Trying experience leads O’Byrne to TSTC Nursing program

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – The compassionate voice of a nurse led Blaine O’Byrne into the health care field.

O’Byrne is studying to become a licensed vocational nurse at Texas State Technical College and plans to become a registered nurse. For now, she is excited that she is able to complete clinical sessions while remembering why she wanted to become a nurse.

“I struggled with my pregnancies. But when God sent me our baby, I remembered all of the nurses who helped me during the pregnancy and delivery,” she said.

One nurse in particular stood out, according to O’Byrne. A nurse she met during a walk happened to be working on the day O’Byrne learned she would need an emergency cesarean section to deliver her first child.

“I was so scared because I was a first-time mom. She held my hand, telling me everything would be fine,” she said. “That just touched my heart. I knew then what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a person who would comfort my patients and help them through the tough situations.”

Helping others has come easy to O’Byrne.

“I consider myself a people person. I love hearing other people’s stories,” she said. “I wanted to be able to share God’s love through nursing.”

She is considering the obstetrics and gynecology field because of her own life experiences.

“I know there are a lot of young moms out there that will need help,” O’Byrne said.

The TSTC campus in Breckenridge is a perfect fit for O’Byrne. She said it is the midway point between her family and her husband’s family.

“I was looking at different nursing schools and knew it would be halfway between our families,” she said. “My husband got a job, and I started school.”

Stephens County is seeing an increase in the number of LVNs being hired. According to the Texas Board of Nursing, the county had 94 LVNs employed in 2017, and by 2020 that number had increased to 100.

“There is always a need for nurses, and I am happy to be part of the growing field here,” O’Byrne said.

She said the instructors show the same passion as nurses in the field.

“I love the school. I have a good relationship with all of my instructors,” she said. “The pace is fast, but I think that is a challenge. I always have something to do. I think that will make for better students and eventually better nurses.”

O’Byrne still remembers the nurse who visited her five years ago before her first child was born. They have become friends, and she was able to thank her for the career choice.

“I saw her during Christmas, and she was able to see my son. I told her I was going to start nursing school, and she cried,” O’Byrne said. “She means the world to me.”

During the month of March, TSTC wants to honor women in history and right on our campuses who work to make strides in STEM fields every day. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC student travels unique path to Paramedic program

(ABILENE, Texas) – Erik Duenes was asked a simple question while working in his hometown of Ozona.

“I was working in maintenance at a nursing home, and the director of the EMS (emergency medical services) asked me if I wanted to drive an ambulance,” said the Texas State Technical College student. “I knew it was a chance to make some extra money.”

What Duenes, who is studying to become a paramedic, did not expect was for a career to unfold.

“I took my first emergency medical technician class at the local service, and I was hooked. I went on to earn advanced EMT certification, and now I am studying to be a paramedic. I never thought I would fall in love with the medical field.”

Duenes said he is working to become a paramedic to support his wife and two children.

“I wanted to be able to provide for them. They are the fire that drives me to succeed,” he said.

In his first semester, Duenes has been impressed with the lab sessions and clinical work.

“Everything has been really good,” he said. “I knew becoming a paramedic would be more demanding. I understood that there would be more studying and work, and prepared myself for it.”

Duenes said his experience at TSTC has been more than he expected, especially during the Wednesday lab sessions.

“I did not realize we would have so much one-on-one time and be able to work with each other,” he said. “I knew there would be studying, but to come here on Wednesdays and execute what we have learned is the best part of the week.”

Duenes also likes learning from experienced instructors.

“They know how everything is supposed to be done. They want everyone to work together to succeed,” he said.

TSTC was the perfect choice for Duenes, and he hopes more people study Emergency Medical Services at the TSTC campuses in Abilene, Brownwood or Harlingen.

“My EMS director in Ozona graduated from TSTC. So I am kind of following in his footsteps,” he said. “I have told other EMTs I know that they need to come to TSTC and study.”

The state of Texas has more than 20,600 EMT-paramedics employed statewide, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Duenes wants to be part of that group.

“I am ready to get back out there and work with the new skills I am learning,” he said.

For more information, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Diesel Equipment Technology program ready to fill area employment needs

(RED OAK, Texas) – The coronavirus pandemic has not slowed down diesel equipment work in North Texas.

“The main thing that comes to mind about our program is that the students who have graduated and were working during this pandemic never lost any wages,” said Matthew Dobbs, lead instructor in Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program at the North Texas campus in Red Oak. “They continued to work and provide for their families due to the need for continued trucking deliveries. The last thing we needed was for the trucks to not be able to deliver the supplies that we needed to survive.”

