Author Archives: Daniel Perry

TSTC Candidate for Graduation Increases Marketability for Workforce

(WACO, Texas) – With a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in hand, Kory Dyer of Bellville wanted to make himself more marketable.

“I went home and just wanted to weigh out what all my options were. During the internship (for the degree), I came to realize that engineers are expected, going into the field coming out of school, to be proficient in AutoCAD and all the major computer-aided drafting software,” he said.

Dyer decided to go back to college, this time traveling to Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. Now he is a spring candidate for graduation for an Associate of Applied Science degree in Mechanical-Electrical Drafting Technology.

Dyer will start a new job in mid-June at RODS Subsurface Utility Engineering Inc. in Spring in the Houston area.

“I am very excited about it,” he said. “It is a great company.”

While at TSTC, Dyer learned about computer-aided drafting, machine drafting, parametric design and modeling, and other topics.

“The instructors are very knowledgeable,” he said. “One thing I love about TSTC is they have real work experience. There are people that have been out in the industry for 20, 30 years and retired, and decided to come back and share their knowledge with the next generation of workers. That is a valuable asset that you cannot get just anywhere.”

Dyer spent more than a year as a campus tutor.

“Kory has tutored students in drafting and math, and he has contributed immensely to TSTC by providing instructional support to our students,” said Kassie Harrington, TSTC’s tutoring coordinator. “He is an individual who shows up earlier than asked, works hard, and is always willing to go above and beyond in his studies.”

Dyer said the job challenged him to figure out what worked to communicate with students to get them to understand their problem areas. He said these skills can transition into his future workplace.

“I applied for the tutoring job because I needed a job,” he said. “I wanted to try to get a job on campus because I know, from working in my undergraduate career, it is so much easier when you have a job on campus. They are willing to work around your schedule. They understand studying comes first.”

Dyer’s motivation comes from proving to his high school classmates that he could succeed in college and provide for his future family.

“I want to be able to prove that I can succeed in life,” he said.

Dyer is a graduate of Bellville High School and Texas A&M University Kingsville.

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

TSTC Candidate for Graduation: Change Circumstances to Meet Goals

(MARSHALL, Texas) – When Ryan Holm went on what he thought was just another company tour when he was a teenager, he did not know then that he was visiting his future employer.

Holm is a student operator at Eastman Chemical Co. in Longview. He got the job while still a student at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus, where he is a spring candidate for graduation. He is scheduled to receive an Associate of Applied Science degree in Process Operations.

“I really enjoyed my time at TSTC,” Holm said. “The classes were engaging, the instructors would help you with anything, and overall, it’s just a nice place to be.”

Nicholas Cram, an instructor in TSTC’s Process Operations program, admired Holm’s quiet confidence.

“He excelled in grasping concepts and understanding their applications,” Cram said. “He has an unusual gift of absorbing information and being able to see the big picture. He isn’t just a ‘book-smart’ young man. He has the ability to put knowledge into hands-on, practical use.”

Holm said he plans to celebrate the completion of his classes with a steak dinner with his mother, finacee and future in-laws.

“What motivates me is where I have come from and where I want to be,” he said.

Holm was born in New Mexico and later moved with his family to Jefferson.

“During high school, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do as far as my future career was concerned,” he said. “I just knew I didn’t want anything to do with oil field work, so far as the drilling aspect of it, because I watched my father, uncle, cousin and other family members consistently laid off as the economy cycled up and down as it does.”

Two months after he graduated from high school, he and his mother lost their house, and they moved in with an uncle. Holm and his mother saved enough money for a few months to build a two-bedroom house.

“Fast forward about a year, and I had moved out and was living in Marshall, working and changing oil at a shop a few blocks away from TSTC,” he said. “After living on less than $300 a week for the last two years and less than that prior, one day I finally had enough and decided it was time to do something different. And that is when I decided to enroll in classes at TSTC.”

Holm was originally in another technical program, but after one semester  he moved into the Process Operations program.

“I remembered way back in high school in agriculture class, we took a field trip to Eastman,” Holm said. “During that field trip, we were handed a paper that had the various jobs and requirements for them. One of those jobs was for operations, and it listed TSTC as one of the schools that was partnered with Eastman, so I switched.”

Holm’s advice for students is simple: Keep going.

“If you try something and it’s not working, don’t give up,” he said. “Take a different approach, try something new, but don’t give up. Don’t change your goal to suit your circumstances; change your circumstances to suit your goal.”

