One-Stop Shop: TSTC Hosts Registration Event

(HARLINGEN) – On Friday, Texas State Technical College hosted its Registration Rally for the Spring 2018 semester at the J. Gilbert Leal Learning Resource Center with new and returning students in attendance for help with the TSTC application and registration processes.

Registration Rallies are a TSTC initiative that started in Fall 2016. All 10 campuses statewide host this event every semester with hundreds of students taking advantage of the assistance offered conveniently in one place.

“The earlier a student registers, the more likely it is they get the classes they need before they fill up and a schedule they are happy with,” said TSTC Director of Recruitment Dora Colvin. “This is a one-stop shop for our new and current students.”

Enrollment representatives from Admissions, Financial Aid, Advisement, Support Services, the Veterans Center and Student Life were on hand to guide TSTC students like Jose Hernandez who were in attendance to get everything done before winter break.

Hernandez is a full-time student studying his Academic Core and only needs about five more classes to complete before pursuing studies in architecture. He said he feels relieved to know he got the classes he needed for the Spring Semester.

“It feels good knowing that I don’t have to worry about registering anymore,” he said. “I appreciate the help TSTC offers its students with this event. I was able to get the guidance I needed to get everything done before the end of the semester.”

Campus tours were also available and two lucky students received a $250 scholarship in a drawing to help with college expenses.

Colvin said the idea behind registration rallies is to encourage students to register early and make new semesters an easy transition for them.

“We want to help students by providing the resources and opportunities they need to finish the application and registration processes for the next semester,” said Colvin. “We hope that having faculty and staff present will help make this process easier for students,” she added. “They’ll have a chance to learn about the services we offer and get the help they need.”

Spring 2017 registration runs through January 2. The first day of class is January 8.

To apply or register visit tstc.edu or call the TSTC Student Recruitment Office at 956-364-4118.

Making History: TSTC’s First State Representative Office Interns

(HARLINGEN) – Arelynn England and Montserrat Esquivel are making history as the first Texas State Technical College students to intern at a state representative’s office.

Within the next couple of months, both women will begin their internship with Texas State Representative Oscar Longoria in La Feria.

“This is a big deal,” said Esquivel. “Never in a million years did I expect to get this type of internship. It’s a great opportunity.”

England added, “I’m so excited to have been given a chance to do something like this. TSTC has given me nothing but great experiences and opportunities.”

Esquivel, an Agricultural Technology student and England a Biology student were recommended for this pilot internship program by TSTC Executive Director of Student Life and Engagement Adele Clinton for their leadership skills and active participation on campus and in their communities.

“We have so many outstanding students at TSTC and it was so difficult to only choose two,” said Clinton. “But there’s something really special about these two ladies and I knew they would be perfect for this internship.

Clinton went on to mention that Esquivel has volunteered countless hours, even earning a President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama and participated in numerous leadership trainings, while England is an articulate and professional leader who has done a fantastic job as a student orientation leader.

Not only will this internship look good on England’s and Esquivel’s resumes, but they will have the chance to build upon and practice their leadership, communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills they have learned at TSTC. They will also get to learn about community advocacy and public policy, gain real-world experience and establish networking connections.

“I someday want to work for an agricultural government sector, maybe the USDA,” said Esquivel. “So this internship is going to teach me what I need to be successful in my future career.”

This internship pilot program is spearheaded by TSTC’s Executive Vice President of Governmental Affairs Javier Deleon.

“This is the first time something like this has ever been done at TSTC,” said Deleon. “These types of internships usually go to university-level students, but we have high-caliber students right here who deserve these types of opportunities also.”

Deleon explained that this program is the vision of TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser and Senior Vice Chancellor Roger Miller to build better relationships among the legislators in the Rio Grande Valley and throughout the state and to show how TSTC, technical students also possess the skills to succeed in these types of internships.

“When this program takes off, our goal is to have interns in legislator’s offices across the state from our 10 campuses,” said Deleon. “This will help us showcase our students and the importance of a technical education. After all, it’s our students that are graduating and filling the skills gap in Texas and nationwide.”