More than 500 jobs were advertised for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists from September 2020 to February 2021 in the 16-county area that Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas serves. Employers with the most job openings during that time were Love’s Travel Shops, Ryder System Inc., TravelCenters of America and Rusk Truck Centers.

There were more than 7,600 bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in the third quarter of 2020 in Workforce Solutions’ service area. The mean hourly wage for the workers was $27.04 in 2019, according to the most recent data from the agency.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that there will be a need for more than 290,000 bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists by 2029.

Timco Logistics has called Waxahachie home for about two decades and specializes in brokerage work, hauling, logistics and trucking. The company is working with the city of Waxahachie and Ellis County in a building expansion project expected to break ground later this year. The expansion means the company will need at least 15 new diesel technicians to handle an increased workload.

“They are having to outsource some of their maintenance work because they cannot get it all done with the facility they have right now,” said John Dagg, an area certified public account working as a consultant with Timco Logistics. “It is stretched and not big enough. That costs money when they outsource truck maintenance.”

Brandon Luiszer, manager of talent acquisition for Love’s Travel Shops, said it is a challenge to find qualified job candidates, especially in less populated areas. Love’s has several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and throughout Texas. The company is having a National Hiring Day event on March 31 with the goal of hiring more than 2,000 workers nationwide.

The company has an apprenticeship program that enables participants to earn competitive wages and work toward becoming diesel mechanics. At the end of the program, participants receive a tool kit that is valued at $3,500 and is theirs to keep after one year of employment with the company.

“There needs to be more visibility into career opportunities within the skilled labor workforce and the rewards that come with these opportunities,” Luiszer said. “There should also be more focus on providing options to high school students besides joining the military or (pursuing) a traditional four-year degree.”

Marcus Balch, provost of TSTC’s North Texas campus, said there is a pipeline of students who took automotive classes at Red Oak High School and are enrolling at TSTC.

“Diesel Equipment Technology is a campus staple,” he said. “Many of our students come to our campus to enroll specifically in the program, and that is well known for establishing solid baseline skills in this field of study. In addition, we have three very solid instructors in this program, all of whom are TSTC graduates who have returned to teach.”

TSTC in North Texas offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and two certificates in Diesel Equipment Technology – Heavy Truck Specialization.

Registration for the summer and fall semesters continues at TSTC. For more information, go to tstc.edu. 

TSTC Precision Machining Technology program training students to fill area jobs

(RED OAK, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Precision Machining Technology program teaches students the skills they need to walk into any company that hires precision machinists and begin work.

“If it’s man-made, we (machinists) made some or all of it in the process of its production,” said Darren Block, statewide lead instructor for TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program.

Texas had more than 28,500 machinists in May 2019 making an annual mean wage of $46,420, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program teaches students the skills to operate grinders, metal lathes and milling machines. Students work on both manual and computer numerical controlled machines and design parts using SolidWorks.

“Precision Machining Technology is a small but growing problem at TSTC in North Texas,” said Marcus Balch, the campus provost. “Many industry partners desire these graduates, and like most of the campuses, we just do not have enough graduates to go around.”

North Texas has a big need for people with precision machining skills.

There were more than 1,300 job postings for the machining field in Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas’ 16-county service area from September 2020 to February 2021. These machining-type jobs include CNC machine tool operators for metals and plastics, industrial engineering technicians, and structural metal fabricators and fitters. 

Kyle Kinateder, president and chief executive officer of Midlothian Economic Development Corp., said the need for machinists is being seen more from business prospects inquiring about the city than those that are already established. He said companies eager to come to the city are looking at the basic pool of available workers.

“That is really why TSTC is so important,” Kinateder said. “They can come in and provide these skills within our communities, and the companies can come in with a minimal amount of investment and customize their skills to their equipment.”

He said the skills that machinists have are applicable to running many kinds of equipment.

“We continue to see manufacturing relocate from overseas to the United States,” Kinateder said. “The only way those companies are doing this to be successful is by relying on technology and relying on automation, and at the heart of all those are machine operators.”

The federal labor statistics agency has estimated there will be a need for more than 404,000 machinists by 2029. This is attributed to the development of autoloaders, CNC machines and high-speed machines.

Balch said the campus is partnering with a local school district to provide dual enrollment classes to train more students to work in the field.

TSTC in North Texas offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology and a machining certificate.

Registration continues for the summer and fall semesters at TSTC. For more information, go to  tstc.edu.

Desire to adopt child and help others motivates TSTC EMS student

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Vanessa Hurtado had a special reason to reenroll at Texas State Technical College.

The San Benito native’s desire to adopt a child inspired her to want to help others, and she hopes that a certificate of completion in Emergency Medical Services that she is working on, along with the biology degree that she earned at TSTC in 2016, will help her to do just that.