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

TSTC Candidate for Graduation Lands IT Job in Dallas

(RED OAK, Texas) – Daryl Golden of Waxahachie worked in sales for a decade and decided he wanted to take a different direction in his career. And, the direction he took led to Texas State Technical College.

“I get anxious that I’m not accomplishing anything if I don’t have a progression path set up,” he said. “I’ve got to be working toward something, or I feel like I have plateaued.”

Not only is Golden a spring candidate for graduation at TSTC’s North Texas campus, but he has also landed a job in an information technology position at GDT in Dallas.  

He is scheduled to complete an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity later this month at TSTC. 

“These degree plans are very similar — just five additional courses — and you really can’t have security without networking,” he said. “So, I encourage anyone on the same degree plan to be a dual major as well.”

Some of Golden’s favorite courses focused on auditing, firewalls and network and security assessment.

“I had the privilege of teaching quite a few of Daryl’s classes,” said Joel Bryant, an instructor in TSTC’s Cybersecurity program. “Daryl can be described as every instructor’s dream student. He’s inquisitive, highly motivated and determined to get the job done, whether it’s in a lab, homework assignments or his internships. He is persistent, helpful and a positive force in the classroom.”

Golden already knows how he will celebrate the completion of his classes.

“I plan to cook out as much as possible and play some games with all this free time I’ve suddenly gotten back,” he said. “After that, I’m going to chase as many certifications as possible. I need to keep working on my resume.”

Golden is excited to be working at GDT, a company that designs, builds, delivers and manages IT solutions and services for customers of all sizes and from a variety of industries. 

“They understood that I was a full-time student for just one more semester when they hired me and allowed me to work early on days I had class,” he said. “I could not be happier with this company and how they have treated me so far.”

Golden said his advice for future students is not to procrastinate and to pay attention to everything.

“Stay in as many loops as you can,” he said. “Through understanding what is being done around or even above you, it can become easier to learn more and punch above the weight of your position. Staying as looped in as you can means that you can solve and own problems that weren’t originally intended to be yours.”

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

TSTC Electrical Lineworker, Welding Programs Preparing for Growth

(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Electrical Lineworker Technology and Welding Technology programs at the Fort Bend County campus are expanding.

“Those have been two of the hottest trades in the region for several years,” said Jeremy Heath, executive director of the Rosenberg Economic Development Corp. “Everyone who goes through either program has a job in hand upon graduation or very quickly after. And these jobs pay well, so the city gets an immediate return on its investment in TSTC, because those paychecks get spent at our local businesses.”

The Electrical Lineworker Technology program’s building will be expanded, said Randall Wooten, TSTC provost. The Welding Technology program in the Industrial Technology Center will double the number of welding booths. Both programs anticipate accommodating more students when the fall semester begins.

“We are open in our fourth year (here) and are ratcheting up with the projects,” Wooten said. “We can see that in a year or so we will need more room or turn students away.”

The Electrical Lineworker Technology program will get additional classroom and storage space, along with more poles for students to practice their skills. Wooten said the program will grow to accommodate 90 students. Students will also have the opportunity to earn a commercial driver’s license (CDL) while in the program. The program has two trucks that will be shared with TSTCorkforce Training.

“The employers want the CDL because there are big pieces of equipment with trailers that need to be towed,” Wooten said. “In order for them to get the jobs and get in the front of the line, if they have a CDL, that helps them a whole lot.”

Eric Carithers, TSTC’s statewide chair of the Electrical Lineworker Technology department, said linemen are needed. Recent TSTC graduates in Fort Bend County have been hired by CenterPoint Energy and North Houston Pole Line.

“All of them in that area are making excellent money,” Carithers said. “We are trying to accommodate the growth of the enrollment and the demand in the area.”

The number of electrical line installers and repairers is projected to increase nationally to 128,900 by 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Lineworker Technology and an Electrical Lineworker certificate.

The Welding Technology program is expanding into an open storage area being fitted with 80 more welding booths. Wooten said the program will have the capacity to accommodate 240 students after the expansion.

“Houston is a large area and highly populated,” said Ashley Yezak, TSTC’s statewide chair of the Welding Technology department. “I know we are making a smart move in order to offer more availability so we can run more sections and serve more Texans.”

Yezak said the expanded space will give flexibility in offering a mix of day and night classes as necessary. 

The need for brazers, cutters, solderers and welders nationwide is projected to grow to more than 439,000 up to 2028 due to the nation’s aging infrastructure and the construction of new power generation facilities, according to the federal labor statistics bureau.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Welding Technology and certificates in Structural Welding and Structural and Pipe Welding.

