Author Archives: Daniel Perry

Houston Company, TSTC Alumnus Help Support BCT Program

(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.

 

TSTC Wins Medals at National SkillsUSA Conference

(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.

TSTC Students Represent Texas at National SkillsUSA Conference in Kentucky

(WACO) – Students calculated, hammered and stirred their way through the first day of competitions Wednesday at SkillsUSA’s 54th National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

Texas State Technical College students from the Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, Waco and West Texas campuses participated in events such as Additive Manufacturing, CNC Technician, Internetworking and Medical Math at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The students qualified for the national conference by winning at SkillsUSA Texas’ state conference in April in Waco.

Noah McCoy, 21, a 2015 graduate of Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, represents TSTC in Harlingen in the Automated Manufacturing Technology team contest.

“There are different expectations,” McCoy said. “We are a three-man team. Miguel (Zamarripa) knows machining and Carlos (Davila) is strong in drafting. It’s pretty cool.”

McCoy went to the national contest in 2017 and competed in Technical Drafting.

I’m a little more prepared,” he said. “We show the other students around and how things go.”

Alexander Oldham, 30, is a Computer Networking and Systems Administration major at TSTC in Brownwood taking part in Technical Computer Applications. He said the contest’s components complement what he is studying.

“You never stop learning,” Oldham said.

Oldham, like many students attending the conference, has been trading state delegation pins. So far, he has gotten pins from Georgia, Illinois and Iowa, but has not gotten the elusive Hawaii or Puerto Rico pins yet.

The buildup to Wednesday began Monday night when state meetings were held to go over conference information and rules.

On Tuesday, the opening ceremony was held at historic Freedom Hall and included national awards, a high school parade of states and remarks from NASCAR Team Penske driver and Michigan native Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski talked about his development in racing and how several technical careers factored into his line of work. He said the more effort people put toward their goals, the better the results will be.

“I think the USA will continue to get stronger because of you guys,” Keselowski said, vowing his support to SkillsUSA.”

Attendees cheered when Keselowski changed on stage out of the navy blue blazer he was wearing into SkillsUSA’s signature red jacket.

“Everyone here is a winner,” he said. “This coat represents winners. I like winners.”

The national conference has 102 events with an attendance of 18,000 people, including students, teachers and representatives of 600 national companies, trade associations, labor unions and businesses, according to information from SkillsUSA.

Competitions continue Thursday, along with students visiting Kentucky Kingdom, an amusement park on the grounds of the exposition center.

The closing ceremony will be Friday night at Freedom Hall, where more than 1,000 gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to secondary and postsecondary competitors.

“When students succeed, America succeeds,” Timothy Lawrence, executive director of SkillsUSA, told attendees at Tuesday night’s opening ceremony,

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

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

 

Windthorst Student Aims for Gold in Louisville for TSTC

(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.

TSTC and Hendrick Provider Network Celebrate TWC Skills Development Grant

(ABILENE) – Leaders from Texas State Technical College, the Texas Workforce Commission and Hendrick Provider Network gathered Thursday to commemorate a TWC Skills Development Fund grant.

The original grant amount was $110,512, which created or upgraded 66 jobs at the health care provider, but an amendment to the grant added another $121,044 and helped an additional 58 employees.

“We offer a great solution to working with industry partners and are fortunate to work with the TWC,” said Rick Denbow, provost of TSTC in Abilene.

Of the employees trained, 24 became certified medical coders, 10 became certified medical office managers and 35 earned certificates in medical front office skills. TSTC’s Workforce Training and Continuing Education partnered with the Practice Management Institute to fulfill the training.

Some of the classes Hendrick employees took at TSTC dealt with insurance claims processing, procedural terminology, advanced coding and auditing.

“Health care has been underserved in the education realm,” said Hendrick Provider Network Operations Manager Marjohn Riney. “The health care industry has changed. Nobody has been educating front office staff.”