“I saw a need for the little girl that my husband and I want to adopt,” she said. “I want to be able to give her a normal, happy and healthy life.”

Hurtado knew that she was making a good decision when she returned to TSTC.

“I already had experience there,” she said. “I knew I was going to get a quality education and training. I made the decision to come back specifically for this program, and I have not regretted it.”

She said that part of what makes her time in the Emergency Medical Services program worthwhile are the instructors.

“They have all been in the field, and they teach from experience,” she said. “The instructors advocate for the students, and they love what they do.”

Daniel Forbing, an instructor in the program, said that Hurtado is not just excelling as a student, but also as someone who other students could come to for help should they need it.

“She is a mentor for other students,” he said. “I look forward to hearing about the great things she will do in the field.”

As far as what she plans to do after graduating, Hurtado said that because of the hands-on training she has received while studying, her options are wide open.

“The great thing about this program is that you get to interact with potential future employers during clinical rotation,” she said. “It is like one big job interview. The possibilities are truly endless.”

During the month of March, TSTC wants to honor women in history and right on our campuses who work to make strides in STEM fields every day.

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC to host virtual job fair for its students and alumni

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The Texas State Technical College Office of Career Services will host a virtual industry job fair from March 23-25 to connect TSTC students and alumni with potential employers.

The event is not open to the public.

TSTC Career Services recently hosted a successful drive-thru event in which more than 200 TSTC students and alumni participated and learned of the services still available despite the remote learning environment.

“Students were happy and so appreciative to have an event on campus,” said Viviana Espinosa, a director of TSTC Career Services . “They felt like it brought some normalcy to their day.”

Espinosa wants TSTC students and alumni to have the same enthusiasm for the upcoming virtual job fair.

“Our hope is that our students will gain a job through the fair,” she said. “It is a great way for students to present themselves to potential employers, ask questions and build their network.”

TSTC Career Services associate Ashley Perez said the event has attracted representatives of some impressive companies and dozens of potential employers.

“We have close to 90 employers participating and about 30 companies attending each day of the three-day event,” she said. “Some of the companies include Phillips 66, BMW, L3Harris Technologies and ONE Gas.”

TSTC students and alumni should log in to their hireTSTC accounts on March 23 beginning at 10 a.m. to access the job fair, but they should not come empty-handed.

“Have your resume ready to send to employers,” Espinosa said. “Practice your elevator pitch, research the companies you are interested in, and test your technology at home before the event. Also, be sure to dress appropriately, and make sure your surrounding area is clean and organized.”

TSTC Career Services associate Belinda Munoz said that students should take advantage of the opportunity to interact with the potential employers.

“The main purpose of the job fair is for our students to gain employment,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to network.”

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Financial Aid Processing Center at TSTC works to assist students

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The Financial Aid Office at Texas State Technical College is now the Financial Aid Processing Center.

The center works diligently to provide both current and prospective students with information and resources about scholarships, grants and other aid that they may be eligible for during their time at TSTC.

“We are working hard to award students as quickly as possible,” said TSTC financial aid processing specialist Johann Martinez. “Although we do not meet with students personally, we do help their enrollment coaches with any questions they have about their financial aid.”

There are several options that students can explore when it comes to applying and receiving financial aid to help pay for tuition and other costs associated with attending college.

“Federal student aid comes from the federal government,” Martinez said. “It is money that helps a student pay for higher education expenses. There are three main categories of federal student aid: grants, work-study funds, and loans.”

While applying for financial aid may seem intimidating for students, Martinez said that students at TSTC do not have to do it alone. He said that if someone needs assistance through the process or has questions about financial aid, then they should not hesitate to reach out to a TSTC enrollment coach.

“Students who wish to get their financial aid questions answered can reach out to their enrollment coach at the Enrollment Center, which continues to offer virtual appointments,” he said. “They can also call 956-364-4997 for assistance.”

June 1 is the recommended financial aid application deadline for the fall 2021 semester. Students interested in applying for financial aid can reach out to an enrollment coach or visit https://www.tstc.edu/financialaid/.

 

TSTC Wind Energy Technology instructor wants students to climb high

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Billie Jones takes pride in watching her students succeed, both in college and in the workforce.

The Texas State Technical College Wind Energy Technology instructor and statewide division chair works daily to make sure that students will be ready to work on day one.

“I want our students to have the best education and college experience they can. I want them to go to work and excel at what they do,” she said.

Jones, who has taught at TSTC since 2017, does not ask her students to do anything that she would not do herself.

“I love climbing the turbines with them, and I still do the workouts with our students,” she said. “I like to give the students a hard time when I beat them up the tower. I always look back at them and tell them they need to keep up.”

