end of the year brings about many festivities that have one thing in common: food. Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts instructors Ayla Cabarubio and Emma Creps know a thing or two about the importance behind the traditions that come from homemade meals and shared experiences at the dinner table.

“When I was growing up, I was always excited when my father would cook meals for the holidays,” Creps said. “He was the chef of the day, and without knowing it, I was his sous-chef.”

Cabarubio also shared some of her favorite holiday memories.

“Some of the first memories I have are the cookie trays that my mom would make for her friends and co-workers,” she said. “Specifically, I remember chocolate thumbprint cookies. They were my favorite to eat, and I would help make them by putting the thumbprint into the cookie.”

Now that both Creps and Cabarubio have plenty of experience in culinary arts, they both look forward to creating memories through taste buds during the holiday season.

“I get true enjoyment out of cooking,” Creps said. “Sharing those memories with my kids is the icing on the cake. I notice that these moments get them excited, just as I did when I was a kid.”

Knowing that this time of year also means plenty of time in the kitchen, they both offered some advice for those who are about to start preparing their family favorites.

“Prep some of the ingredients ahead of time, such as chopping onions, preparing the masa and cooking the meat fillings,” Creps said. “Place these items in the freezer so as not to get too overwhelmed on the day of.”

Cabarubio added that organization is key to success in the kitchen.

“Organize your cooking area to have everything you need within reach,” she said. “This will give you space to work on multiple items at once, which will allow you to be more efficient in the kitchen.”

Despite the hard work that goes into the preparation of holiday meals, both chefs know that food is one of the main ingredients to traditions that will last a lifetime.

“Holiday meals signify who you are, and they connect you to your memories,” Creps said.

Cabarubio feels the same way.

“When food is prepared for the holidays, it is usually prepared by more than one person. The tradition of getting loved ones together is something that I have always enjoyed.”

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

 

Spicer motivated to complete TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Richard Spicer did not have to look far to find his motivation.

“I wanted to provide a better life for my daughter,” said Spicer, who just received an Associate of Applied Science degree from Texas State Technical College in Diesel Equipment Technology.

Spicer said his daughter was by his side when he was completing class assignments on his computer, as well as during the recent fall semester virtual graduation ceremony.

“I think she was trying to learn what I was having to learn right next to me,” he said. “She was my whole inspiration for going to school and earning a degree.”

Spicer said his wife also helped him during school.

“She always kept me going anytime I was down,” he said.

Spicer has already begun his career as a mechanic for Crane Service in Sweetwater. Crane Service provides crane and other equipment for the wind industry in West Texas.

It is common for TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology graduates to find jobs in West Texas either in the wind sector or oil field, according to instructor Shannon Weir.

“People trust our graduates,” Weir said.

Spicer has been using the knowledge he gained at TSTC in his hometown, something he wanted to do for his family.

“I am glad I found a job in my hometown,” he said. “I wanted to be able to work in Sweetwater so my family could be close.”

Spicer previously had worked for Love’s Travel Stop as a mechanic and wanted to expand his knowledge of engines.

“I always liked working on things,” he said. “Working on mechanical things at Love’s was a good way to start my career.”

Spicer was drawn to TSTC because of its hands-on approach.

“That gives you more a feeling of what you are doing,” he said. “It actually helped me out a lot. Attending TSTC was the best experience I have had in my life. TSTC is definitely a great school and with great instructors. They helped me reach my goal of graduating and providing my daughter with a better life.”

He knows his daughter has seen him doing his best, which has had a positive effect on her.

“She loves going to school,” he said. “The message I wanted to give her is that it is good to go to school and reach your goals.”

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Graduate Excited About His Future in Machining

(HUTTO, Texas) – Travis Miller, of Georgetown, is happy to start the next stage in his professional life.

He received this month an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology from Texas State Technical College’s East Williamson County campus.

“I could not be more excited to be learning and growing in the field,” he said.

Miller is a hands-on learner who said he enjoyed going to classes, even with the Precision Machining Technology program’s change to hybrid learning in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t remember how many times I had to reach out to (the program’s instructors) for a question,” Miller said. “They were always willing to help and be there to answer any question I had. They were definitely a good support system as well.”

Tim Hemesath, an instructor in TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program, said he admired Miller’s drive and determination to learn all he could about machining.

“The attention to detail Travis displays while machining parts in the lab has set the standard for all to follow,” Hemesath said.