TSTC is an important tool that the Rosenberg Economic Development Corp. uses in its recruiting efforts. Heath said the city is seeing rapid residential and commercial growth.

“A skilled labor force is the number one most important factor in recruiting new businesses to our city,” he said. “The price of dirt, reasonable tax rates and financial incentive packages help seal the deal. But every prospect I have spoken to in almost six years of business recruitment asks the same question first: Do you have a strong enough workforce to accommodate my needs?”

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

TSTC Students Return to Campus in Waco

(WACO, Texas) – Some students returned to Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus on Monday to a new way of conducting classes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The students who returned will be taking intensive labs to complete the spring semester, which is projected to end May 29. The return to on-campus instruction is authorized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which has identified career and technical education as an area of education that can continue under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order No. GA-16. Programs must meet guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I am excited to welcome back our students to the Waco campus,” said Patti Tate, interim provost. “I cannot wait to see the different face coverings that our students have made or purchased. We have a creative student body, and I know they will not disappoint.”

Classrooms and labs looked a little different upon the students’ return.

Jannifer Stimmel, an instructor in TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program, said she rearranged work tables so students could be 6 feet away from each other. She also emphasized to students the need to sanitize and wear safety glasses, gloves and face coverings.

Students in Stimmel’s Basic Paint Techniques, Equipment and Environmental Practices class walked in Monday morning having already heard the semester’s lectures online. They began the day sanding and scuffing panels.

Stimmel said she was glad to see the students in class. .

“As a teacher without students, you are missing a part of yourself,” she said.

Mason McClanahan, of Tomball, an Auto Collision and Management Technology – Refinishing Specialization major, said it felt great being back on campus.

“Hands down, it feels good to get work done,” he said.

Cody Musia, lead instructor in TSTC’s Welding Technology program, said he and other faculty members designated entrances and exits where students sign in and out of their portion of the Industrial Technology Center. 

Yellow and orange stripes were painted on the floor in front of each welding station. The colors indicate a morning and an afternoon session for students as they convert to six-hour “shifts” in the lab.

Musia said students heard lectures while they were away from campus. And, he said online lectures will continue this summer, with students coming to campus to work in extended labs.

Michele Brown, lead instructor in TSTC’s Culinary Arts program, said she met each Monday since late March with her Fundamentals of Baking class to conduct lectures and give quizzes. The students even sent photos and videos to her to show off their progress.

She said she understood the challenges some students had, including having to share a computer at their home, poor internet service and balancing family life. Upon the students’ return, the class has adjusted to new social guidelines by being split into two groups that meet on different days of the week.

Students in other programs also were eager to return to campus.

Colleen Jones, an Instrumentation Technology major from West, said she was ready to go back to the classroom.

“We are excited to get back together,” said Jones, who is also a campus general academics tutor. “We have to stay 6 feet apart. We are excited to finally see each other and collaborate on our projects to finish. It has been hard to do on our own.”

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

TSTC Culinary Arts Students Have Online Celebration

(HUTTO, Texas) – Five candidates for graduation in Texas State Technical College’s Culinary Arts program in Williamson County were honored Friday with a teleconference celebration.

Nelson Adams, a TSTC Culinary Arts instructor, said the online gathering was an idea the students developed and brought to him to implement. 

The candidates for graduation are Victoria Cruz, Chasey Davis, Davyn Garcia, Nicole Hanks and Luis Rodriguez. Most of them already have jobs in the Austin area.

“That has been par for the course for this group, and I have been lucky to simply be a conduit to make their great ideas come to life,” Adams said. “They are a phenomenal group of students that I am proud to say are ready for the workforce.”

The celebration’s guest speaker was Chad Blunston, executive chef at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Round Rock. He encouraged the students to respect their work and listen to others to learn.

“Make good decisions, be dedicated to your team, yourself and to your owner,” Blunston said. “Your role is to master and learn and pass it on to someone else.”

Lissa Adams, TSTC’s associate provost in Williamson County, thanked the students for their work not only in class, but  also outside of it — baking cookies to decorate at Halloween, preparing Thanksgiving dinner for employees and catering special events.

“You are a special cohort,” she said. “We hope that you will come back and visit us. We do accept deliveries.”

Mark Schneider, statewide director of TSTC’S Culinary Arts department, told students to share knowledge with humility and keep practicing their skills.

“It is special how you bonded and supported each other in the kitchen,” he said. “I think that will flow into your work sites.”

Schneider encouraged the students to compete in culinary contests.

