(WACO) – Timothy Watkins grew up on a ranch in Milam County working on fences and repairing tractors.

“We built our house there and I got to be part of that,” he said.

Watkins, 24, a Building Construction Technology major at Texas State Technical College, did not know his talents would land a nationwide scholarship. The Cameron resident was one of 28 recipients of Fine Homebuilding’s #KeepCraftAlive Scholarship. He was honored at a reception at SkillsUSA’s 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in late June in Louisville, Kentucky.

He said he was grateful for the $2,500 scholarship.

“I’ve been paying for each semester out-of-pocket, so it helps,” he said.

John Russell, an instructor in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program, encouraged Watkins to apply for the scholarship given to SkillsUSA high school and college students, along with organization alumni, studying in the construction field.

SkillsUSA is a professional organization teaching technical, academic and employability skills that help high school and college students pursue successful careers.

Russell said he admired Watkins’ demeanor and attentiveness.

“His attention to detail is rarely surpassed,” Russell said. “He is an ‘A’ student in my classes. He always has the answer if called upon in class. He is soft spoken and respectful at all times.”

While at the SkillsUSA conference, Watkins represented TSTC and the state in the Cabinetmaking contest. It was the first time he participated in SkillsUSA.

“I’ve always been interested in challenging myself,” he said. “I was calm in the beginning of the competition. I did run into a mistake and was able to fix it. I tried to make the right cuts and be consistent. I’m definitely inspired to complete some more projects.”

Watkins graduated in 2012 from C.H. Yoe High School in Cameron. He did home remodeling as an after-school job.

“I’ve always been interested in being challenging myself,” Watkins said. “I’ve always loved building.”

Watkins is scheduled to graduate from TSTC in spring 2019 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology.

After graduation, Watkins wants to work in the construction field in the Austin area.

For more information on Texas State Technical College or to register for fall classes,  go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) — In the fast lane it can be easy to forget the importance of family values, but for the folks at Wisener’s Auto Clinic, LLC, family is what keeps the engine running smoothly.

For over 30 years, Wisner’s has prided itself on serving the Bell County area with honest and efficient work, entrusting two TSTC graduates to help preserve that mission.

“We need to look at our business with a servant’s heart and provide the highest level of service to our community and others,” Neil Wisener, president, said.

Justin Dillard and Chris Duffy are both TSTC alumni working at Wisener’s. Dillard graduated in 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology and Duffy graduated in 2002 with a certification in Industrial Maintenance. Dillard has been with the company for a year while Duffy has been with the company for the past two and a half years.

“It’s been great with Wisener’s because it’s family-based. I worked with Bill, Neil’s dad, and Neil, and they really do want you to be your best and keep training to be better,” Duffy said.

After graduating, Dillard felt confident to enter the workforce and credits his time at TSTC for helping him to succeed.  

“I like working on cars because it’s always something different and TSTC really prepared me for the industry and interviews so that I can do what I love,” Dillard said.

During the hiring process at Wisener’s, Neil asks applicants what their goals are to determine if they are dedicated to providing the level of service his company is known for.

“We’ve always looked at TSTC students because they’ve always stood out to us as good interview candidates,” Wisener said. “Those that come out of TSTC seem to have their act together and are clearly focused in advancing their skills and careers.”  

Both alumni agree that their time at TSTC and Wisener’s is allowing them to grow in their careers, while still having time for family.

“I got started working on cars with my dad and my brothers went to TSTC for industrial maintenance too. Family is important to me just like it is to the Wisener’s,” Duffy said.

Wisener’s Auto Clinic, LLC was purchased by Bill Wisener, Jr. in 1987. Neil Wisener purchased it after his father retired in 2009. There are two locations in Temple.

With TSTC as a partner, the future is bright for the established auto shop and the graduates hired to work there.

Registration for fall classes at TSTC is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

(WACO) — Education may be the key to creating a better life for oneself, but for Texas State Technical College student Taylor Dudik, it’s also the opportunity to create a better life for others.

Dudik is a second-semester Instrumentation Technology student who plans to use her degree as a way to support her five-year-old daughter and stay involved in various philanthropic activities.

Dudik finds time in her busy schedule to volunteer with the Heart of Texas Region MHMR Center in Waco, as well as fostering  animals through Gray Mutts Rescue and Sanctuary in Clifton and running T&B Doggie Haven in Aquilla.

