TSTC Welding Technology student finds career path by chance

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – A chance conversation while helping his father at a construction site led Anthony Gutierrez on a career path.

Gutierrez asked a welder about his profession and immediately wanted to learn more. He knew Texas State Technical College had a Welding Technology program close to his hometown of Colorado City and began taking classes.

Next month, Gutierrez will graduate with a certificate in welding.

“I saw this guy welding, and it looked like a lot of fun,” Gutierrez said. “I knew TSTC offered the program and that would be a good place for me to start.”

When he is not on campus for lab sessions, Gutierrez said he still helps his father on construction sites.

“You get good experience in the lab, but nothing beats doing it on the site,” he said. “I have helped my dad with some fence posts the past few weeks, and that has been fun.”

He said the instructors are also good resources for the students.

“They really go in-depth during the labs and show you how to do things,” Gutierrez said. “They show us all types of tips and tricks.”

Being raised in West Texas, Gutierrez said he hopes he can work on oil rigs or pipelines close to home.

“I grew up around that, and hopefully it will be a good starting point for me,” he said.

He is also letting his friends and family know that TSTC offers a quality education.

“My brother just graduated (from high school), and he really did not know what he was going to do. I told him to give TSTC a look,” Gutierrez said. “It is a great school, and everyone wants to make sure you do your best.”

Registration for the fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

TSTC Electrical Lineworker instructor ready to bring experience to the classroom

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Angel Toledo enjoyed an extensive career with the Brownsville Public Utilities Board for over 30 years. Last February, he joined Texas State Technical College as an instructor for the Electrical Lineworker Technology program. He hopes his knowledge in the field not only helps his students build careers of their own, but also inspires them to love what they do.

What motivated you to want to become an instructor?

I am interested in sharing my experience in the electrical industry. I want to share the importance of safety while working on power lines. All the instructors teaching these courses at TSTC have 52 years of combined experience and knowledge, which is great.

Do you have any favorite TSTC memories so far?

I’m still new to TSTC. But as of now, I have found that TSTC has a great family tradition and professionalism with its faculty and staff.

What do you hope students gain from taking your courses?

I hope my students will understand and follow all of the safety rules. I hope to teach and share my knowledge with them about climbing, framing, connecting, troubleshooting, distribution and transmission, and underground circuits.

What advice would you give to anyone who is considering a career as a lineworker?

Lineman jobs are going to continue to rise and have great starting hourly salaries. In my opinion, being a lineman is one of the most decent professions in the world.

Fall registration is now underway. For more information on TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program, visit https://www.tstc.edu/programs/ElectricalLineworkerTechnology.

 

 

TSTC provost featured in Valley Women Inspire magazine

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Cledia Hernandez, provost of Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus, was featured in the summer 2020 issue of Valley Women Inspire, a free quarterly magazine published in the Rio Grande Valley.

Valley Women Inspire’s mission is to empower women in South Texas, and Hernandez’s determination and resilience are just a few of the traits that made her the perfect cover story for the magazine.

“Provost Hernandez was an incredibly charismatic and welcoming host at the regional spelling bee hosted by TSTC,” said Ernie Garrido, deputy editor of the Valley Morning Star. “Several of the Inspire team members who met her there knew immediately she would be a perfect person to profile as our cover story for the summer issue.”

In the issue, Hernandez, a first-generation college graduate, detailed her journey on the winding road to success. She credits the work ethic she saw in her parents for getting her where she is today.

“She shared very moving and emotional memories of her childhood,” said Garrido. “Her message is exactly what Inspire magazine is all about, and we certainly hope our readers will be moved and encouraged by her story.”

Life lessons from Hernandez’s childhood continue to influence her today.

“There comes a point in your life when you realize that everything your parents told you growing up truly resonates with you,” she said. “My dad taught me never to look at the barriers you may face. Instead, he always told me to look at how I could overcome them.”

Those lessons have helped Hernandez build a career that allows her to achieve her biggest passion: education.

“Our students are why we do what we do,” she said. “Knowing that I have an amazing group of colleagues I can surround myself with is inspiring. The impact that all of us have together is what drives me. The sky’s the limit.”

The latest issue of Valley Women Inspire is available now.