“I can tell you through experience, once I got in the competition arena, I met those chefs, judges and mentors that saw something special and put me in the right place at the right time and moved my career forward,” he said.

Michael Smith, senior field development officer for The TSTC Foundation, surprised the students by announcing the organization will cover their first year of membership in the American Culinary Federation. He also encouraged the students to join the TSTC Alumni Association.

“You have a local leadership that truly cares about this program,” Smith said.

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

TSTC Program Offers Pathway to Water and Wastewater Work

(MARSHALL, Texas) – A fascination with chemistry, environmental science, health and safety can lead to jobs in Texas for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators.

Graduates of Texas State Technical College’s Process Operations program in Marshall can pursue these jobs, along with those at chemical, gas and petroleum plants. The program exposes students to blueprint reading, industrial processes, physics, process instrumentation, and other topics.

“Our training is very broad-spectrum and can be applied to several industries that have a product requiring monitoring and control as it moves from raw material to finished product,” said Nicholas Cram, an instructor in TSTC’s Process Operations program.

The week of May 3 is Drinking Water Week as proclaimed by the American Water Works Association. The week’s theme, “There When You Need It,” celebrates the people  who keep our drinking water supply safe.

“It is important to recognize the critical role water infrastructure plays, every day, in ensuring our tap water is there when you need it for drinking, cooking and hygiene,” said David LaFrance, the AWWA’s chief executive officer.

Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators work to disinfect water, take samples, record meters, gauge readings and do equipment cleaning and maintenance.

Texas has more than 10,800 water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers are tested and licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which also offers online and in-person continuing education courses for workers.

The city of Marshall’s water treatment facility can produce 10 to 15 million gallons a day, while its wastewater treatment plant can handle eight to 9 million gallons a day. 

Eric Powell, the city’s public works director, said his plant operators work 12-hour shifts during the round-the-clock operations.

The water treatment plant staff uses a supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, system to monitor flow rates and other measurements.

“We do this via wireless and cellular connections and computer software,” he said. “That technology provides us an opportunity to manage remotely. Before that, you had to go to each facility and read a pressure gauge.”

Powell said technology for water treatment changes quickly and can often be costly.

“Wastewater treatment is very traditional,” he said. “The technology is the pumps, motors, filters and screens. It is not software- and computer-based.”

The federal bureau has projected more than 120,000 jobs nationwide up 2028, with people having automation and mechanical skills gaining better opportunities for employment. Powell said college internships are great opportunities for students to learn about water and wastewater work.

“You will always have a job because you need drinking water and there needs to be a place for wastewater to go,” Powell said. “You have to have a sense of public service in your head. We will always need young people to follow the retiring group.”

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

TSTC Graduate Gets New Lease on Career

(WACO, Texas) -Luke Tennyson’s professional goal is to teach and help others so they can do their jobs better.

Tennyson is a manager of operations in Grapevine and Keller for WorkSuites, a commercial real estate business that rents and subleases office space. He is responsible for 180 offices the company manages in the two cities. Some of his responsibilities include creating preventive maintenance schedules and making sure projects are completed on time. 

Tennyson earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Facilities Maintenance and Management and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Maintenance in summer 2019 from Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. Those degrees were merged in fall 2019 into the Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems.

Tennyson began work last August shortly after graduating.

“I had not even graduated and applied for this job,” he said. They told me to come in, and I wore a suit. “When they initially gave it to me, I didn’t think I got it because I thought I needed more experience. TSTC definitely prepared me. I would not have gotten the job without it.”

Tennyson grew up in Fort Worth and is a graduate of Arlington Heights High School.

“When I got out of high school, I didn’t really want to go to college,” he said. “I wanted to work and make money.”

Tennyson worked at a golf course on a grounds crew and in maintenance at an apartment complex before attending TSTC.

“When I got to TSTC, I was already kind of experienced, so TSTC prepared me even more to take it to the next level,” he said.

Tennyson said his favorite classes dealt with management, and safety and building codes.

“I did learn so much hands-on,” he said. “We did a lot with pumps, hydraulics and pneumatics. Those classes for me were really good because it taught me something I really did not know.”

Michael Hubbard, one of Tennyson’s instructors, admired his inquisitiveness and work ethic.

“He always wanted to make sure he fully understood the topic,” Hubbard said. “He has a positive attitude. He was genuinely interested, engaged and focused.”

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

TSTC Student Motivated by Career Change

(MARSHALL, Texas) – D’Angelo Thomas of Longview made the commitment and stuck with it.