“I wish I could do more. This degree and the job that will follow are going to allow me to help and do more,” Dudik said. “It will allow me to give money and have more time to donate. I love helping people; it just makes me happy.”

Dudik’s life can be hectic at times, but she is determined to set an example for her daughter.

“I’m a single mom, and I want my daughter to see me as an example of ‘girl power,’” Dudik said. “I want her to see that you can go out and do anything you want, and for her to always have those values of helping people, no matter what.”

Dudik’s giving attitude made an impression on her instructors and subsequently helped her get to know one of her neighbors.

“Taylor and I found out we live on the same road in the first few days of class,” said Linda Martin, TSTC senior instructor of Instrumentation, Computer Controls and Robotics. “Even in my first impression, she came off as very happy to be there and focused and just an open person, which will help her big-time in the field.”

Martin and Dudik both encourage women to enter the instrumentation field and take advantage of the financial opportunities that can follow.

“For a woman who is not afraid to get outdoors and get to work, you can provide for yourself. Especially for single mothers, it’s great because you can provide for your family and have insurance and be able to thrive on your own,” Martin said.

Dudik was pleasantly surprised to have a female instructor and to see other women in her classes. She thoroughly supports anyone who has an interest in the field.  

“If you’re a girl, you can do anything you feel like. And don’t be embarrassed or ashamed — just do it,” Dudik said. “Don’t be scared to put some boots on, get your safety glasses, get your hard hat, and let’s go!”

Dudik plans to graduate in spring 2019 with an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Registration for fall classes at TSTC is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

(WACO) – The driver of the semi-trailer truck made the turn onto Airline Drive and maneuvered left into a driveway next to Texas State Technical College’s Building Construction Technology building. A BCT faculty member sat ready with a forklift to begin unloading the vehicle’s contents.

And, the items kept coming and coming.

“I think it’s great,” said Chris Porter, a TSTC in Waco BCT instructor and master plumber. “It’s a great relief for our department.”

The semi-trailer truck carried more than 1,300 pieces of lumber from Boise Cascade in Sugar Land and 80 pieces of No. 2 and BTR (better) Douglas fir lumber from Weyerhaeuser Co. in Houston. The items were delivered by Double G Forest Products in Navasota. The nine bundles of lumber is valued at slightly less than $14,000.

The in-kind gift was from Camden Living in Houston and organized by Steve Hefner, senior vice president of construction and a graduate of the BCT program at TSTC in Waco.

“I’m a huge advocate of TSTC and I believe strongly in our workforce and technical schools that provide a benefit to this country,” he said.

Michael Carrillo, a TSTC Building Construction Technology instructor, said the gift means he and other instructors can have students work on larger scale hands-on projects in classes.

“It’s pushing the efforts in what we are trying to do to help the workforce,” Carrillo said. “The students get what they need. We can expand and grow labs and make them more complex. It gives them more realistic scenarios.”

Hefner also made a $2,500 gift to the Building Construction Technology program for SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a nationwide professional organization teaching technical, academic and employability skills that help college and high school students pursue successful careers. TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program has students that participate in cabinet making, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and group construction contests on the state and national level.

“These will be life changing moments for the students in the future,” Hefner said.

Carrillo said the money could be used to purchase uniforms and hard hats for the program’s SkillsUSA participants to use at yearly competitions and scholarship opportunities for future students.

“One of the biggest expenses a student has are uniforms,” he said. “SkillsUSA are the top notch students. SkillsUSA provides a pathway to a company.”

Porter said he hoped the construction students would value the gifts. And, he said he wants one day for the students to contribute in their own ways to the program long after graduating.

“I hope they do see there are good people in the world who really want to help a good program,” he said.

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

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College won medals in four events at Friday night’s closing ceremony of SkillsUSA’s 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The ceremony was electric as delegations of high school and college students from Hawaii to Puerto Rico filled Freedom Hall and cheered for medalists and SkillsUSA’s new national officers.

TSTC alumnus Jeremiah Stones won the gold medal in Computer Programming. Category contestants had to solve computer programming problems.

Stones, 33, grew up in Waco and graduated in December from TSTC with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Programming Technology. He took the week off from his job as a computer programmer at Citibank in Irving to make the trip to Kentucky.

Stones competed in 2017 at the national conference in 3D Visualization and Animation.

“I felt like I knew what to expect,” he said. “I feel I got more of an appreciation of what builds people’s skills and how to work hard to be successful.”