Fall registration at TSTC is currently underway. To learn more, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC alumni overcome hardship to find success

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Started in 2016, iServe Biomedical is a leading provider of medical equipment repairs serving the Houston area. Founders Javier Valdez and Rene Torres discussed their time at Texas State Technical College and how their Associate of Applied Science degrees in Biomedical Equipment Technology prepared them for this venture.

“TSTC provided the foundation for us,” Torres said. “Our time there prepared us both intellectually and socially for our careers and our adult life.”

The duo met when they were both working for another company. Their efforts not only allowed them to achieve leadership positions within that company, but also gave them the idea to use their expertise and experience to start a company of their own.

Hospitals, surgery centers, clinics, and home health providers are a few of the businesses that benefit from iServe Biomedical. While their business has seen success, the road to get there was not always smooth.

“Like other companies that are just starting, we struggled with gaining our clientele,” Valdez said. “It took us about eight months of planning and investing money into our business before we gained our first customer.”

Startup companies often face struggles at the beginning of their journeys because there is no money to keep them running. Not only did Valdez and Torres experience that, but they also faced disaster when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017.

“Our office became flooded, and we were not able to work,” Valdez said. “We felt a lot of pressure not to lose our newly established relationships with our customers.”

They eventually moved into a new facility, where they spent many late nights ensuring that their customers would have their equipment serviced in a timely manner.

Torres reiterated that customer satisfaction is their biggest goal and most valuable guarantee.

“We believe success can be measured in small increments,” he said. “For us, having happy customers is our success. It is seeing the results of our hard work and sacrifices that we’ve made.”

Ultimately, knowing that they are helping to change a person’s life is what keeps them motivated.

“It’s the rewarding feeling we get from knowing the equipment could be used to save a patient’s life,” Torres said. “It’s the response we get from patients and families who acknowledge the work we do.”

The motivation that drives them to continue to change lives is also the motivation that helped them in the pursuit of becoming business owners.

“I believe that there is no shortcut on the quest to success,” Valdez said. “We need to put in the work, set goals, focus, and work hard.”

“Attitude and perseverance go a long way,” Torres added. “There will be hurdles to keep you from reaching your goals, but keeping a positive attitude and continuing firmly toward your desired result will allow you to achieve success.”

To learn more about TSTC’s Biomedical Equipment Technology program, visit https://www.tstc.edu/programs/BiomedicalEquipmentTechnology.

 

TSTC Workforce Training Department to Offer CDL Training

(MARSHALL, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Workforce Training department will offer a commercial driver’s license course later this summer.

The course will begin on Monday, Aug. 3. The permit part of the course will be taught through WebEx. The skills portion of the course will be taught at TSTC’s Marshall campus. The course lasts five weeks, Monday to Friday. It will enable students to earn a commercial driver’s license permit, with testing being done at the Texas Department of Public Safety in Kilgore.

“Safety is a huge concern at TSTC,” said Dirk Hughes, TSTC’s executive director of Workforce Training in Marshall. “With the state having to deal with the virus, TSTC is taking measures to ensure the safety of its students and instructors. Masks will be worn by students and staff, and the trucks will be sanitized upon the switching of drivers. Safety and health is important to us.”

Tuition for the course is $1,950 for the first six people to sign up and increases to $3,900 for additional  participants.

Some of the occupations that Workforce Solutions of East Texas has listed as needing commercial driver’s licenses include industrial truck and track operators, excavating and loading machine operators, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

For more information on the commercial driver’s license classes, contact TSTC’s Workforce Training department at 903-923-3374.

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

Area Residents to Benefit From TSTC Scholarships

(RED OAK, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s North Texas campus is using the generosity of two donors to help Midlothian-area residents further their education.

The Midlothian Economic Development Corp. recently made the final contribution in a three-year giving cycle to fund the Midlothian Workforce/Careers Scholarship.

The $30,000 scholarship fund will be divided into $1,000 TSTC scholarships for area residents who live within the boundaries of the Midlothian Independent School District and are high school graduates or have General Educational Development certificates.

TSTC Provost Marcus Balch credited Larry Barnett, a former MEDC executive director and current member of The TSTC Foundation’s board of directors, for helping to bring the campus and Midlothian together.

“He really took an interest in us and connected us to a number of industry partners, city officials, and school officials,” Balch said. “It has just been an all-around good partnership from a connection standpoint.”