Jones’ teaching style is something that she learned from her father while growing up on a ranch.

“My dad always told me to prove to the boys how to do things right,” she said. “That is what I am showing our students.”

Student Rebecca Fortuna knows that having Jones as an instructor is helping her plan a career.

“She will get in there and help you with anything,” Fortuna said. “I have told girls that they need to talk to her if they are interested in the program.”

When Jones gets the chance, she enjoys talking to prospective students and their parents.

“I love doing the recruiting events and talking to students when they come on campus,” she said.

She also enjoys hearing from WInd Energy Technology program alumni who have been working in the field.

“I love it when our former students come back and talk to the class,” Jones said. “They can give them more of a perspective of what to expect in the field. Many of our former students tell the classes to work toward an associate degree because they know that is where the money is going to be.”

Jones and her fellow instructors work together to promote and improve the program.

“We want to give our students more of an advantage in the workforce. We want them to be the best for their company,” she said.

Jones hopes to continue improving the program in order to accomplish the ultimate goal.

“I want to make our wind program the best in the country and the world,” she said.

During the month of March, TSTC wants to honor women in history and right on our campuses who work to make strides in STEM fields every day. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

Female TSTC Automotive Technology students building confidence

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Working on a car most of the week is building confidence in two women at Texas State Technical College.

Kelsey Rice, of Abilene, and Nianica Dorado, of Wichita Falls, had different reasons for studying Automotive Technology, but they have similar goals.

“I wanted to learn for myself all of the ins and outs of a car,” Rice said. “I did not want to take my car somewhere and they told me one thing was wrong and I knew it was something else.”

Dorado began the program after being injured in an automobile accident in 2019.

“It took six months to fix my car. I decided then I wanted to learn more about what to do if something happened,” she said.

Both students plan to complete their certification and enroll in TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program.

Rice said working with her classmates has helped her build confidence in herself.

“It is a good feeling, knowing you have done something right,” she said.

Dorado and Rice both like the hands-on approach that TSTC provides.

“I love the hands-on work we do. It offers a person great experience in the shop,” Dorado said.

They agreed that working in a male-dominated field is not a concern for them, but they acknowledged that there can be some disadvantages. Rice said loosening or tightening bolts has been challenging for her, but she is working to correct it.

“I have been working out a lot to increase my strength,” she said. “Some of the guys like to jump in on my work, but I tell them I have it, and they step back.”

Dorado said she has to overcome her height limitations when vehicles are on the rack.

“I know I am short, but I work hard to make sure I get the work done correctly,” she said.

Both students said they have one advantage over the men in the program.

“Sometimes the guys ask us for some help in those tiny spaces. It pays to have tiny hands in that situation,” Rice said.

The two students hope to continue working together.

“When I see Kelsey walking into the shop, it brightens up my day,” Dorado said. “We are showing people this is not just a man’s job.”

During the month of March, TSTC wants to honor women in history and right on our campuses who work to make strides in STEM fields every day. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

Vess likes pace of TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Working on vehicles is not new to Snyder’s Kaden Vess.

Vess wanted to expand his knowledge by enrolling in Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program. Now nearing the end of his first semester studying for a certificate, Vess has not been disappointed.

“I have learned a lot really quick,” Vess said. “Some of the work is hard at first. But I know once I study what to do, it will be easier for me to complete.”

Instructor Keith Aguirri said Vess is showing promise in his first semester.

“He has come a long way in a few weeks. He is showing a good work ethic,” he said.

One aspect of lab sessions that Vess appreciates is how instructors treat it like a job setting.

“They like to throw a curveball at you. I know if I am not right, I will be thinking about it to make sure it is done correctly,” he said.

Vess’ interest in engines comes naturally. His father was a mechanic, and his stepfather ran derby cars.

“I have worked on vehicles with my family for a long time,” he said. “I took a mechanics class in high school and decided I wanted to learn more options and make it a career.”

He chose the diesel profession because of its flexibility.

“Anywhere you go, there is going to be a diesel,” he said.

Vess was drawn to the TSTC program because of its recognition.

“I knew TSTC had a good diesel program, and I read several good reviews,” he said. “The reviews showed me that it would set me up for a good-paying job. TSTC’s program has good name representation in our area.”

Vess said there is an added bonus that he did not know about before enrolling in the program.

“TSTC is going to help prepare me for my job with interview skills and resume writing,” he said.

When he is not in class or studying, Vess likes to show his father the different things he has learned during his first semester.

“I talk to my dad every day. My dad likes to learn things from me now, and that is great,” he said. 

 For more information, visit tstc.edu.