The TeamWorks group of Jack Chance, Ricardo Delgado, Joseph Hermann and Andres Zapata won the silver medal. This is TSTC’s first TeamWorks group ever to receive a national medal.

“We need to take this as a learning experience,” Zapata said. “We will use this as motivation. It was fun to hang out with these guys and approach this build as a team.”

The team of Dylan Borg and Travis Pitrucha won a bronze medal in Interactive Application and Video Games Development. The students had to produce an original sample of an interactive video game or multimedia application.

“The conference meant working until about 5:30 a.m. the morning of the competition,” said Pitrucha, 27, of Temple. “It was solid work. Presenting was cool because of what we made. The judges were really nice.”

Juan Alcala won a bronze medal in Collision Repair Technology.

Alcala, 20, of Bertram, is an Auto Collision and Management Technology graduate working on an Advanced Technical Certificate in Auto Collision Refinishing that he will receive in December.

Alcala credited Jacob Pevia, an instructor in TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program, for helping him develop his skills for the competition. One of the tasks Alcala did in his competition was a damage analysis.

“It is an experience I would do two, three or four more times,” Alcala said. “It’s just great seeing what is in the competitions and how it relates to the real world and the up-to-date equipment.”

TSTC students from Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, Waco and West Texas participated in the conference. The students qualified for the national conference by winning SkillsUSA Texas’ state conference in April in Waco.

For more information on SkillsUSA, go to skillsusa.org.

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

(WACO) – Cody Scheffe is building a staircase to gold forged from sawdust and determination.

Scheffe, 21, of Windthorst, is a Texas State Technical College in Waco Building Construction Technology student. He made his SkillsUSA debut in April at the State Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference, where he claimed gold in carpentry. He will now go on to represent Texas at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference being held June 23-29 in Louisville, Kentucky.

“The first I’d heard of SkillsUSA was when I got to TSTC. My instructor, Mr. (Michael) Carrillo, was talking about it, and it sounded like a good opportunity,” Scheffe said.

SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure that America has a skilled workforce.

The carpentry competition consists of one student working in an allotted time to frame walls, cut and install rafters, demonstrate knowledge of stair construction and more. Contestants are judged on accuracy, ability to read and interpret blueprints, workmanship, safety, and the proper use of tools, equipment and materials.

“I didn’t think I was going to win because I was going against a guy who had competed before and had already gone to nationals. I thought it would be close, but I was pretty surprised,” Scheffe said.

After winning at state, Scheffe’s drive to win at the national level was encouraged as he began training regularly with TSTC Building Construction Technology instructors John Russell and Michael Carrillo.

“It’s his first year, he won state, and he’s a third-semester student. That’s really impressive because some of the things that the project is testing him on are on the advanced level and he hasn’t learned yet in the classroom,” Carrillo said.

Carrillo also competed in carpentry at SkillsUSA when he was a student, placing fourth at the national level. He pulls from his personal experience to offer guidance.  

“It’s understanding the game of the contest. It’s more aesthetics than anything, so geometry is real big. But it’s all a learning experience, and their overall goal is not that medal.” Carrillo said. “I owe a lot to SkillsUSA career-wise, job placement-wise, and that is worth more than any medal.”

Through SkillsUSA, Scheffe has become aware of numerous prospects made available to him and plans to capitalize on them.

“SkillsUSA means job opportunities,” Scheffe said. “I’ve had people ask me to send them resumes and even had a job offer already, but I’m looking forward to the networking and travel and potential scholarship money.”

Scheffe has earned the respect of his instructors, who were already impressed with his performance in the classroom, while competing at the state level. They have high hopes for him at nationals.

“A lot of what I like to do is work with (students’) psyches,” Russell said. “They can have the skills, but do they have the mental attitude? He does. Cody doesn’t get flustered, he doesn’t get upset, he’s levelheaded, and he pays attention. He’s got the skill level and the attitude, and I think he’ll place — if not win.”

Time spent training with his instructors and previous experience working with his father’s company have combined to give Scheffe a sense of confidence when approaching the national level.

“Mr. Carrillo and Mr. Russell have really helped me prepare for SkillsUSA by helping me come up with a game plan,” Scheffe said. “And I’m used to pressure, working with my dad’s business where it’s always go-time. They’ve all helped me with everything.”

Scheffe will graduate in spring 2019 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology.

For more information on SkillsUSA, visit skillsusa.org.

Registration for fall classes at TSTC is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.