Another recent scholarship contribution came from Colten Crist, advertising and operations director of the Midlothian Mirror and Waxahachie Daily Light. He contributed $1,500 for scholarships for students who graduated this year from any of Ellis County’s 15 high schools to attend TSTC’s North Texas campus. Three students will receive $500 each, Crist said.

The inspiration for making the financial gift came from the for-profit Best of All-Ellis County Preps sports banquet held virtually this year. The second annual event honored high school athletes at the county’s high schools.

Crist said he felt last year’s event was missing a contribution to the community, so he reached out to Balch and talked about TSTC’s importance to the county.

“I really like TSTC and what they do, honestly,” Crist said. “I think it is something that is extremely needed in our educational system.”

TSTC’s enrollment coaches will tag students in TSTC’s registration system as potential scholarship recipients. The scholarships will be awarded once students register for classes.

For more information on how to make a gift to TSTC, go to tstc.edu/tstcfoundation/giving/.

TSTC Nursing instructor wants graduates to be equipped, passionate

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Nursing instructor Lisa Van Cleave has one goal for graduates of the program in Sweetwater.

“We want to turn out safe RNs who are highly equipped and passionate,” she said.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing at its Sweetwater and Harlingen campuses, and Van Cleave said 34 students are enrolled at the Sweetwater campus this summer. She expects to have 35 enrolled this fall.

“Our program in Sweetwater is different because the students are coming in as LVNs,” Van Cleave said.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Van Cleave said she hopes more licensed vocational nurses consider becoming registered nurses.

“Once you become an RN, that opens the gate wider for you professionally,” she said.

Van Cleave and her fellow instructors are committed to student success.

“We highly emphasize passing the National Council Licensure Examination. We want to prepare our students to pass the exam the first time they take it,” she said.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas had 251,253 registered nurses as of September 2019, the latest statistical information available. Texas leads the nation in the number of registered nurses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to more interest in nursing, which has always been a profession that changes with the times.

“Everything seems to be changing on a daily basis during this pandemic,” Van Cleave said. “It has helped us in the fact that we are able to get a better look at our curriculum.”

TSTC also offers a certificate in Vocational Nursing at the Breckenridge, Harlingen and Sweetwater campuses. 

For more information on the Nursing program, visit https://tstc.edu/programs/nursing.

TSTC Automotive Technology instructor brings military experience to program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Gerod Strother has worked on all types of vehicles.

Strother, a 21-year veteran of the U.S. military, brings that experience to Texas State Technical College as an Automotive Technology instructor. After retiring from the military, he began working at the Sweetwater campus in January.

His experience in the military included service with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army.

“I experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the military,” Strother said.

He said the moment he remembers the most was during Operation Enduring Freedom, America’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“I was part of the first military action in Afghanistan. I loaded the bombs on the first aircraft that were going to bomb Afghanistan,” Strother said. “For a guy from small-town Andrews, Texas, I knew then I was, for the first time in my life, part of the big time.”

Strother’s first job in the Air Force was as an aircraft electrician on B-1 bombers. He also performed vehicle maintenance at several bases and served as an Air Force recruiter in Abilene.

He said one of the more unique jobs was working on a Tunner 60K Cargo Aircraft Loader, which is used to load pallets on large aircraft.

“It is the size of two or three cars,” he said. “It took a special school to learn how to operate it.”

After his time in the Air Force, Strother switched his focus and attended officer candidate school at Fort Benning, Georgia. His Army career led him to several locations, including Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Lewis, Washington; and Fort Polk, Louisiana.

While in the Army, Strother was deployed to Afghanistan for a second time but returned home for additional officer training. While in the military, he worked on earning a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree “without having to pay any money.”

“(During) my time in the military, I met some really good people,” Strother said.

His service has already helped him in his short career as an educator.

“I knew that I would have to deal with different types of people. I did that for 21 years,” Strother said. “I also learned from different people that there is more than one management style to use.”

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

TSTC Embraces Online Learning Opportunities

(WACO, Texas) – Now is an exciting time for the development of online classes.

“I think this will open the doors to a whole new market of people who want to be part of Texas State Technical College,” said Hector Yanez, TSTC’s senior vice president of Student Learning.