Riney said the training has led to increased tenure among employees and an empowerment in knowledge and competence.

The regional economic impact of the grant is expected to be $1.2 million, said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez III, who presented the check.

“What you are doing is keeping up and listening to industry,” Alvarez said. “You are customizing training to industry needs.”

Hendrick Provider Network in Abilene is a multispecialty group with providers in cardiology, infectious disease, nephrology, orthopedic surgery and other medical fields. It is part of the Hendrick Health System.

“Hendrick is one of our primary employers, and their growth is critical to our economy,” said Justin Jaworski, executive director of the Abilene Industrial Foundation.

The Skills Development Fund has been used since 1996 to localize workforce training for Texas companies. This enables companies to work directly with local partners to develop training tailored to employees’ needs. The competitive grant has assisted more than 4,200 employers statewide, according to the TWC.

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

Ohio Company Offering Tuition Reimbursement to TSTC Diesel Equipment Technology Graduates

(WACO) – Crown Equipment Corp. is making it enticing for Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology majors to work for them.

The Ohio-based company specializing in forklift parts and production is offering tuition reimbursement for TSTC’s DET certificate and associate degree graduates from the Fort Bend County, Marshall, North Texas, Sweetwater and Waco campuses who are hired as technicians. The tuition plan started earlier this year.

“Every candidate (in the past) we have brought on board has been excellent,” said Joe Razza, a Crown regional recruiter for Louisiana and Texas based in Arlington.

The new hires will have five weeks of training, and after six months they will begin receiving extra money each pay period that can be put toward student loans, Razza said. The amount the company will reimburse is capped at $10,000.

“Getting tuition reimbursement from companies like Crown helps students get off to a solid start,” said Henry Macik, TSTC’s statewide chair for Diesel Equipment Technology. “Instead of worrying about paying off student loans, they can buy tools and invest in their future.”

Crown Equipment Corp. has four Crown Lift Trucks locations in Arlington, Houston, San Antonio and Waco. Razza said there is a push to hire more personnel at its locations in Texas and nationwide.

Kacey Darnell, TSTC’s executive director of Talent Management and Career Services, said students learn about the tuition reimbursement if they express interest in Crown. Razza also tells students about it when he visits TSTC campuses.

“Joe is an auto mechanic by trade and knows what it’s like to be a student,” Darnell said.

Razza said after several visits to TSTC’s campuses, he saw the value in the hands-on education that Diesel Equipment Technology students are receiving. He spoke to staff in Crown’s corporate office and the reimbursement plan was quickly approved.

“We have had a better success rate with TSTC because of the additional training students receive,” Razza said. “TSTC is also willing to train students with workshops in professionalism and soft skills.”

For more information on Crown Equipment Corp., go to crown.com.

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

TSTC in Brownwood to Host Registration Events This Summer

(BROWNWOOD) – Texas State Technical College will have two Registration Rally events this summer in Brownwood.

The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 26 and July 31 at the Enrollment Center/Learning Resource Center at 305 Booker St. in Brownwood. The events are part of an effort to make the registration process as easy as possible for incoming students planning to take classes in the fall semester.

“We make it fun,” said Devin Crenshaw, a TSTC college outreach representative. “They can come and do every single thing in one day. It’s easier for people that don’t want to deal with the lengthy process and do a lot of back and forth. They can just come and get it done and not wait until the first class day.”

Visitors can take campus tours and learn about the seven technical programs offered at TSTC in Brownwood, including Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics Technology, Emergency Medical Services and Welding Technology.

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 and TSI scores.

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

For more information, contact TSTC in Brownwood at 325-643-5987 or visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Chemical Dependency Counseling Student Teaches Inmates Life Skills

(BROWNWOOD) – Offenders in the Texas prison system sometimes are the forgotten ones who need a guide to find a path toward personal fulfillment.