Both women, who went through an interview process for this internship, know that they are opening doors for other students as the first to be selected for this program and said they will work hard to represent TSTC and Longoria’s office positively.

“Our goal is to make a great impression so that other students can also have the same opportunity,” said England.

Esquivel added, “Our bar has been set high. We have a lot to prove and I’m confident that we can make it happen.”

Esquivel and England look forward to learning what it takes to run a state representative’s office and being there for its constituents.

As for Deleon, he said he is looking forward to seeing these students flourish as leaders and seeing these partnerships grow.

“I want to thank those at TSTC who support this initiative and Representative Longoria and his office for welcoming our students,” said Deleon. “I look forward to the future of this program and all it has to offer.”

TSTC Student Plants Career with Family Roots

(WACO) – The first steps on the mountain that Talgat Pate continues to climb started in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Pate, 23, of Brenham and a student at Texas State Technical College in Waco, spent the first 10 years of life at an orphanage in the former Soviet republic.

“My mom had me at maybe 13 or 14,” he said. “I have biological siblings in Kazakhstan I have never met. I was schooled at the orphanage, where they would throw algebra problems at us.”

Pate will finish classes for his Associate of Applied Science in Biomedical Equipment Technology in December and quickly begin work at his family’s company, CardioQuip, in Bryan. His job as a biomedical field services technician will count toward the degree’s required internship, which means he will receive his degree in the spring.

“I’ll be traveling many places across the United States and other countries troubleshooting and calibrating cardiovascular medical equipment,” Pate said.

Michael Overcash, lead instructor in TSTC’s Biomedical Equipment Technology program, said he was impressed with Pate’s positive attitude. Pate took three classes with Overcash.

“He is very teachable,” Overcash said. “To me, it is amazing to see what he has come from and what he has done and how his future is very bright.”

Pate met the couple that would eventually adopt him when he was 8 while on a two-week visit to Texas as part of the Here I Am Orphan Ministries nonprofit Christian ministry. The adoption took two years and included securing a birth certificate, Social Security number, a passport and other legal paperwork.

“I never received love from anyone,” Pate said. “I lived an orphan life by following the rules and working a lot as a kid. When I was adopted, my parents showed me the compassion and love that I never had. That was when I turned my life around.”

He grew up with three siblings that were born to his parents and five adopted sisters from Colombia, along with an adopted brother from Kazakhstan. The family is in the process of adopting an American foster child. Their ages range from 14 to 36.

“Honestly it is a lot of fun seeing the variety of cultures and to understand each other,” Pate said. “We have problems and fight over things, but we care for each other and help each other out.”

Pate grew up speaking Russian and Kazakh. When he came to Brenham to live permanently, he was home-schooled for the first year so he could grasp the basics of English.

“My mother would help me read baby books and help me pronounce words,” Pate said.

Pate was enrolled at Grace Lutheran School in Brenham for third grade and later jumped to fifth grade because of his age. He eventually moved on to Brenham Christian Academy, where he graduated in 2014.

He attended Blinn College for two years to improve his reading skills and take academic courses. Pate researched online and found TSTC after relatives encouraged him to pursue biomedical equipment technology as a career.

“I have enjoyed the hands-on work and not just sitting at my desk,” Pate said. “The technical college has taught me discipline and how to work with people.”

TSTC offers the Biomedical Equipment Technology program at the Harlingen and Waco campuses.

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

TSTC Welding Instructor Honored for 25 Years of Teaching

(HUTTO) – The American Welding Society honored Texas State Technical College welding instructor A. Keith Wojcik for 25 years of service in the welding industry and in higher education at its annual FABTECH conference in Chicago.

Wojcik said the award is a personal milestone.

“It means that I didn’t give up,” Wojcik said. “It’s 25 years of persistence, 25 years of plugging away. The reason my students got to see that is because I wanted them to understand the importance of being a professional and I did that by my actions, not by my words.”

Wojcik was inspired to become a welder by his college professor Roy Hulfachor.