TSTC shifted classes online in late March due to the COVID-19 situation, then in early May went to a hybrid format in several programs so students could complete hands-on labs. The hybrid format is being used this summer and will be used this fall.

“What we are doing is making sure the quality of our online courses has stepped up even further,” said Gina Cano-Monreal, TSTC’s associate vice president of Online Learning. “We are working with subject and content experts in each area to ensure there is the same level of quality in their online programs as we have in our face-to-face courses.”

The  Harlingen campus was the first of TSTC’s 10 campuses to have an online learning office. Since the merger of TSTC’s campuses in 2015, online learning has expanded statewide.

“With the help of the online learning office, our courses have been brought forward in a whole new light, showing the spectrum of information that we teach by giving the students numerous ways to absorb it,” said Nelson Adams, lead instructor in TSTC’s Culinary Arts program at the Williamson County campus.

Instructors are scheduling virtual office hours to further engage with students. And, instructors are working statewide to provide a library of digital content for students to utilize.

“The ability to present course material and resources in multiple formats online allows students to learn from anywhere using a variety of devices,” Cano-Monreal said. “Courses are also more tailored to the personal needs of the student.”

Shannon Ferguson, statewide chair of TSTC’s Computer Programming Technology and Web Design and Development Technology programs, said online classes on Moodle are a way to reach all TSTC students across the state. 

“It opens the door to remove the restrictions of set class times of our programs,” he said. “It is no longer Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, during class time. I am asking instructors to stay in contact with students and let them know we are here. Since we do not have face-to-face labs (for certain classes)  it does not mean they cannot reach out to us. It does not mean we will not have virtual meetings online where we see their screens.”

Some students may have a difficult time adjusting to online classes. Cano-Monreal recommended students take TSTC’s student online learning orientation to familiarize themselves on how to be academically successful online.

“If you are not understanding something, reach out to a faculty member and fellow students,” Cano-Monreal said. “The faculty that we have teaching the online courses are the same faculty that teach our face-to-face courses.”

Cano-Monreal also recommended students practice good time management but embrace flexibility.

“What a lot of our instructors are telling our students is to pretend you are coming to class and schedule that time to go to your online class,” she said.

Yanez said students taking online classes will make them digitally better.

“The students are getting tremendous experience in Zoom and Webex meetings and doing testing online,” he said. “You see dropboxes for homework and classmates doing videos. Pretty much the online students are going to have a tremendous awakening of the digital skills they are exposed to.”

Cano-Monreal said faculty and staff members realize some students can have limited technology access once they are off campus. She said students in this situation can talk to their instructor, who can pass the information on to advisement and retention services staff to determine how best to assist.

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

TSTC Career Services helps students find employment

(WACO, Texas) – Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring, employees have been furloughed or laid off, leading Texas to its highest unemployment rate in years.

When government officials began reopening the state in May, employers started to hire people, including graduates of Texas State Technical College.

Kacey Darnell, TSTC’s executive director of Career Services, said employers continue to contact her office for prospective employees.

“When this first started, we did see a decline in job postings,” she said. “But the number of postings has climbed considerably since May. A lot of companies have reached out to us looking for people.”

Darnell said certain areas have not stopped looking for employees.

“During this pandemic there have always been huge needs in industrial maintenance, diesel maintenance and electrical power,” she said.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, construction jobs increased 1.8 percent in May compared to April. Manufacturing jobs statewide increased 0.6 percent over the same time period.

May’s statewide unemployment rate of 13 percent was the first time since March that it recorded a decrease, the commission reported. Texas remains below the national rate, which was 13.3 percent in May.

Darnell said Career Services is still working with companies on employer spotlights and interviews. But one thing has changed.

“There seems to be more interaction since everything is now virtual,” she said.

A recent employer spotlight was held virtually and could be accessed by students at each TSTC campus.

“It was more convenient for the employer. They could have one event and hear from 10 campuses at one time,” Darnell said.

With companies looking to hire, Darnell said students should be prepared, especially since most interviews will be conducted remotely.

“A lot of the interviews will be done over the phone. This is a good time for students to work on their interview skills,” she said.

Darnell said TSTC students can reach out to a Career Services representative for help.

“There are still plenty of job opportunities out there,” she said.

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