Miller began looking for work in his degree field in the summer. He had five interviews and accepted a job as a machinist at Made in America Manufacturing in Austin, where he began earlier this month. He said the company uses the same Haas Automation Inc. brand machines that TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program uses.

Miller grew up in Indiana and moved to Maryland when he was 19 to improve his life. Maryland was also where Miller met his future wife. At the time, he was working as an assistant manager at a restaurant.

“We just decided it was time to move out on our own,” Miller said. “We said as a joke at our wedding that we would move to Texas. We thought this might be a good deal, so we came out here to visit on my birthday four years ago, and we found jobs and moved out here.”

Though he was making good money as a restaurant server, he said he needed something more in his life.

“I am the type of person that always wants to learn something,” he said.

Miller considered coding, plumbing and electrical work as potential careers. He started looking into TSTC’s Waco campus before he discovered the East Williamson County campus in Hutto. He said while he was afraid at first of the dramatic change in his life, he grew to enjoy it.

“Machining just kind of stuck out,” Miller said. “I did it a little in high school. I had a metals class where we did a broad spectrum of welding, lathe and mill work. I really enjoyed that class and thought it would be a nice fit.”

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.  

TSTC student wants to travel country as welder

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College student Quincy Butler has set a goal for himself.

Butler, who completed his first semester in Welding Technology this fall, wants to be a traveling welder. He is studying for an Associate of Applied Science degree in order to achieve his goal.

“I have seen most of Texas and decided I wanted to see the rest of the country,” he said. “I wanted to do that by doing something I liked, which is welding.”

Instructor Anthony Lewis is encouraged by his story, saying Butler has shown promising welding skills.

“I was very intrigued by his story and know he will do a good job,” Lewis said.

“I was always interested in welding,” Butler said, adding that he did not pick up a torch much before beginning classes in August. “Once I picked it up, I think I took to it like a duck to water.”

He wanted to pursue an associate degree for one reason.

“Having an associate degree in hand will give me job security,” he said. “It will lead me down a career path as far as employers. I know that will help me when applying for a job.”

Butler said a friend talked to him about taking welding classes at TSTC.

“He graduated from the welding program last year and has given me a lot of advice,” he said. “He is working in the field right now, and I know I can always call him.”

Butler said he is using some of the techniques he learned during his first semester on outside projects.

“I knew the TSTC instructors would be able to help. The program is laid out great for people to learn,” he said.

When it comes to traveling the country to work, Butler said he did not have a preference on what type of work he wants to do.

“Whether it is an oil pipeline, wind turbines or the big buildings in larger cities, I want to be able to see the rest of the country and make this my career,” he said.

His path is just beginning at TSTC, and he knows it was a good choice.

“I know with an education from TSTC I will be set for the rest of my life,” he said. “This will be something that one day I will be able to teach my children and then to their children.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, welding jobs will increase by nearly 4 percent in the United States by 2028.

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC student reaches goal of completing Nursing program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Gabrianna Pena had her goal in sight, only it took longer than she expected to reach it.

The 2014 graduate of Winter High School is a candidate for graduation from Texas State Technical College’s Nursing program. She expects to receive a certificate in vocational nursing this month.

“After I graduated high school, I did not go straight to college,” she said. “I had to work in order to pay for my classes.”

After starting a nursing program, Pena hit another roadblock.

“I got discouraged when I failed. I knew that at some point I would go back to school,” she said. “I didn’t want to be able to tell myself that I did not succeed.”

In 2019, a friend offered Pena some advice and an application packet for TSTC’s nursing program. That was two days prior to the registration deadline. Pena scrambled to complete the paperwork and was accepted into the program.

“I was iffy if I really wanted to go back to school. Having to choose between going to school and working to pay the bills was a hard decision,” she said. “I got the acceptance letter and started classes.”

Pena said attending TSTC allowed her to continue to work at a nursing home. That helped pay the bills, and her family helped by watching her daughter while she was in school.

“Going to TSTC really worked well with my schedule,” she said.

Pena’s goal was to work in a field where she could help others.

“My mom worked as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) for a long time,” she said. “I always was interested in what she was doing. I wanted to help others.”

In 2012, Pena’s grandfather needed medical attention, and Pena and her mother helped watch him and take him to doctor’s appointments.

“Having to take my grandfather to the doctor each week, I was able to see the nurses working with him,” she said. “That gave me the motivation to help people. My grandfather was my inspiration for going into the health care field.”

Pena has also seen the effects of COVID-19 while working in the nursing home.