“He told me, didn’t ask, but told me I was going to be his lab assistant and I was going to teach an introductory class,” Wojcik said. “He was a great man. He became my professor, my boss, my mentor, my guidance counselor and, probably the biggest thing, is he was a friend of mine. So I didn’t get to choose welding, it chose me.”

Early after graduating from college, Wojcik began both welding and teaching.

“I’ve done both for virtually my entire career,” Wojcik said. “I would weld during the day and I would teach at night. It started one week after I had graduated. I was told by Roy that the local community college needed a welding instructor, so I became the welding department at Kishwaukee Community College in Malta, Illinois. I was a department of one.”

Later, Wojcik went on to work at Caterpillar Inc. in Aurora, Illinois.

“I started as a welder and got into management training at that point, at the ripe old age of 23,” Wojcik said. “I became the youngest supervisor ever in that plant. And I taught school at night. I taught continuing education for the Aurora school district.”

Later, Wojcik moved to Houston where he worked for Airco Technical, and started the Research and Development department at CRC Automatic Welding with his Airco co-workers. After getting married and having a daughter, the family moved to the Austin area, where he taught welding at Austin Community College for 13 years. He began teaching at TSTC in April of 2012.

Wojcik, currently a Round Rock resident, said his proudest moment as a teacher came at the FABTECH conference, when he saw a former student speak.

“I was so proud when I heard the words uttered ‘My name is Alejandro Alvarez and I’m a doctoral candidate in Welding Engineering at Ohio State University,’” Wojcik said. “I met his advisor and he said ‘Alex speaks very highly of you because you pushed him in that direction.’ That is the pinnacle of my teaching career: that I inspired somebody so much that he would get a doctorate in Welding Engineering. It doesn’t get better than that.”

Three of Wojcik’s welding students attended the conference in Chicago as well.

“I know I’m making an impact because I have three students that showed up in Chicago just to see what was going on,” he said. “The only draw was this show and the fact that I was getting an award. They all came back excited. I’m passing on the torch, if you will.”

Wojcik credits his mentors with helping him in his career and is glad to show his students that way as well.

“I’ve had many great mentors who never really gave me a straight answer; instead they gave me a path to follow,” Wojcik said. “I try to do the same. It’s not about the end, it’s about the career.”

The American Welding Society (AWS) was founded in 1919, as a nonprofit organization with a global mission to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes. AWS strives to move the industry forward in both thought and action, as well as inspire new generations to see the exciting career opportunities available today.

For more information on Texas State Technical College and the welding program, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC in Waco Student Q&A with Ian MacFarlane of Temple

(WACO) – Veteran Ian MacFarlane, 39, of Temple is about to get an Associate of Applied Science degree in Avionics Technology from Texas State Technical College.

MacFarlane grew up in Sidney, Montana and is a U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient.

MacFarlane is scheduled to graduate at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8 at the Waco Convention Center and return to TSTC in January to begin work on an Associate of Applied Science degree in Aircraft Airframe Technology.

When did you join the Army? “I enlisted in May 2005. I was a power generation equipment repairman. I did that for 10 years. I made sergeant in three-and-a-half years. I was deployed twice to Afghanistan and Iraq. Then, I medically retired in December 2015.”

How did you learn about TSTC? “There was a counselor at Fort Hood that used to work at TSTC and she pushed me in that direction. Fort Hood was my last duty station. I applied to TSTC first, then visited the campus.”

How have you enjoyed being in the Avionics Technology program? “This was a great learning experience. It taught me more in-depth about electronics than I knew. It is smaller components to work with for radio systems. The instructors are very knowledgeable.”

Have you had a job on the Waco campus? “I was a student-worker in the Veteran Center. You see how academics and veteran benefits go hand-in-hand. It was a good experience to talk to the veterans and see them every day.”

What advice would you give to high school students? “Go to colleges and check out what they have. Do your research and find out which school suits you the best.”

What is your career goal? “I want to work with unmanned systems in the military.”

There were more than 18,600 aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians in Texas as of May 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of jobs in the fields are expected to rise nationally to 157,000 through 2026, according to the federal labor statistics bureau.

TSTC in Waco offers the Associate of Applied Science degree in Avionics Technology.