But people like Norma Vandenberg, a Chemical Dependency Counseling major at Texas State Technical College in Brownwood, are there to teach the life skills they need.

“We do not tell people how to live,” she said. “We help them find better coping skills and how to make better choices.”

Vandenberg, a resident of Dublin in Erath County, is doing a summer practicum in substance abuse and addiction counseling at the Thomas R. Havins Unit in Brownwood. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice pre-release facility holds more than 575 male inmates.

“I teach classes that help the addict understand addiction, anger management, and understanding mental illness and how it mimics addiction,” Vandenberg said. “I also do individual counseling and group counseling and assessments as new clients come in.”

Elizabeth Jones, an instructor in TSTC’s Chemical Dependency Counseling program, said people working in treatment at the Havins Unit are chosen by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. She said a majority of the facility’s counselors are TSTC graduates.

“Norma has the discipline and dedication because of her past career as a nurse,” Jones said. “She is following the guidelines that I tried to establish concerning ethics, professionalism and establishing good boundaries with clients.”

Vandenberg is scheduled to graduate in August with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling from TSTC. Program majors learn about criminology, individual and group counseling skills, and substance-related and addictive disorders.

“I enjoyed school and learning new things and new challenges,” she said.

Vandenberg grew up in Worthington, Minnesota, and is a graduate of Worthington High School She studied nursing at Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

“I worked with women recovering from addiction and enjoyed the work,” she said. “I enjoy helping people. I am burned out with nursing, and CDC is still in the medical field.”

After graduation from TSTC, Vandenberg will work full-time at the Havins Unit as a certified criminal justice addiction professional.

Jones said program graduates also go on to work in Austin, Belton, Dallas, San Angelo and San Antonio. She said the Chemical Dependency Counseling program has been used by graduates to work on bachelor’s degrees in nursing, psychology and social work.

“We receive compliments on our students from the program director (at the Havins Unit), and I have received phone calls asking me when I would be graduating students because the Havins Unit was short-staffed on counselors,” said Jones. “Our program lays the foundation for understanding the disease of addiction, and this understanding can be beneficial to all career paths associated with allied health.”

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

TSTC in Breckenridge to Host Registration Events This Summer

(BRECKENRIDGE) – Texas State Technical College will have two Registration Rally events this summer in Breckenridge.

The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 19 and July 24 in Room 103 in the Breckenridge Center at 307 N. Breckenridge Ave. The events are part of an effort to make the registration process as easy as possible for incoming students planning to take classes in the fall semester.

“This is the best time for everyone to come and get everything done to get registered or check on what they are still needing,” said Cassandra Love, an enrollment specialist at TSTC in Breckenridge.

Visitors can take campus tours and learn about the four technical programs offered at TSTC in Breckenridge: Chemical Dependency Counseling, Environmental Technology, Vocational Nursing and Welding Technology.

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 and TSI scores.

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

For more information, contact TSTC in Breckenridge at 254-559-7700 or visit tstc.edu.

TSTC in Abilene to Host Registration Events This Summer

(ABILENE) – Texas State Technical College will have three Registration Rally events this summer in Abilene.

The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 28, July 25 and Aug. 8 at the main campus at 650 East Highway 80 in Abilene. The events are part of an effort to make the registration process as easy as possible for incoming students planning to take classes in the fall semester.

“The registration rallies are important because it gives you an opportunity to meet instructors and clarify anything you need to know about programs and admissions,” said Rikki Spivey, a TSTC college outreach representative.

Visitors can take campus tours and learn about the 15 technical programs offered at TSTC in Abilene, including new programs in Industrial Maintenance, Electrical Power and Controls and Welding Technology.

Construction on the 56,000-square-foot Industrial Technology Center on Loop 322 next to Abilene Regional Airport is scheduled to be completed in time for the first day of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 27.

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 and TSI scores.

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

For more information, contact TSTC in Abilene at 325-734-3608 or visit tstc.edu.