Thomas chose to attend Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus because he wanted to do something different in his life. He previously worked in the oil and gas field and was a commercial truck driver before enrolling.

He chose the Industrial Systems program because of its diversity of subjects. Students in the four-semester associate degree program learn about basic electrical theory, blueprint sketching, commercial wiring, compressors, pumps and other topics.

“I had some understanding about industrial systems coming from the oil field,” he said. “But in coming to TSTC and being in classes, it opened my eyes to more of how everything goes.”

Thomas is a candidate for graduation this spring with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems – Electrical Specialization.

Thomas said he enjoyed learning about hydraulics and pneumatics and is grateful to TSTC’s staff for fitting in classes around his work schedule.

Edward Chaney, an instructor in TSTC’s Industrial Systems program, said Thomas has been a wonderful student to teach.

“He has shared some of his past with me and he has been down some bad roads,” Chaney said. “He has turned all that around to do his best to be a good father and husband. He is very respectful and a joy to spend time with in or out of the classroom. He is always respectful.”

Thomas has worked for nine months at Advanced Technology Services Inc., which has a contract with TrinityRail in Longview. He uses equipment manuals and searches online to learn in-depth information on how the company’s machines operate.

Thomas said he and his co-workers are the ones who are called on to troubleshoot problems and get equipment back up and running. 

“Every piece of equipment is challenging, I would say,” he said.

Thomas grew up in Longview and he was active in sports at Longview High School. At that time of his life, college was not on his mind.

“As I got older, I started thinking more about things like that,” he said.

Motivation is easy for Thomas to find.

“It is my family, but I have just been the kind of person that always wants to do something,” he said.

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

TSTC Employees in Waco Recognized With Statewide Award

(WACO, Texas) – Seven employees at Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus have been honored for their work and skills.

Sally Estrada, Tonya Isaacks, Misty Kaska, Matthew Peterson, Shelli Scherwitz, Tina Skidmore and Julie Threlkeld have received TSTC’s Chancellor’s Excellence Award.

“We are so excited and pleased for our Waco campus Chancellor’s Excellence Award recipients,” said Patti Tate, TSTC’s interim provost in Waco. “Although we have many, many on campus that do wonderful work with us, these are the ones that stood out. There is no greater way to say thank you to those that were recognized.”

The Chancellor’s Excellence Award began in 2001 and has been given to more than 300 TSTC employees statewide. Recipients are nominated by their peers for their work toward advancing the technical college’s mission.

“The teammates who win this award model excellence for us all and are recognized for both their sound character and for advancing TSTC’s mission,” said TSTC Chancellor & CEO Mike Reeser. “Due to their caring and dedicated efforts, TSTC continues to make a difference in the employment success of our students.”

Isaacks lives in China Spring and is a lab assistant for the Computer Programming Technology and Computer Networking and Systems Administration programs. She was a student worker in 2012 before starting her job full-time in 2016.

“There is no such thing as an average day in my position,” Isaacks said. “Every day is something new. I make plans for the day, but someone has technical difficulties and my whole day changes. The variety in my position is what keeps me motivated. I learn something new every day.”

Peterson lives in Mount Calm and is an instructor in the Diesel Equipment Technology program. He has worked at TSTC for a little more than two years.

“The students motivate me,” he said. “There is nothing better than seeing the light come on when you are teaching, and I can’t explain that feeling of pride and accomplishment to watch the students walk across the stage upon graduation.”

Scherwitz is executive vice president of OIT Administrative Services and has worked for 22 years at TSTC. Her job is to work with all of TSTC’s employees to help make their technology visions a reality. She said she was in shock when she learned she received the award.

Skidmore lives in Abbott and is senior executive director of the Student Reporting Department – Business Intelligence. She will celebrate 15 years of working at TSTC this year. She credits the employees in her department for uniting to build and design new ways to make work easier for TSTC employees.

“Receiving the award is such an honor for me,” Skidmore said. “The work we do typically is done behind the scenes. Having someone put forth the effort to nominate me is an honor in itself, and then to actually receive the award has me in disbelief.”

Threlkeld lives in Waco and is director of Constituent Management at The TSTC Foundation. She has worked at TSTC for seven years.

“I am honored and humbled to be included with such an incredible community of co-workers,” she said. “What we do is important. We touch the lives of TSTC students by removing the barriers that would otherwise keep them from being successful at TSTC and in life.”

Estrada is a custodial worker in the John B. Connally Technology Center, and Kaska is a coordinator in the Advocacy and Resource Center.

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