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

TSTC in North Texas to Host Registration Rally for Spring Semester

(RED OAK) – Texas State Technical College will host a Registration Rally for the 2018 Spring Semester from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the Jim Pitts Industrial Technology Center on North Lowrance Road in Red Oak.

“We are looking forward to meeting our new students and helping them get one step closer to earning their associate degrees,” said TSTC Provost Marcus Balch. “Registration Rally days are set up to make the registration process as smooth as possible.”

Visitors can take campus tours and talk to faculty members about the 10 technical programs offered at the North Texas campus, including Computer Aided Drafting and Design Technology, Cyber Security and Welding.

People interested in enrolling should bring a copy of their driver’s license, high school transcript or GED, any college transcripts, proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination, housing application and TSI scores.

TSTC is having registration events at its 10 campuses throughout the state this fall. For information on the closest Registration Rally, log on to tstc.edu/rally.

For more information, contact TSTC in North Texas at 972-617-4040.

TSTC in Marshall to Host Registration Rally for Spring Semester

(MARSHALL) – Texas State Technical College will host a Registration Rally for the 2018 Spring Semester from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, in the Administration Building on East End Boulevard South in Marshall.

“The spring Registration Rally will be a one-stop shop for students that are ready to register for the spring semester,” said Patty Lopez, a TSTC student recruitment coordinator. “This event will make the registration process as easy as possible for incoming and current students.”

Visitors can take campus tours and talk to faculty members about the 12 technical programs offered at TSTC, including Computer Aided Drafting and Design Technology, Cyber Security and Process Operations.

“TSTC is an affordable college that caters to placing more Texans in great-paying jobs,” Lopez said. “The first step is to visit the campus.”

People interested in enrolling should bring a copy of their driver’s license, high school transcript or GED, any college transcripts, proof of bacterial meningitis immunization, housing application and TSI scores.

TSTC is having registration events at its 10 campuses throughout the state this fall. For information on the closest Registration Rally, log on to tstc.edu/rally.

For more information, contact TSTC in Marshall at 888-382-8782.

Texas State Representative Visits TSTC Campus

(WACO) – State Rep. and House Appropriations Committee Chairman John Zerwas, R-Richmond, along with officials from Educate Texas and the Texas Association of Manufacturers, visited the Texas State Technical College campus Monday, November 27.

Educate Texas, a catalyst for large-scale education systems change, has partnered with public and private educational entities to improve public and higher education systems in Texas. The goal of the visit was for the groups involved to shine a light on the types of education being offered at TSTC.

“These organizations asked if they could host a tour on our campus for Rep. John Zerwas so that he could get a firsthand experience with the type of education and opportunities that TSTC produces,” said Roger Miller, TSTC vice chancellor and chief government affairs officer. “We were somewhat of a co-host, but this was actually the idea of Educate Texas, the Texas Association of Manufacturers and the Texas Business Leadership Council.”

Zerwas serves the citizens of Texas House District 28, which includes Fort Bend County, where TSTC operates its newest campus. In the 84th Legislative Session, he also served as Chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education. Zerwas said the visit to Waco helped him realize the breadth of opportunities TSTC can offer.

“This is where it all began, so this is a great opportunity to see where the program was born and to see what it’s become since then,” Zerwas said. “The Fort Bend campus, since it just started, has a limited number of programs they can offer. Here at the oldest campus, they have an enormous number of job skills training opportunities. I found each one of them interesting.”

TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser said it’s important that people see the value of the programs offered at TSTC.

“A lot of times technical education is seen as a consolation prize,” Reeser said. “The programs we offer here are more than that. Who wouldn’t want to be an air traffic controller? Corporate America is finally beginning to talk to students about job opportunities in careers like these.”

The tour showed visitors a look at the Aerospace, Instrumentation, Electrical Power & Controls, Precision Machining and Welding programs. Several instructors pressed the significance of the skills gap, a shortage of middle-skilled workers to fill open positions.