“All the residents see on a daily basis is you. There is no visitation,” she said. “I like working there because you may not feel that what you are doing is important, but you are making a big difference to the residents.”

Pena said she is proud of her journey in becoming a licensed vocational nurse, but it may not end there.

“I do have plans to someday go back and study to become a registered nurse,” she said. “It takes a lot for people to go through bad situations, but you eventually bounce back. I want to show people they do not need to give up on their dreams.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas leads the country in the number of LVNs employed, with more than 70,000. Of that total, more than 1,600 are employed in the West Texas region.

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Graduate Discovers New Career Path

(WACO, Texas) – Colton Machart said growing up in Shiner instilled the work ethic he has today.

“I was always outside,” he said. “I would haul hay in the summer, build fences and things like that.”

Machart received this month an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Lineworker Technology at Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. 

“It has been a long time coming, but I am happy that it is over,” he said. “It is a bittersweet moment. I made a lot of good friends at TSTC.”

Bobby Mitchell, lead instructor in TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program, admired Machart’s drive to play sports and become an Eagle Scout.

“He has chosen this field to make his career, and when someone with his previous accomplishments decides to do something, they usually get it done,” Mitchell said. “There is no doubt in my mind that he will be successful.”

Machart started this month as a power crew intern at Oncor in Round Rock. After a four-month probationary period, he hopes to become an apprentice, a step forward in becoming a journeyman lineman.

“I am excited, but everything is moving so fast that it is hard to take it all in,” he said. “I am definitely ready for the next chapter and to finally have a good job and go support myself.”

Machart is a graduate of St. Paul High School in Shiner. He played football at Abilene Christian University, where he was studying engineering and business when he realized an office job was not for him.

He moved back to Shiner and worked part time as a helper for a power line contracting company. He said he enjoyed being outdoors and working with his hands.

“That is when I realized I thoroughly enjoyed the field and everything that comes with it,” Machart said. “It is kind of like being on a team again, like how football was for me. You have everyone on the crew with a common goal, and everyone is working toward that goal.”

Machart knew about TSTC from friends who graduated from the Electrical Power and Controls program.

“The financial part of me wishes I would have started out sooner at TSTC, maybe right out of high school,” Machart said. “But at the same time, I would not be the person I am today if I had not gone to Abilene and then come to TSTC. I grew as a person.”

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu. 

 

TSTC Graduate Continues Family Tradition in Construction Field

(WACO, Texas) – Janson Teal was exposed to the construction field early on as relatives built homes and managed projects.

Now Teal is forging his own path in the industry, thanks to Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. This month he graduated from TSTC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology.

“I really enjoyed my time there,” Teal said. “I liked how it was smaller, and you can get more attention and better learning that way. It is a hands-on technical college.”

Teal said his favorite courses at TSTC dealt with blueprint reading, construction management and field engineering. The classes built the foundation for his job as an assistant project manager at Grinder Taber & Grinder Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee, where he began work in September.

“It has been pretty seamless,” Teal said. “They (his co-workers) have accepted me, and I really try to help out as much as I can and fit in where I can. It has gone really smoothly.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his class schedule, Teal discovered he had three classes during the fall semester that would be offered totally online.

“I did not want to just sit in my apartment in Waco and take classes, so I started applying for jobs. And that is how I ended up in Memphis,” he said.

Herschel Miller, lead instructor in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program in Waco, said Teal was eager to learn.

“He accepted challenges with open arms,” Miller said. “This was exceptionally true when the COVID-19 crisis took over. I also saw in Janson good mentoring skills for fellow classmates. The good traits I personally witnessed and saw in Janson will do nothing but benefit him in his life’s journeys in business. He will be a successful young man in whatever he chooses to do in life.”

Teal’s job involves working with contracts and estimates, visiting job sites and communicating with architects and building owners.

“You have to make sure nothing goes wrong and prevent wrong things happening,” he said. ‘You have to identify a future problem and get rid of it before it happens.”

The city of Lubbock, where Teal was born, factored into his choosing TSTC. He is a graduate of Abernathy High School in Abernathy.

“I was on a college visit,” he said. “I was at Texas Tech (in Lubbock) and I was trying to find something I would go to college for. I knew I was interested in construction. I started Googling construction schools and found TSTC, and I really liked it. It was hands-on, and you built things and learned things that way.”

Teal is not finished with his academic work. He plans to start an online bachelor’s degree in construction management at The University of Southern Mississippi in January.

“Once you figure out what you want to do, just go do it and do not be afraid, even if it means being different from everyone else,” Teal said.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.