“We’re seeing the greatest shortage of commercial pilots since the 1950s,” said TSTC Transportation Division Director Carson Pearce. “There are 617,000 jobs available, and that doesn’t include aviation maintenance technicians. We can get a student in and season them in two years, but as fast as we can do that isn’t fast enough to fill the positions.”

TSTC Precision Machining instructor George Love shared the same sentiments.

“My biggest burden right now is that I’m letting 60 to 70 jobs go unfilled every semester,” Love said. “It’s a weight on my shoulders. If I can provide an extra 60 to 70 students, I could meet the needs I know about in the state of Texas right now.”

Zerwas hopes TSTC’s high-quality graduates can help beat the stigma around technical education and lessen the skills gap.

“More of these graduates being percolated through communities will get people asking, ‘How did you get there?’ And they’ll say, ‘Well I started at TSTC,’ and it gave them a great start. There are lots of ways and efforts to communicate this down to the high schools, and it’s very important. Our future is highly vested in cranking out that highly skilled workforce.”

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Not Enough: TSTC Staff Senate Fights Hunger on Campus

(HARLINGEN) – One snack-size Ziploc bag with ramen or canned corn is a usual meal for Texas State Technical College Biology student Veronica Lopez.

“I have to divide my food and ration to make a small meal last for several days,” she said. “But a little of something is better than nothing.”

It is for students like Lopez that TSTC Staff Senate is hosting an annual food drive to benefit TSTC’s Charlie’s Pantry, which serves students living on campus, and the Student Center Pantry, which serves commuting students.

Lopez is a first-generation college student and comes from a low-income family and receives most, if not all, of her meals from TSTC’s Charlie’s Pantry.

The 19-year-old said at times she has lived solely on water, needing to drink plenty to feel full and never knowing what to say when people comment on her thin body.

“If not for the pantry, there would be days I wouldn’t eat at all,” said Lopez. “Right now I have nothing in my fridge.”

Lopez is nervous though because the pantry is running low on food and she is not the only one who relies on it.

TSTC Interim Housing Director Andrea Salas said this semester alone she has helped nearly 60 students with food.

“Our students rely heavily on this pantry,” she said. “And this semester the need seems to have increased. We can’t let our students go hungry.”

Both pantries run exclusively on donations and depend on the food and monetary donations received during this annual drive.

Fortunately, for Charlie’s Pantry, a community member generously donated $500 during last year’s food drive. The donation, to date, is still supplying frozen foods such as TV dinners for TSTC students.

Sharon Foster, TSTC Staff Senate president, said their goal is to alleviate students’ hunger and the stress of not knowing where their next meal will come from.

“Between tuition, books and housing, food most of the time doesn’t fit in the budget,” said Foster.

The hunger problem is not unique to colleges in South Texas. In a study done by Wisconsin Hope Lab and Feeding America, 50 percent of college students nationwide struggle with not having enough food, with the majority clustered in the low-income, first-generation group.

“Having to decide between food and an education should not be a decision they have to make,” Foster added.

The TSTC Staff Senate Food Drive runs through December 21, with boxes in nearly every building on campus including the Student Services Center, Engineering Center and the Nursing Education Center.

“In past years students, faculty, staff and the community have really come through for our students,” said Foster. “I’m positive we will get the pantries fully stocked again.”

As for Lopez, she said her goal is to graduate as a dental hygienist so she can help provide for her little brother and mother and get out of their current situation of never having enough.

TSTC’s Staff Senate is accepting both food and monetary donations. To help, call 956-364-4023.

Tree Decorating Contest

(HARLINGEN) – The Human Resources Department at Texas State Technical College recently hosted its 12^th Annual Tree Decorating Contest to kick off the holiday season.

The contest brings faculty and staff together for an afternoon of decorating, followed by a friendly competition with trees being judged by invited community leaders.

This year, each tree needed to represent one of the different programs offered at TSTC and the tree that took the top honors belonged to Financial and Facilities Services with their tree representing Education and Training.

The trees will line the lobby of the J. Gilbert Leal Learning Resource Center for the remainder of the year. The TSTC and local communities are encouraged to visit and enjoy the lights and decorations.

Happy Holidays from TSTC!

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